25/10/2024
For such a famous WW2 figure, surprisingly little documentary material exists about Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz. Researching and writing about his deeds is therefore a challenge. Frustratingly, even though he reached General’s rank, he was still a reserve officer, meaning a personnel file no longer exists. He maintained a parallel SS rank, so an SS file is available, though it is not very helpful as it relates to SS matters rather than his battlefield performance. The SS file does contain one gem, however: a copy of a speech given by Hube at Strachwitz’s Knight’s Cross bestowal ceremony in September 1941 which provides crucial details about his deeds during the opening months of Barbarossa.
Three attempts at a book-length biography have been made over the years. The first, released in 1962, was Günter Fraschka’s “Der Panzer-Graf: General Graf Strachwitz - ein Leben für Deutschland.” This book is the genesis for all the unsubstantiated tales of derring-do that are repeated over and over again. Fraschka became the star author of the Rastatt-based Pabel-Verlag known for publishing the paperback novel series “Der Landser”, a cheap German Boys' Own-style booklet that focused on heroic tales of Wehrmacht soldiers. The dangerous mix of fact and fiction means it is verboten as a reliable historical source, but that has not stopped some from using it. Fraschka’s “Der Panzer Graf” is written in a similar style, but it is clear from the Foreword that he was assisted by the man himself:
“I would like to thank Graf Strachwitz very much for all the support he has given me in reviewing the material and providing all the information.”
Stories and “facts" originating from books published in the 60s and 70s have staying power and are incredibly resistant to myth-busting.
The next biography, which appeared in 2011, is Hans-Joachim Röll’s “Generalleutnant der Reserve Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von Groß-Zauche und Camminetz: Vom Kavallerieoffizier zum Führer gepanzerter Verbände”. Again, the author was helped by the Strachwitz family who made available “valuable source and photographic material.” This large-format book contains a lot of great photos and the text contains more hard data than Fraschka’s book, but it is difficult to use as citations are not present at all. Nevertheless, it is a creditable biography and by far the best of the three.
Finally, in 2014 appeared “The Devil's General: The Life of Hyazinth Strachwitz, "The Panzer Graf": The Life of Hyazinth Von Strachwitz – "the Panzer Graf” by Raymond Bagdonas. Full disclosure – I was going to publish this book. The market was primed for a full-length biography in English, so I was super keen to act as publisher. As I read through it, however, I saw the same tall stories found in Fraschka’s book and “facts” that I knew were 100% incorrect. No problem, these wrinkles can be ironed out, after all, that’s what an editor is for. Unfortunately, the author was unwilling to alter his manuscript in any way. My publishing house (Leaping Horseman Books) is known for releasing high-quality books with impeccable research, so I was not going to publish it as is. We’d reached an impasse. Fortunately, the author had another publisher interested, so we mutually agreed to nullify our agreement and go our separate ways. I shall say no more about the book. If you want a vast range of opinions and reviews, I suggest you have a look at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1612002226).
As Strachwitz was a dominant personality, he naturally figures greatly in my forthcoming book “Panzerkrieg Volume 2: German Armoured Operations at Stalingrad”. Admittedly, it was tempting to use some of the enthralling anecdotes found in the three biographies and simply cite those books as the source, but I have an unquenchable desire to know the truth, to dig into the stories, to find corroborating evidence. Cross-checking is usually helped by a personnel file, but as that does not exist, other sources had to be used. The most reliable “waymarkers” for Strachwitz’s actions were the casualty lists of Panzer-Regiment 2. As he was wounded or injured so many times, these could be used to pin down some of the stories.
Although my book is not a biography, it does contain a lot of information about Strachwitz (see attached index entry), all with citations, not to mention plenty of photos (around 30 or so, many never before seen). If you want to know more about him, may I humbly suggest you consider my book.
Thanks for reading!
Jason Mark
