Leaping Horseman Books

18/03/2025

Positive review of "Panzerkrieg Volume 2" in the French magazine VaeVictis No. 179. Here's a rough translation:
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"Let's start with a book from a publisher that is admittedly somewhat obscure, but whose publications we have already praised. Panzerkrieg, German Armoured Operations at Stalingrad, Volume 2, Panzer-Regiment.2 is published by the Australian Leaping Horseman. Why bring up a book on such a specialist subject? Quite simply because the title is misleading. Unlike the first volume, devoted to the armoured battalions of the motorised divisions engaged at Stalingrad, this handsome volume of 634 pages, 600 photos, 100 maps, etc., is not limited to this campaign alone. On the contrary, it details the history of Panzer-Regiment.2 from Poland, as part of the 1.Panzerdivision of Guderian's corps, right up to its destruction in the Kessel of Stalingrad. It should be noted that the ‘big chunk’ here corresponds to its employment during Operation Barbarossa, this time within the 16.Pz.Div., covering more than 150 pages. Add another 50 pages on the fighting in the winter of 1941-1942, which saw the division's tanks scattered over hundreds of kilometres, and the account sheds light on a little-known part of the German-Soviet war, often reduced to the crisis west of Moscow. Ironically, the encirclement and destruction of the regiment at Stalingrad occupies a similar space. The author, Jason Mark, draws as always on a wealth of sources, starting with archives (German and Soviet), perfectly captioned photos, letters, etc., to paint a portrait of a German tank regiment in the first ‘offensive’ phase of the war that is as rich as it has ever been. Its precision and rigour, for example with regard to the enemy, often perfectly identified and cited - maps of Soviet origin are used - make this work indispensable to all those interested in German armoured troops in the USSR. The 16.Pz.Div. and the Pz.Rgt.2 included some famous officers, such as the one-armed General Hans Hube or the ‘Panzergraf’ - ‘armoured count’ - the nickname of Hyazinth von Strachwitz, an excellent tactician. The only drawback is that the focus on the strictly military dimension leaves out aspects of the presence of German troops in the USSR that are now well known and less than stellar. These reservations in no way detract from the remarkable quality of this book. You can order it from the publisher's website www.leapinghorseman.com."
Thanks to Philippe Naud.

28/02/2025

Due to demand – not overwhelming, but enough to warrant action – we've created a bundle of all back-issues of Kampfzone (1 to 10), so you can get up-to-date with one click.
https://www.leapinghorseman.com.au/product/kampfzone-issues-1-to-10/
We're also considering a pick-your-own service: for example, pay for five issues (with a discount) and tell us which specific issues you want. If this is of interest, let us know in the comments or drop us an email.
PS. All our prices are in AUD (Aussie dollars), which is quite weak at the moment, so it's a good time to buy.

12/02/2025

Update on Panzerkrieg Volume 2. After several delays (LA fires seemed to slow down arrivals through LA port, plus wintry weather in the mid-West), the shipment finally arrived at our US warehouse in MO just over a week ago. Individual orders are being packed and shipped each day, but there is a huge backlog to get through, so please bear with us. Your order has not been forgotten and will reach you soon.
Here in Sydney, we have almost sent out all individual orders to Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Canada, UK and Europe. Just a few more left to do, but they will be sent by the end of this week.
Thanks for your patience and understanding.
https://www.leapinghorseman.com.au/product/panzerkrieg-volume-2/

26/01/2025

Can any of our Spanish or French friends identify this crossing point on your shared border? A caption on another photo suggests it is in Basque country on the edge of the Pyrenees. Would love to be able to properly ID the location so that the photo has a detailed caption (for use in Kampfzone Issue 11).

04/01/2025

The wait is almost over! We received two advance copies of Panzerkrieg Volume 2 just before Christmas and it looks incredible! The printer has done a great job. To see many years of hard work in physical form is extremely gratifying.

The palettes of books are expected to land at our office here in Sydney next week, and at our US warehouse in a couple of weeks.

If you've already ordered and paid, you should've received an email from us. When your copy is despatched, you will receive another email stating that your order is complete.

For those that have not yet ordered, please note that the pre-publication period will end when we take delivery of the book. That means the 10% pre-publication discount will disappear and it will only be available at its regular price. Click below if you'd like to get it at the lower price:
https://www.leapinghorseman.com.au/product/panzerkrieg-volume-2/

05/11/2024

Is this decorative architectural style indicative of a specific region in Russia? Caption indicates this is a "Kinderheim" (children's home), so it's most likely taken in a town. Photo from July 1942 in the Don region, taken by a 24.Pz.Div. soldier.
The goal is to find the location.

05/11/2024

Anyone able to decipher this Cyrillic text? I can see "ОСТ" behind the wheel and "ЬМА" at the end. It looks like one word. Photo was taken in the Don bend in July 1942. Thanks.

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

18/10/2024

That wait is over! Panzerkrieg Volume 2 is now available for pre-order. It is hard to believe that seven years has passed since the release of Volume 1, but when you leaf through Volume 2, you will understand why. The amount of research required to bring this project to fruition almost defies description. To get a feel for what's in the book, view some sample pages at the following link:

https://www.leapinghorseman.com.au/product/panzerkrieg-volume-2/

Volume 2 follows Panzer-Regiment 2 (16.Pz.Div.) from its formation in the mid-30s until its destruction in Stalingrad. It forged its reputation during campaigns in the Sudetenland, Poland, France, the Balkans and the Soviet Union, but is best remembered for its bold push to the Volga on 23 August 1942 and the deeds of one of its battalion commanders, Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz. The myths around this man have been pared back to reveal his true story.

• 280 x 216 portrait format with hardcover
• 640 pages on high-quality gloss paper
• 601 photos
• 100 maps
• 2 aerial photos
• 7 tables
• 7 sketches

Do not hesitate to order this book. We realise this sounds like marketing hype, but we receive emails from disappointed readers all the time, such as the following:
"Hi, is there any chance you still have copies of Volume 1? I'm still kicking myself for not buying it earlier."
So, if you want it, order it now as our titles often sell out (eg. Death of the Leaping Horseman, Island of Fire, Objective Ponyri! and Panzerkrieg Volume 1, while others, such as Besieged and Angriff are on the cusp of going out-of-print) and the cost of reprinting is financially risky for a small publishing house.

The book is at the printers and delivery is expected in late 2024 / early 2025. Order now to get a 10% discount. This pre-publication offer ends when we take delivery.

A signed bookplate is available for an extra $10.

All the best,
Jason Mark and the Leaping Horseman Books team

04/10/2024

It's a sad day in the Leaping Horseman office as we've just learned of the passing of Agnes Moosmann, a huge supporter of our work in the 2000s. She was instrumental in contacting German veterans and their families on our behalf for my book "Island of Fire". Without her tireless efforts, gentle feminine persuasion and deep historical knowledge, that title would've been much poorer. If you own the book, you will see that it is dedicated to her brother-in-law, who is MIA at Stalingrad and the reason why she was so keen to help me.
Agnes was a historian herself and author of several books and articles. During the war she served as a Flakhelferin – a female auxiliary who assisted at anti-aircraft sites – and witnessed several Allied planes being shot down. The experience deeply traumatised her, so much so that she never boarded an aircraft during her long life.
Agnes' ability to find and collect information and documents was second-to-none. I'd supply her with names of potential contacts, together with a bit of background info; she'd call and explain my project, talk about her own experiences in a gentle way, and most times she would receive information, photos, documents and more. She'd also visit veterans and record their experiences. Each new discovery opened up more potential leads, and she'd explore these on her own, often surprising me with a small cache of new information. Despite being around 80 at the time, she was proficient with a computer and scanner, sending everything through to me as soon as she received it. She'd write to me in German; I'd write to her in English, yet we understood each other perfectly. I cannot overstate how much she helped me. She also played a big part in "Into Oblivion".
And when "Island of Fire" was published, she arranged and hosted a presentation to talk about it. It is thanks to her that hundreds of copies of my English-language book sold to older Germans.
Whenever I went to Germany, I'd swing by Tübingen to see her. She guided my wife and I around her home town, showing us the sites, powering up steep hills. Her spryness was matched only by her mental agility. Harald, her husband – Sean Connery-esque in appearance and Agnes' polar opposite personality-wise – kept us amused with his sarcastic, gruff comments. (While travelling to meet a veteran's daughter, we stopped at a hilltop restaurant to have some tea/coffee and cake. My wife commented on the many beautiful castles we'd seen, and Harald, while stabbing at his cherry pie with a fork, said, "Bah! We've got too many castles over here.")
So, join me in commemorating a lady who helped me create and write my two best books (in my opinion, of course). And if you feel like it, please leave a condolence in the comments as I'd like her family to see the effect her assistance has had around the world.
Edit: Obituary from Forschergruppe Oberschwaben e.V.:
https://www.forschergruppe-oberschwaben.de/?p=4999

29/09/2024

One of the worst things about running your own website is the amount of scammers out there. We keep getting hit with card testing bots – they check stolen credit card numbers by running them through sites like ours – and though none succeed due to our strict fraud prevention measures, it causes headaches. Too many declined transactions and our online payment processor pulls the pin on our ability to receive CC payments, meaning genuine orderers cannot pay for their books. We block their IP address, they move to another. We implement blocking strategies, they find a way around.
We're just about to announce the pre-pub for "Panzerkrieg Volume 2", but these scammers may be a fly in the ointment. If for some reason you're unable to pay for an order in the coming weeks, this will be the reason, though we will post a notification here and on our website.
Thanks for reading this rant. ;-)

23/08/2024

As it's the 82nd anniversary of the advance by 16. Panzer-Division from the Don to the Volga north of Stalingrad, it feels appropriate to post some teasers from our forthcoming title "Panzerkrieg Volume 2". The book focuses solely on Panzer-Regiment 2 from formation until its destruction at Stalingrad. The finishing stages of production are being completed, so it will be headed to the printer very soon. It's a huge book – almost 650 pages – that's full of photos and maps. We will be announcing a pre-pub offer shortly, but in the meantime, enjoy this sneak peek.

Feel free to share this to any group you think might be interested.

03/07/2024

Feel like you've missed the boat on Kampfzone? Well, good news! You can get up-to-date by purchasing all back issues (1 to 7) in one discounted bundle, even if you're not a subscriber.
Issue 1, which features an in-depth article about the battle for Stalingrad's Grain Elevator, is running low, so don't wait too long to get yourself a copy.
https://www.leapinghorseman.com.au/product/kampfzone-issues-1-to-7/

17/06/2024

"Every historian, regardless of who they are – even David Glantz – has to look at what Jason D. Mark did and go, that is what you do when you want quality stuff".

Just came across this review today. He spends more than ten minutes discussing some of our titles (3:54 to 14.30 for those interested, or just click the pic below).

Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tikhistory/⏲️ Videos on Mondays at 5pm GMT (depending on season, check for British Summer Time).Need awesome...

04/06/2024

The latest edition of Kampfzone is out! If you're already a subscriber and it's not in your hands, it soon will be.
To mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, Issue 8 includes two articles about the momentous campaign. The cover story examines the role played by German armour during the opening days. The other is an eyewitness account by an officer defending Utah Beach.
Check out the images, which also contain a synopsis of each article.
Only subscribers have access to this current issue, so if you want a copy, subscribe now:
https://www.leapinghorseman.com.au/product/kampfzone/
Subscribers also get a 20% discount on back-issues.

02/05/2024

Some snippets found in German records are just wild:
“Uffz. Heindorf, Regt.-Pi.-Zug I.R.366, funnelled the assault squad through a 15 metre deep tripwired minefield and through the enemy wire obstacles. In close combat, at the entrance to a dug-out, he whacked a Russian – who had just thrown a hand gr***de at him – on the skull with a T-mine. The mine flew into the dug-out and blew it apart.”

Edit: Found some more details:
“After breaking into the position Uffz. Heindorf approached a bunker with a T-mine and saw a Russian who pulled out a hand gr***de and threw it at him, Heindorf pressed himself into a niche and leapt towards the Russian after the detonation, hitting him on the skull with the primed T-mine in the bunker entrance. The Russian had already lobbed a second hand gr***de, which exploded shortly afterwards with the T-mine and forced up the bunker roof.”

10/04/2024

Genuine combat images are surprisingly uncommon, but we are showcasing a remarkable grouping in the “Soldier’s Lens” section of Kampfzone Issue 8. They show the assault against the fortified Perekop isthmus - the entrance to the Crimea - in September 1941. Here’s a preview:

28/03/2024

Immensely satisfying to confirm the location of a photo. While preparing a biography of Knight’s Cross winner Heinrich Banze for Issue 8 of Kampfzone, we decided to ascertain the location of this photo (he was on furlough, that’s his wife and daughter). After a bit of detective work, we found the very same doors, which still exist today.