Anyone read this book? I would like to hear your views if you have please
I fancy it as my next read
Thanks
Nick
Anyone read this book? I would like to hear your views if you have please
I fancy it as my next read
Thanks
Nick
"In all my years as a soldier, I have never seen men fight so hard." - SS Obergruppenfuhrer Wilhelm Bittrich - Arnhem
For anyone else who may be interested in this book here is a review
Nick
"Like many Germans, Berlin schoolboy Erwin Bartmann fell under the spell of the Zeitgeist cultivated by the Nazis. Convinced he was growing up in the best country in the world, he dreamt of joining the Leibstandarte, Hitler's elite Waffen SS unit. Tall, blond, blue-eyed, and just seventeen-years-old, Erwin fulfilled his dream on Mayday 1941, when he gave up his apprenticeship at the Glaser bakery in Memeler Strasse and walked into the Lichterfelde barracks in Berlin as a raw, volunteer recruit. On arrival at the Eastern Front in late summer 1941, Erwin was assigned to a frontline communications squad attached to 4.Kompanie and soon discovered that survival was a matter of luck - or the protection of a guardian angel. Good fortune finally deserted Erwin on 11 July 1943 when shrapnel sizzled through his lung during the epic Battle of Kursk-Prokhorovka. Following a period of recovery, and promotion to Unterscharführer, Erwin took up a post as machine-gun instructor with the Ausbildung und Ersatz Bataillon, a training unit based close to the eastern section of the Berliner Ring Autobahn. When the Red Army launched its massive assault on the Seelow Heights, Erwin's unit, now incorporated into Regiment Falke, was deployed to the southern flank of the Berlin-Frankfurt Autobahn, close to the River Oder. The German defences soon crumbled and with the end of the Reich inevitable, Erwin was forced to choose between a struggle for personal survival and the fulfilment of his SS oath of 'loyalty unto death' . From the war on the southern sector of the Eastern Front to a bomb-shattered Berlin populated largely by old men and demoralised lonely women, this candid eyewitness account offers a unique and sometimes surprising perspective on the life of a young Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler volunteer". 25 b/w photos, 2 maps
"In all my years as a soldier, I have never seen men fight so hard." - SS Obergruppenfuhrer Wilhelm Bittrich - Arnhem
Nick i knew Erwin personally and i visted him at his home in Edinburgh on quite a few occasions , he was a member of 4 Kompanie LAH and fought in many of the Battles up to Kursk , luckily he managed to complete his memoirs before his death.
He featured in Gordon Williamsons book Loyalty is my Honour and was also a regular on internet forums , he was a really nice, helpful bloke always willing to talk about his wartine expereinces especially in Russia , the book is a must !!
The gates of hell were opened and we accepted the invitation to enter" 26/880 Lance Sgt, Edward Dyke. 26th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers , ( 3rd Tyneside Irish )
1st July 1916
Thought shall be the harder , heart the keener,
Courage the greater as our strength faileth.
Here lies our leader ,in the dust of his greatness.
Who leaves him now , be damned forever.
We who are old now shall not leave this Battle,
But lie at his feet , in the dust with our leader
House Carles at the Battle of Hastings
Wow, Thanks for that Paul! I have just ordered it !
Nick
"In all my years as a soldier, I have never seen men fight so hard." - SS Obergruppenfuhrer Wilhelm Bittrich - Arnhem
Looks like this one is going on the list! Thanks, Nick, and Paul
Just to let you know, I fiinally got down to reading this excellent book!
I highly recommend it.
It is a good insight into the lives of the Liebstandarte both in Lichterfelde/Berlin and on the Russian front.
The combat accounts are graphic and you get the sense of fear and horror of the Russian Front.
It is well written and I can say it is one of the best memoirs of a German soldier I have read
Nick
Last edited by Woolgar; 03-20-2014 at 11:32 AM.
"In all my years as a soldier, I have never seen men fight so hard." - SS Obergruppenfuhrer Wilhelm Bittrich - Arnhem
Thanks for recommendation and heads-up. Ill order it.
Is there an ISBN number for the book?
It is not the size of a Collection in History that matters......Its the size of your Passion for it!! - Larry C
One never knows what tree roots push to the surface of what laid buried before the tree was planted - Larry C
“The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” - Winston Churchill
ISBN-10: 1909384534
ISBN-13: 978-1909384538
http://www.amazon.ca/Fur-Volk-Fuhrer...6Q39413YG59F8D
Crap, another one for the wish list!
Similar Threads
Bookmarks