sven hassel books fact or fantasy

[John Brandon]

I think the first one (or 2) is based on fact but the rest are pure fiction.

You're right, The first one (Wheels of Terror i think) was based on real life events. He was a Dutch volunteer. Like everything else, If it's successful keep going!

The rest were pure fiction, enjoyable all the same

[jimpy]

Is this Sven listed in any german records? If he were a heroic warrior apart of a great fighting unit I think his name would come up like other heros. I've never read the books but I have glanced at the the back of them to see what they were about and just from that I passed it off as an author's fantasy.

Sven Hassell has never claimed to be an "heroic warrior", all he has ever claimed to be was a Dane in the service of the Wehrmacht, apparently, serving on just about every front that the German army did in WWII, from France in 1940 to the Russian and Italian fronts. He has never claimed, to my knowledge, to have been awarded any decorations.
My own personal opinion, having got copies of all of his books, and reading them from when I was given my first one in the early 1970's, is that they are what I call "factional", ie: they are based on fact with fiction thrown in to expand them.

Regards etc

Ian D

AKA: Jimpy

[talltom]

well i think that it is mostly fiction but i thought that he joined the ss not the wehrhact but the thing that got me were the weapons he called a machince pistol an lmg and reverse still brilliant books
tom

[Sandsam]

All his books are pure fantasy.....
He was never at the front..........

[lithgow]

Then there was that collaborative book he co wrote with Beatrix Potter-'Peter Rabbit, Tank Killer'...

[Woolgar]

Memorable reading, I fancy buying and reading them again !

Nick

[greimers]

I have a copy of his first book ; "legion of the damned" - printed in the 1950's I think.

[Paul D]

The First war books i really read about the Eastern Front and now i'm hooked for life !! These books spawned a generation of interest on the Ostfront in the English language.

You just have to take them for what they are great war stories then move onto more historical and accurate accounts,

cheers

Paul

[lithgow]

Personally I started out on Capt WE Johns' 'Biggles' books-anyone else?

[Monuir]

I belive the first book might hold part of the true story, the rest of the books are clearly fiction with weapons that did not exist in world war 2, Sven and CO being on different fronts at the same time.. I remember reading one book where they had a TIGER tank and knocked out 40 Russian T-34 tanks.. Come on.. They would not even give Tiger's to a penal unit.

Also, I am reading one of hes books now, and one of hes friends received some feldpost to feldpostnumber 23745, a feldpostnumber that does not show the 27:th penal panzer regiment:
28.4.1940-14.9.1940 6. Kompanie Infanterie-Regiment 900. 16.2.1941-18.7.1941 nicht verwendet. 15.2.1942-30.7.1942 Stab mit Stabsbatterie und 1.-6. Batterie Flakscheinwerfer-Ausbildungs-Abteilung 24, dann Stab, Stabs-, 1.-5. und Kraftfahr-Batterie = K Flakscheinwerfer-Abteilung 681. 31.7.1942-9.2.1943 Stab Flakscheinwerfer-Abteilung 681 und nicht verwendet, 24.1.1944 Stab III und 9.-13. Kompanie verstärktes Infanterie-Lehr-Regiment, 8.11.1944 Stab III und 9.-13. Kompanie Grenadier-Lehr-Brigade, 27.12.1944 nicht verwendet.

Anyway I loved hes books, they are quite amusing and sometimes exiting.

Not saying these links speaks the truth, but they sure are a interesting read. Some journalist called Erik Haaest took a special interest in "Sven Hassel" and did a lot of research on him, claiming that he was in fact a SS volunteer but spent hes time in the war in Denmark collaborating with the Gestapo and puppet police. Making up the books from war stories he heard in the war. the Danish Arts Council provided funding for him to do research on danish citizens who served in the SS. He is to say the least a controversial journalist as he stated that the concentration camp gas chambers never existed and that the Diary of Anne Frank was a forgery. (Which was odd because he hated nazis. Haaest's father was an active member of the Danish resistance. After the war, his father refused to accept any awards from Denmark's post-war government, because many officials who had collaborated with the Germans, were still unpunished and in positions of power.)

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