The Forgotten Soldier: The Classic WWII Autobiography
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Book Description
The devastating true story of a young Franco-German soldier trapped in the lethal machinery of total war on the Eastern Front in World War II.
Product Description
An international bestseller, this is a German soldier¿s first-hand account of life on Russian front during the second half of World War II. When Guy Sajer joins the infantry full of ideals in the summer of 1942 the German army is enjoying unparalleled success in Russia. However, he quickly finds that for the foot soldier the glory of military success hides a much harsher reality of hunger, fatigue and constant deprivation. Posted to the crack Grosse Deutchland division, with its sadistic instructors who shoot down those who fail to make the grade, he enters a violent and remorseless world where all youthful hope is gradually ground down, and all that matters is the brute will to survive. As the biting cold of the Russian winter sets in, and the tide begins to turn against the Germans, life becomes an endless round of pounding artillery attacks and vicious combat against a relentless and merciless Red Army. A book of stunning force, this is and unforgettable reminder of the horrors of war.
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We were standing beside a long railway convoy. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
We were standing beside a long railway convoy. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is truly a superb book, far surpassing anything in print today. The author (Guy Sajer) portrays the hopes and fears of the average soldier of the German Wehrmacht during the most epic and hostile conflict in human history. Unfortunately our soldier joins the struggle during mid-1942, the turning point of the war. As the vision of victory slowly subsides into the realisation of defeat, the author’s interpretation of modern warfare as desensitisation separates him from the sufferings of others. The comradeship of his unit and the immense acts of bravery by fellow soldiers offer a truly inspiring scene. This piece of literature gives a clear insight into the mind of those who continued to fight regardless of knowledge that the war was already lost. The account of the battle of Memel is horrifically illustrative. For anyone with the slightest interest in the war on the Eastern Front, read this book.
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am able to review this early as I have unearthed an old edition. This book quite literally lives with you from the moment you open it, to the moment you finish...and then a bit longer. The story of a half-french, 17 year-old from Alsace takes you from his misguided decision to volunteer for military service, with the Nazi-German army, through the bloodiest, most ruthless and savage campaigns of the Eastern-Front. The sheer brutality, wretchedness and loss of reasonable hope is bewildering. The close knit team that develops and the esprit de corps of the Grosse Deutschland Division is inspirational. The gore and carnage they endure and inflict is awe inspiring. Such is the fierce reality of the writing, the images of battle and of frozen death, that I ended up having to keep reading until Guy Sajer (this is autobiographical) was in relative safety and comfort. I could not "leave him". Read it, you will then know what I mean. Whatever political persuasion you belive in or stand for, no 17 year old should be made to endure this. I cannot recommend a book more highly. Forget Blitzkrieg, this is Blitz-education. It batters your senses. Thank God my 5 years in the Army never came to this.
39 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A spellbinding book in which Guy Sajer vivdly recalls his own personal fight for survival on the Eastern Front during WWII. Sajer, a half French Half German volunteered to serve in the German Army when he was still too young to understand what war was about, his book vivdly illustrates how he discovered over his three years on the Eastern Front just what he'd let himself in for.No punches are pulled in this masterpiece, every terrifying, gruesome agonising moment is included as he describes how the simple soldier clung to his own life. The inhumane existence of soldiers on both sides is described with all it's lice-ridden detail and the reader will be left with compassion for anyone brave enough to keep going in what must have been a living hell.I finished this book and turned back to page one to start reading it again, after sharing Sajer's experiences with him.......you'll come away feeling different...maybe even shell-shocked. Everyone should read this masterpiece!
I defy anyone to put this down once started!
I defy anyone to put this down once started!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
First class memoir that has you enthralled
The finest memoirs of the Russian front I've read. While there are great ones, this book describes the view from an Alsatian's point of view. Brilliant
Published 16 hours ago by K McCarthy
Moving
This is a wonderful book. I cannot think of another that describes the agony of war in such a powerful way. For anyone interested in the second world war this is a must read. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Green fields
WW2 RECOLLECTIONS
Perfectly poised war account of 1942 (til end) Eastern front reads like a Vietnam record in some ways. Most relentless numbing account of WW2 I have read. Read more
Published 1 month ago by COLM
The Forgotten Soldier
An excellent read, could'nt put it down. What an experience Sajer had during the war. Some peoppe may be put off due to the conspiracy theories regarding the story, ignore these,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Andy
May not be accurate
Although i enjoyed this book very much, a lot of it is somewhat to be desired. The book was wrote many many years after the war and some of it does not match to books that were... Read more
Published 2 months ago by russell spendley
forgotten soldier
Awesome, one of the best books I have ever read and cant reckon mend it more. Page turning from beginning to end and you will be totally transported to the eastern front so get... Read more
Published 3 months ago by lightweight
BRILLIANT BOOK - vivid, frightening, informative - Read IT!!!
I read this book in record breaking time. It's one I just couldn't put down. It tells the nightmare story of an extremely young German Army soldier on the Russian Front during WW2. Read more
Published 4 months ago by R. E. Farrow
A great story but not entirely true
This book is a great read and is almost certainly based on the real life experiences of soldiers on the russian front. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Rossco
The Horrors of War.
Sajer describes his war in all its stark reality, hard reading but stick with it,the writer is so obviously a confirmed pacifist
Published 5 months ago by Saddler
An ordinary soldier's experiences of World War 2
Most books about war are written either by senior officers, historians, or heroes. But wars, and especially World War 2 are mostly fought by ordinary people. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Paul Jeffels
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