in the fire of the eastern front

[Terry OToole]

just finished this by Hendrik c Verton , an account of a Dutch volunteer in ss wiking division on the Eastern front , doesn t pull any punches ,and his memoirs are thankfully not apologetic or pc , just as it was , excellent account of the fighting at Breslau , also his experiences after the war(he couldn t return to Holland)

[Woolgar]

Sounds like must buy ! Thanks

[Jaegerhando]

just finished this by Hendrik c Verton , an account of a Dutch volunteer in ss wiking division on the Eastern front , doesn t pull any punches ,and his memoirs are thankfully not apologetic or pc , just as it was , excellent account of the fighting at Breslau , also his experiences after the war(he couldn't return to Holland)

I read it 2 years ago. It is a very good read. Very intense and well written about a most important and intense part of the war. I wanted to meet him, but he passed away right after it was published. I respected what he said right at the end of his book where he said loyalty was what mattered most and not this new western idea of individualism, in his own words... What he went throu during the siege of Breslau was deffo inspiring and mind numbing. He really did go thru the firestorm of the Eastern front. A very good book indeed, I highly recommend it.

[Anthony N]

Sounds like a good read, how does it stand up against Twilight of the Gods?

I enjoy the books written straight after the war because without a passage of time they are far more realistic. Later books have advantages but lose some of the youthfull intensity & reasoning behind why they volunteered.

I must add though, that i don't think blind loyalty is admirable, but it is essential to their story, take it out of the book & it doesn't really stack up.

[Jaegerhando]

Sounds like a good read, how does it stand up against Twilight of the Gods?

I enjoy the books written straight after the war because without a passage of time they are far more realistic. Later books have advantages but lose some of the youthfull intensity & reasoning behind why they volunteered.

I must add though, that i don't think blind loyalty is admirable, but it is essential to their story, take it out of the book & it doesn't really stack up.

It is a much much better book than Twilight. Although Twilight had good first hand accounts of the action, the action scenes were maybe four or so if I remember correctly and somehow frustrating in the way they were presented.

In Firestorm, every day is full of enemy action and on top of that there is a very human element to the story with all the soul searching and reflecting the author does with regards to the day to day events and the suffering he experiences from the loss of comrades, deprivations, the sense of impending doom and the hopelessness of the situation. In fact, it's a miracle that he even survived. It is a very personal story, which Twilight failed to be in my opinion. It is one of the best memoirs I have ever read and the character of the author really showed through.

[Anthony N]

ThanK you for such an in depth appraisal.
Sounds like it's exactly what i am looking for. I've always preferred the memoirs of front line infantry soldiers.
It's coming off the wish list & into the basket.

[IchHattEinenKameraden]

A second edition of this book would be published this year, has it already been released?

[Jaegerhando]

ThanK you for such an in depth appraisal.
Sounds like it's exactly what i am looking for. I've always preferred the memoirs of front line infantry soldiers.
It's coming off the wish list & into the basket.

My pleasure.

[Matt Swenson]

It looks like on Amazon.com that it won't be out until June 2010 in the USA and lists for $32 hardcover? I was going to ask which was the best published account of the non-German volunteer units in the SS... I heard a little about Twilight and this one, but are there other ones that rank up there as well.

[Jaegerhando]

It looks like on Amazon.com that it won't be out until June 2010 in the USA and lists for $32 hardcover? I was going to ask which was the best published account of the non-German volunteer units in the SS... I heard a little about Twilight and this one, but are there other ones that rank up there as well.

I like Leon Degrelle's Campaign in Russia, but it is slightly too flowery for my taste and I have a hard time believing everything he writes about. A Frenchman called De La Maiziere wrote about his experiences in SS Charlemagne, which although not as exciting as his French speaking Walloon compatriot, was in my opinion more truthful. There is also a book by a Dutch volunteer called Like lambs to the slaughter, but he took up with a young boy after the war and during the war he seems to suggest he had a homosexual relationship with his foxhole mate. These things turned me off.
In my opinion Firestorm and Twilight are the top two as pertains to non German volunteers, as far as I'm concerned.
I have not read Bruno Sutkus' book yet about his experiences as a sniper. He too was non German although he lived in Germany.
There are several memoirs written by Swedish/Norwegians I have heard of but they are all written in Nordic and I cannot read that.
Also, a book called SS-Beutedeutscher by Sadi Schneid. He was an Alsatian in Das Reich and was at Oradur Sur Glane. I corresponded with him as well, but he has passed away. I could not read his book which is in German.

[nick-j]

i am reading a great book called "in deadly combat" by gottlob herbert bidermann about his experiences on the eastern front--he was in the 132d infantry division---so far highly recomended--nick

[Terry OToole]

i am reading a great book called "in deadly combat" by gottlob herbert bidermann about his experiences on the eastern front--he was in the 132d infantry division---so far highly recomended--nick

i like the sound of that Nick -- so i ve ordered it

[Anthony N]

i am reading a great book called "in deadly combat" by gottlob herbert bidermann about his experiences on the eastern front--he was in the 132d infantry division---so far highly recomended--nick

One of the first German memoirs i read, and still one of the best.

[Jaegerhando]

One of the first German memoirs i read, and still one of the best.

Same here. It was the second German WW2 memoir I read after Forgotten Soldier. And it ranks as one of the best.