A book named: "Le Veteran" by Carl Schrade has come out in France recently, and I think will soon be a classic Concetration Camp autobioraphy.
Carl Schrade was a Swiss civilian who had the unfortunate idea of saying some antinazi sentments while on a buisnes visit in Germany in 1934, and he ended up being sent to the camps, where he remained untill 1945. He later wrote his memoirs of the camps shortly before his death, and they were only recently rediscovered in an attic.
As far as I understand, the book was originaly written in French, and is only availlable in French at the moment.
I would advise anybody to read it. It is very informative, and written with a faire ammount of humor. In fact, the comparison may be inappropriate, but many scenes read just like scenes from Sven Hassel books (tragic, but at the same time entertaining and black humored), with the exception that these stories are not invented like Hassel's.
A certain number of SS officers are mentioned, as Schrade saw them or met them in person. Needless to say most of them behaved in the most despicable manner immaginable. (It makes you see those SS badges in a different way... (if you didnt already see them differently, that is))
However, the book is well balanced, and in several cases Schrade describes SS officers who he says behaved in a very friendly or human manner, though these were the exception.
The information in the book has been cross checked with other sources, and the conclusion is that the info within is highly reliable (though not always correctm as in any true story).
I can only hope that they will translate into english soon.
If anybody else has read it, your impressions or comments are welcome...
JL
Carl Schrade was a Swiss civilian who had the unfortunate idea of saying some antinazi sentments while on a buisnes visit in Germany in 1934, and he ended up being sent to the camps, where he remained untill 1945. He later wrote his memoirs of the camps shortly before his death, and they were only recently rediscovered in an attic.
As far as I understand, the book was originaly written in French, and is only availlable in French at the moment.
I would advise anybody to read it. It is very informative, and written with a faire ammount of humor. In fact, the comparison may be inappropriate, but many scenes read just like scenes from Sven Hassel books (tragic, but at the same time entertaining and black humored), with the exception that these stories are not invented like Hassel's.
A certain number of SS officers are mentioned, as Schrade saw them or met them in person. Needless to say most of them behaved in the most despicable manner immaginable. (It makes you see those SS badges in a different way... (if you didnt already see them differently, that is))
However, the book is well balanced, and in several cases Schrade describes SS officers who he says behaved in a very friendly or human manner, though these were the exception.
The information in the book has been cross checked with other sources, and the conclusion is that the info within is highly reliable (though not always correctm as in any true story).
I can only hope that they will translate into english soon.
If anybody else has read it, your impressions or comments are welcome...
JL