WN62 book by Hein Severloh

[VonPeter]

Got my english copy yesterday.
I started reading today and its hard to put the book away. And since it´s only 157 pages i´m nearly done with it already.

But still, a very captivating book that is worth every penny.

[peleliuexplorer]

I also received and read his story. It is a compelling account but I don't think Severloh's ghost writer did him justice. Although this topic has been beat to death, and not just on this forum, Severloh's (or Von Keusgen)grossly exagerated or inflated casualty figures tends to make Severloh's story suspect or untrustworthy, IMO. Perhaps that is a result of the so called "D-Day expert", Helmut Konrad Freiherr von Keusgen. He claims, in the beginning of the book, that a quarter of the graves (9,386) in the US Military Cemetery in Colleville were a result of Severloh's actions. Ridiculous. First off, not all of the 9,386 died during the Normandy invasion, let alone Omaha Beach! Although historians don't agree on the exact number of casualties on Omaha Beach, the general consensus is 2,000 KIA, WIA or DOW. I've read about 800 of the 2,000 were actually fatal. Company A, 116th Regt. that landed near Vierville suffered greatly (60% casualties) and that was an area out of Severloh's zone of action, not to mention other areas on the 4 mile beach-head. There were over 300 other German soldiers defending Omaha in 15 strong points and many other machine guns trained on the surf besides Severloh. The figures Severloh (or Von Heusgen) claims would mean that Severloh was responsible for every American casualty on the beach (and Utah Beach too). IMO, that's basic info and any D-day expert would know that. That's my only problem with Severloh's account, otherwise a gripping read...

-Eric

[Der Alte]

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