"Twilight of the Gods: A Swedish Waffen-SS Volunteer's Experiences with the 11th SS Panzergrenadier Division Nordland, Eastern Front 1944-1945"
This one is a real page-turner. First-hand experiences of Erik Wallin, who, as the subtitle tells you, was a Swedish SS volunteer. Wallin told his story shortly after the war to Thorolf Hillblad, who himself was a Swedish SS volunteer.
A lot of great accounts of Wallin's retreat with the SS from Kurland all the way back to Berlin, including his amazing escape from the Russians. Like so many frontline German soldiers, Wallin kept hoping for the wonder weapons, hated the "Mongolian" Russian troops with a passion, and wanted to believe the rumors that the Americans and the Brits were turning against the Russians at the very end.
But what akes this book so interesting is that it reflected Wallin's mood and beliefs right after the war. He was a committed anti-communist and very proud of his service in the SS--and proud of the SS itself. Particulary interesting is his love and admiration for Obergruppenfuehrer Felix Steiner.
I bought the Kindle edition . . . Couldn't put it down. Very glad I purchased it.
David
This one is a real page-turner. First-hand experiences of Erik Wallin, who, as the subtitle tells you, was a Swedish SS volunteer. Wallin told his story shortly after the war to Thorolf Hillblad, who himself was a Swedish SS volunteer.
A lot of great accounts of Wallin's retreat with the SS from Kurland all the way back to Berlin, including his amazing escape from the Russians. Like so many frontline German soldiers, Wallin kept hoping for the wonder weapons, hated the "Mongolian" Russian troops with a passion, and wanted to believe the rumors that the Americans and the Brits were turning against the Russians at the very end.
But what akes this book so interesting is that it reflected Wallin's mood and beliefs right after the war. He was a committed anti-communist and very proud of his service in the SS--and proud of the SS itself. Particulary interesting is his love and admiration for Obergruppenfuehrer Felix Steiner.
I bought the Kindle edition . . . Couldn't put it down. Very glad I purchased it.
David
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