Twilight of the Gods

[david carlson]

"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

[Woolgar]

Thanks David, I have a real interest in the Scandinavian units
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=528964

Nick

[david carlson]

Cool

Nick

I'm sure you will like it, then

I only wish that the book had covered why he joined, his training, etc.

[mvm71]

I bought the book a few weeks ago after reading many good reviews. Can't wait to start reading.

All the best,
Mike

[Bcarver]

I read this book when it first came out and give it a 6 out of 10. I was hoping for more combat descriptions ect. One thing that stood out was the Berliners who turned on the soldiers and told the Russians where they were hiding and refused to help.

[CWP]

I read this book and was disappointed. I have a hard time accepting this as an honest account. I didn't ring true to me at all, honestly.

[david carlson]

curious . . .

I'm curious, Chris . . . why do you find it dubious?

There's no doubt that both the author and the story-teller were still bitter about the war when they wrote this. They had an axe to grind.

But I can't point to anything in the text that would make me say, "No way."

Regards,

David

[MarcRikmenspoel]

Erik Wallin was involved in National Socialist politics before the war, and had friends who were much more involved. He served as a volunteer in the Swedish contingent in Finland during 1942, and the next year deserted the Swedish Army to join the Waffen-SS. He then turned down the chance to desert the Waffen-SS and return to Sweden in the late summer of 1944, when many of his fellow Swedes did so.

The guy was obviously not a liberal-thinking Social Democrat, but instead had a viewpoint foreign to that of most Europeans today. Wallin described his experiences to Hillblad in the autumn of 1945, with Hans-Goesta Pehrsson making some contributions, and the result is, to me, about what I'd expect from a man who felt dedication to National Socialist and anti-Communist causes.