Many Rivers I Crossed ! Review

[sniper1shot]

Hello all;
Finished another book.
Title: Many Rivers I Crossed
Author: Werner Volkner
ISBN: 0-954-7635-0-5
Published by Volkner
#out of 500 copies......I was lucky and also received a signed copy too.
Purchased it from www.aberdeenbookstore.com
Stars: 5 (out of 5)
Author was a member of 3rd SS Div. in the anit-air units. Served mostly in Russia. Tells of his beginning, incl his youth, in Germany. Goes on w/ his training though mostly covers his time in service and in battles. Very detailed with descriptions of working with his comrades. Mostly the human side though there are some good battle descriptions....not too many.
Ends with his capture and the last many pages deals with his time as a POW and this is also very descriptive.
Good book if you are looking for the human side of the war, but not if you are looking for the "blood and guts" stories. I am looking for the human side so I gave the book 5 out of 5. Book was written for his family.
Book starts with one paragraph and ends 267 pages later. No chapters, just the authors life, paragraph by paragraph.
Good photos too.
If you are looking for more info plse contact me either through the forum or PM.

[Roy Queen]

Very Good Book!

I agree with Snipershot's review of this book. I've finished reading this one about a month ago, and found it to be a very well written book, especially from the human side of the war.

[stevezz1]

Hi Sniper,
I have had this book for a while, also signed and numbered (126)
Have yet to make a start on it, sounds like it is going to be a good read though....

Steve.

[TWP]

I finished reading this book. It was a good read and I highly recommend it.

[PaulW]

It's with some sadness to report that I was told that Werner died a couple of days ago (28-03-20 ?), and that it was not Coronavirus related.

I had the pleasure of spending some time with Werner travelling to a veterans reunion in the 1990's. He looked remarkably well for his age at that time, was full of energy, jokes and wit, or 'banter' as we sometimes call it in the UK, without doubt a 'larger than life' character. His life story is truly remarkable, 3rd Waffen SS Totenkopf Division, wounded on the Eastern Front and later captured as part of a Battle Group on the Western Front (hence why he avoided Soviet captivity), a POW in the UK, then served in the British Army (!) where he instructed British soldiers in camouflage techniques he had learned on the Eastern Front. His Colonel in the British Army suggested that he should wear his Iron Cross as he had earned it (rescuing a wounded comrade under fire), but regulations did not permit it... His son served in the RAF Regiment.

His book is superb and will serve as a fitting tribute to someone who had a highly unusual life, probably unique.

Regards, Paul

[chrischa]

Well another her old soldier passing on. I read the book a few years ago, a great read.

A true soldier and family man.

[John P. Moore]

I met Werner V at a reunion of the SS-Pz.Rgt. "Wiking" in the village of Niedernhall back in 1996. He was standing behind me in the registration line with Jan Munk, who also lived in the UK. They started talking to me in English after hearing me speak German and at first I suspected they were collectors who had infiltrated the reunion. I spoke with Werner V a number of times during the weekend and found him to be very friendly and interesting. One odd thing that I remember is that after he drank a lot of wine he started speaking to the German vets in English who had no idea what he was talking about!

[johann mor]

I have to agree, a very good read.

Jon

[ss3]

As you are no doubt aware, the book is in print and available through www.lahpublishing.com

Part of the proceeds were going to Werner, but will now go to his wife now instead.

I first met Werner in 1999 in Germany and he did not look old enough to be a veteran - almost jet black hair. Soon discovered he was, and that he lived in the UK, like me.

That began a long series of meet-ups, in Germany at various reunions, plus in the UK too, where we took him to various private collections, along with other veterans.

A unique character with a great sense of humour. I am honoured to have known him and learned from him.

Peter

[PaulW]

I met Werner V at a reunion of the SS-Pz.Rgt. "Wiking" in the village of Niedernhall back in 1996. He was standing behind me in the registration line with Jan Munk, who also lived in the UK. They started talking to me in English after hearing me speak German and at first I suspected they were collectors who had infiltrated the reunion. I spoke with Werner V a number of times during the weekend and found him to be very friendly and interesting. One odd thing that I remember is that after he drank a lot of wine he started speaking to the German vets in English who had no idea what he was talking about!

John, I also met Jan Munk on one occasion, a fairly tall man if I remember and perhaps not quite as outgoing as Werner. A couple of anecdotes spring to mind, on one occasion Jan was on leave in his native Holland. He took the bus, and shortly afterwards discovered that someone had run a razor across the back of his tunic, ruining it. I don't doubt he was glad it wasn't his throat, and I wasn't surprised that he chose not to live in Holland after the war... Another was that he told me when sleeping on hard packed earth he would use his entrenching tool to dig a small hole and sleep on his side with his hip over the hole for a better sleep!

Jan wrote a memoir about his service called "I was a Dutch Volunteer", and it can still be bought here:-

http://www.sbg1.mistral.co.uk/books_for_sale.htm

with this write up:-

"This is a privately published hard back book. It tells the personal story of Jan Munk, SS-Standartenoberjunker (SS-Officer Candidate), from his pre-war years in Holland, through his military service with the Waffen-SS. he initially served with the SS-Division Wiking in Russia followed by a move to the Bad Tolz Officer school. He became part of the SS-Division Nibelungen in the final stages of WWII. The final part of the book covers his post-war years in Holland as a POW and his move to England, where he remained until his death in 2010."

It can be obtained from Peter (SS3), or from the above link.

Peter, I upgraded my old copy of Werner's book to the hardback and have had other books from you, your website is excellent and highly recommended.

Best regards, Paul