books
frontsoldaten the german soldier in world war ii
p alois dwenger writing from the front in may of 1942 complained that people forgot the actions of simple soldiers ... i believe that true heroism lies in bearing this dreadful everyday life . in exploring the reality of the landser the average german soldier in world war ii through letters diaries memoirs and oral histories stephen g. fritz provides the definitive account of the everyday war of the german front soldier . the personal documents of these soldiers most from the russian front where the majority of german infantrymen saw service paint a richly textured portrait of the landser that illustrates the complexity and paradox of his daily life . although clinging to a self image as a decent fellow the german soldier nonetheless committed terrible crimes in the name of national socialism . when the war was finally over and his country lay in ruins the landser faced a bitter truth all his exertions and sacrifices had been in the name of a deplorable regime that had committed unprecedented crimes . with chapters on training images of combat living conditions combat stress the personal sensations of war the bonds of comradeship and ideology and motivation fritz offers a sense of immediacy and intimacy revealing war through the eyes of these self styled little men . a fascinating look at the day to day life of german soldiers this is a book not about war but about men . it will be vitally important for anyone interested in world war ii german history or the experiences of common soldiers throughout the world .
paperback university press of kentucky 1997 isbn 0813109434
abridged n isbn 13 9780813109435 number of pages 299 publisher univ pr of kentucky release date 62135769600000