Frontsoldaten: The German Soldier in World War II" 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. |
Contents
The View from Below | 1 |
Sweat Saves Blood | 11 |
Living on Borrowed Time | 31 |
Withstanding the Strain | 69 |
The Seasons of War | 104 |
The Many Faces of War | 135 |
The Bonds of Comradeship | 156 |
Trying to Change the World | 187 |
The Lost Years | 219 |
A Bitter Truth | 233 |
Notes | 243 |
271 | |
291 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Andere Gesicht anonymous soldier army attack Bähr and Bähr Bartov battle Bernhard Beckering Buchbender and Sterz camaraderie Claus Hansmann cold combat comrades comradeship Cross of Iron dead death diary entry Dollwet eastern front emotions enemy Ernst Jünger everyday everything experience face fate fear feeling felt fighting fire Forgotten Soldier Friedrich Grupe Führer German soldier Günter von Scheven Guy Sajer Harald Henry Harry Mielert Helmut Pabst Hitler Hitler Youth horror Horstmar ideological Jahrgang July Jünger Karl Fuchs killed Knappe and Brusaw Kriegsbriefe Kurt Reuber Landser letter of anonymous letter of Corporal Letter of Harry Letters of Helmut Lieutenant live March Martin Pöppel Menschen im Krieg Mielert-Pflugradt National Socialist Nazi night noted Russian Russische Erde Schröder seemed sense Sept Sergeant shot Siegbert Stehmann Siegfried Knappe social Soldat Soviet Stalingrad struggle tank things trench troops Volksgemeinschaft Vorüber-nicht vorbei Wehrmacht Wilhelm Prüller Woltersdorf wounded wrote