The Forgotten Soldier - Guy Sajer, L. Emmet (Translator)

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...that history is written by the winners, and for this reason many events of the past take on the spin and propaganda that suits those doing the writing. You could say that history is rewritten by the winners. With this in mind it is easy to forget that in the case of wars, in this instance the Second World War, the actual battles are fought largely by normal, everyday people, with only a uniform to distinguish the two sides. Much is made these days ...
...themes should be examined for the sake of prosperity, but it is also refreshing to come across an account of a normal, balanced soldier, doing his duty and just trying to survive, like the majority of the millions of combatants that were engulfed in the conflict. The Forgotten Soldier is an account of Guy Sajer, half French, half German recruited into the German Army and sent to fight on the Russian Front in the summer of 1942. Sajer was one of ... Read review

Advantages: A detailed personal account, extremely readable.
Disadvantages: Minor vagueness in parts, Very graphic in its bloody nature.

...and horror of serving in the German army on the Russian front. Guy Sajer is a 16 year-old half French half German youth living in Alsace at the outbreak of war. He was recruited into the German army in 1942; he joined up due to his admiration for the German army who had marched into France in 1940. Having never lived in Germany and only having a basic grasp of the German language didn't deter him from his ambition. After initially failing to become ...
...ended up fighting some of the most intense and bloody battles on the Russian front. After first serving in a transportation unit, ensuring supplies reached the front lines, he and a comrade decided to volunteer for the prestigious Grossdeutschland Division, an elite unit having the most powerful mechanised infantry in the German army. Sajer takes us on his journey through Russia and East Prussia fighting in Kharkov, Belgorod, Memel and Kiel before ... Read review

Advantages: A remarkable account into the daily life of a soldier on the Eastern Front
Disadvantages: None.

...extremely powerful and compelling. The book moved me greatly, so much, indeed, that i read it again this week. As other reviewers have mentioned, this book is a young German soldier's account of his experiences in combat on the Eastern Front from 1942 until Spring of 1945. Guy Sajer, oldest son of a French father and a German mother shares his experiences of basic combat training. Here he was surprised by the harshness and brutality which he endured. ...
...the cadre of the German Army were beyond harsh. Early on after completing his training he recounts his two week leave during which he meets and falls in love with Paula, a young Berlin girl. This was easily the lightest portion of the book but the 3 page sequence describing his leaving Paula to go back to the front lines was one which may remind many readers of their first true love lost. It is one of the most poignant and touching farewell scenes ... Read review

One of the best books I have read. Truly awe inspiring. I was still thinking about this book weeks after I finished it and has inspired me to read more eye witness accounts from the German side