Book description
" 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.
