Book Club of War

  This is the second of my book reviews on the German soldiers’ experiences in World War II. Erhard Steinigers autobiography ‘Radio Operator on the Eastern Front’ takes you on a journey from Conscription through Barbarossa to the battle of Leningrad and finally to being a prisoner of the Soviets. Steiniger’s reflections saw him serve in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Russia as a signaler in the 151 st Infantry Regiment.   As a signaler he had to be at the forefront of the battle with the soldiers and this is very much a first-hand account of what that experience was like.    The horrors of war on the Eastern Front are really drawn out. This book is exceptional well written and translated.   The autobiography does not glorify war but shows what war was like for a soldier on the ground right at the forefront of a battle.   The life and horrors that were experienced.     The over 110 illustrations and photographs throughout the books give a fascinating insight into life of Erhard

  I must admit that I have read very little from a German point of view on World War II.  W e sometimes forget that there are personal human stories from the German side of the war. Screams of the Drowning in lots of ways is an astonishing book.    This is a first-person account, a story of how a young German soldier, Hans Feckler, aged just 17, was conscripted and experienced some of the worst horrors and bloodshed of the World War II.   The book takes you from Hans Fecklers youth and how it was curtailed, through his training and early experiences, to him being badly wounded and then involved in the little-known sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff where he was one of only 1,252 from over 10000 that survived, to his escape from the Russian occupation zone and an almost 200 mile walk back home.     This story is a must read for anyone interested in the Eastern Front in World War II.   It is a strikingly honest account; the story isn’t about glorifying war, its about the reality of what