Eastern Inferno: The Journals of a German PanzerjaGer on the Eastern Front, 1941-1943

Description

This book presents the remarkable personal journals of a German soldier who participated in Operation Barbarossa and subsequent battles on the Eastern Front, revealing the combat experience of the German-Russian War as seldom seen before. Hans Roth was a member of the anti-tank (Panzerjager) battalion, 299th Infantry Division, attached to Sixth Army, as the invasion of Russia began. Writing as events transpired, he recorded the mystery and tension as the Germans deployed on the Soviet frontier in 1941. Then a firestorm broke loose as the Wehrmacht broke across the front. During the Kiev encirclement, Roth's unit was under constant attack as the Soviets desperately tried to break through the German ring. At one point, a friend serving with the SS led him to a site where he witnessed civilians being massacred (which may well have been Babi Yar). After suffering through a horrible winter against apparently endless Russian reserves, his division went on the offensive again, this time on the northern wing of"Case Gelb," the German drive toward Stalingrad In these journals, attacks and counterattacks are described in "you are there" detail, as if to keep himself sane, knowing that his honest accounts of the horrors in the East could never pass through Wehrmacht censors. These journals, including original maps, some of which Roth himself helped compose, were recently discovered by his descendants. Roth was able to bring three of them back to his wife during the war, and after she emigrated to America she kept them but never spoke of them. Roth never brought back a fourth journal, as his fate after the summer of 1943 in Russia is still unknown. What he did leave behind, now finally revealed, is an incredible firsthand account of the horrific war the Germans waged in Russia.

Remarkable personal journals...revealing the combat experience of the German-Russian War as seldom seen before. Witness to unspeakable carnage at the front, this is a harrowing yet poignant story. * Military Times * ...an important resource for anyone interested in the Eastern Front as well as those who want a realistic look at the terrors of war. It is gripping and paints one of the clearest pictures ever of how war is horrendous. Christine Alexander and Mason Kuntze deserve a big thank you for the editing and translation of this project. * Kepler's Military History Book Reviews * ...particularly important for two reasons. Unlike letters from the front, [these journals] were never seen by the German Army censors and so Roth was free to record his real feeling as the fighting continued. Second, because of Roth"s untimely death in 1944 the journals weren"t edited post-war, leaving them in their original raw state. As a result, we get a rare soldier"s eye version of the fighting on a day-by-day basis. * History of War * An important part of the history of WWII that should not be overlooked, and should appeal to all students of 20th century warfare. * Books Monthly *