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. When the Soviet counteroffensive of winter 1942 commences, his unit is stationed alongside the Italian 8th Army, and his observations of its collapse, as opposed to the reaction of the German troops sent to stiffen its front, are of special fascination.
These journals, including original maps, some of which Roth himself helped compose, were recently discovered by his descendants, who arranged for the translation of their long-lost grandfather's journals. 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 first-hand account of the horrific war the Germans waged in Russia.
About the Author
Christine Alexander and Mason Kunze are the grandchildren of Hans Roth, through whom the translation and background information of these journals has been made possible. Christine currently lives in North Carolina and Mason resides in California, USA.
Reviews
The almost daily entries in the first two journals give a fresh and authentic account of events, untouched by the censor and not modified to suit modern sensibilities. * Military Modelcraft International *
Put simply....this is one of the best accounts of war by an ordinary soldier I have ever read, made all the more poignant by the fact that Hans Roth never made it home to see his beloved Rosel again. You will constantly have to remind yourself that the author of these journals was a man our fathers considered a mortal enemy. He was...but he was so much more. Do yourself a favour....read this. * www.modelarmour.com *
Roth's journals provide a fascinating insight into the thought processes and views of a normal soldier in the German army on the Eastern Front. * History of War *
This is a harrowing yet poignant story of an ordinary soldier caught up in the worst that war can bring. * Miniature Wargames *
The whole thing is an enlightening window into what it was like to cope with all the elements that war can throw at you, clearly not a nice experience. * www.militarymodelling.com *
...a very interesting book which gives you the human side of a man reluctantly sucked into a war...gives a glimpse into both the subtle influences of the Nazi State on its soldiers and attitudes... * Wargames *
..without a doubt a unique account that offers many new insights and details which the author himself may have suppressed has he survived. It shows why the Eastern Front was totally different, the horrors kept from those at home... * Military Modelcraft International *
His dedication in keeping these journals, and that they did survive, is very rare. * www.militarymodelling.com *
Book Information
ISBN 9781935149477
Author Christine Alexander
Format Hardback
Page Count 264
Imprint Casemate Publishers
Publisher Casemate Publishers
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. When the Soviet counteroffensive of winter 1942 commences, his unit is stationed alongside the Italian 8th Army, and his observations of its collapse, as opposed to the reaction of the German troops sent to stiffen its front, are of special fascination.
These journals, including original maps, some of which Roth himself helped compose, were recently discovered by his descendants, who arranged for the translation of their long-lost grandfather's journals. 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 first-hand account of the horrific war the Germans waged in Russia.
About the Author
Christine Alexander and Mason Kunze are the grandchildren of Hans Roth, through whom the translation and background information of these journals has been made possible. Christine currently lives in North Carolina and Mason resides in California, USA.
Reviews
The almost daily entries in the first two journals give a fresh and authentic account of events, untouched by the censor and not modified to suit modern sensibilities. * Military Modelcraft International *
Put simply....this is one of the best accounts of war by an ordinary soldier I have ever read, made all the more poignant by the fact that Hans Roth never made it home to see his beloved Rosel again. You will constantly have to remind yourself that the author of these journals was a man our fathers considered a mortal enemy. He was...but he was so much more. Do yourself a favour....read this. * www.modelarmour.com *
Roth's journals provide a fascinating insight into the thought processes and views of a normal soldier in the German army on the Eastern Front. * History of War *
This is a harrowing yet poignant story of an ordinary soldier caught up in the worst that war can bring. * Miniature Wargames *
The whole thing is an enlightening window into what it was like to cope with all the elements that war can throw at you, clearly not a nice experience. * www.militarymodelling.com *
...a very interesting book which gives you the human side of a man reluctantly sucked into a war...gives a glimpse into both the subtle influences of the Nazi State on its soldiers and attitudes... * Wargames *
..without a doubt a unique account that offers many new insights and details which the author himself may have suppressed has he survived. It shows why the Eastern Front was totally different, the horrors kept from those at home... * Military Modelcraft International *
His dedication in keeping these journals, and that they did survive, is very rare. * www.militarymodelling.com *
Book Information
ISBN 9781935149477
Author Christine Alexander
Format Hardback
Page Count 264
Imprint Casemate Publishers
Publisher Casemate Publishers
