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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
US Combat Infantryman Writes from German Perspective, December 22, 2002
This review is from: Beneath the Snows of Stalingrad (Paperback)
Having read both of Frank Irgang's previous books, I was eager to read his latest release, called "Beneath the Snows of Stalingrad". Irgang landed on D-Day and fought his way across Europe and into Germany. In the process, he saw some of the worst fighting of the European war. He told the story brilliantly in his first-hand account "Etched in Purple", which to my mind is the best WWII novel I have yet read. What distinguishes Mr. Irgang from other writers is his ability to restrain himself from moralizing or influencing the judgements of his readers. He simply tells the story, simply, eloquently and graphically, and allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusions about war and what it does to human beings. In his latest novel, "Beneath the Snows of Stalingrad", Mr. Irgang tells the story of World War II from the German point of view. Told through the experiences of three young Germans, this novel is particularly effective in drawing the reader into the inner workings of his characters. By the time the novel ends, the reader has lived their lives and seen the horrors of war through these three young people. The characters are wonderfully drawn, with great depth. The situations are plausible and emotionally taut. Mr. Irgang tells of their daily lives, their hopes and fears, not just about the days when the bullets fly, and so the reader gets the feel for the rhythms of their lives. This only serves to heighten the drama near the end of the book, when they are participating in, and witnessing, the final collapse of Hitler's Reich. Mr. Irgang traveled to the sites in his novel, and conducted a great deal of research. As such, it has a great deal of importance as a historical novel. He writes of war as only a man who has seen a lot of it can. His meticulous details of battlefields and patrols and death put the reader there as very few books can. The theme, that an entire generation of young men and women are betrayed by fate and robbed of their futures, is one we would do well to heed today. How many vibrant young souls still lie under the snows of Stalingrad today, in unmarked mass graves, because of the madness of the Nazi regime? I recommend this book very highly. More now than ever, it is important for people to read about the human consequences of war, and to pray for peace.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good WWII Novel about a common soldier's experience, January 15, 2005
This review is from: Beneath the Snows of Stalingrad (Paperback)
This book is about Erich his life in the Weimarcht and ultimately the SS and his struggle for survival and ultimate reunion with his Fiance Maria. Taking place before the outbreak of the War and includes his attendance at a Hitler Rally and sign-up to the Army.
The book is entertaining but slow moving at first. Even when the action does increase you can't help feeling that it's a little 'plastic' and derived in places. However, the main storyline is one of love, struggle, suffering and ultimately anguish. This is where the writer excels the best in brining the love and companionship between the two characters and various friends and family.
It proves that there existed great suffering on both sides in the war and that the average German solidier was not "evil" but caught up in a mealstrom that they ultimately could do nothing to stop. Something that I gained from the book in addition to the various emotions throughout was the knowledge that the SS was a unit formed specifically of elite Weimarcht soliders to combat the ultimate threat on the Eastern Front.
Get this book for the love, characters and feeling, not for a description of the battles or the conflicts.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beneath The Snows of Stalingrad, December 4, 2002
This review is from: Beneath the Snows of Stalingrad (Paperback)
Many years ago, I becme the owner of Frank's Etched in Purple followed by The Wyandot. The latest "Beneath the Snows of Stlingrad" still exceeds the early books. Having had the experience of combat in winter conditions, I marvel at the detail Frank writes. He also had combat experience in winter conditions and it is evident in his book.
The detail he picks up is the greatest. One can feel the total despair of the fighting men. He underlines the old statement the "war is hell". Frank also brought out the conditions on the home front where those left to do the farming were old men and women. The love story had to be a story that was often repeated in those times. I highly recommend this book as a history lesson.
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