German Soldier in World War II [Hardcover]

Dr. Stephen Hart (Author), Dr. Russell Hart (Author), Matthew Hughes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 11, 2000

In this highly illustrated account the authors describe what service life was like for the millions of German troops who marched, fought, and died in the service of the Fatherland. Using dozens of images and firsthand accounts, The German Soldier In World War II conveys what it was like for the ordinary "Fritz" to serve in the searing heat of the North African desert and the frozen wastes of the Russian Steppes: what food he ate, the equipment he used, the uniforms he wore, and the medical facilities available to him. A graphic portrait of the life of the private German soldier.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Press (June 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760308462
• ISBN-13: 978-0760308462
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,467,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice Photos & Overview - Incorrect Details Loses Credibility, February 2, 2002

By 

Tom123 (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: German Soldier in World War II (Hardcover)

The book is full of large, clear photographs.
However, there are several errors and inconsistencies that I found distracting to the point of lost credibility. Overall, the book is a nice overview, has some interesting personal stories from several German soldiers, but it is not for the serious WW2 student.

The book has NO references or bibliography. With the numerous quotes from German soldiers, this lack of references seems incongruous. On page 21, the bold statement is made that "statistical analysis have CONCLUDED that German troops 'typically' inflicted 50 percent greater casualties on their opponents that they suffered in return, regardless of whether they were attacking or defending, even in the face of overwhelming Allied numerical advantages and air superiority later in the war." [emphasis by reviewer]. I find this conclusion hard to believe, when one looks at the German killed, wounded, and captured in western Europe in 1944-1945. If this is a fact, I would like to see the numbers and type of statistical analyses conducted.

On page 15, the photo references "the private," yet the soldier shown has the white piping on his collar indicating he is a NCO (Handbook on German Military Forces, pg 553, US War Department, reprinted 1990, Louisiana Univ Press).

On page 24, the authors fall into the common error of calling the MP38/40 sub-machine gun a "Schmeisser" (Military Small Arms of the 20th Century, pg 118, Hogg & Weeks, Krause Pub, 7th ed).

There are several references to quotes from Guy Sajer, evidently from "The Forgotten Soldier," an autobiography of a German soldier who fought with Grossdeutschland in Russia. I read "Forgotten Soldier" in the 70s and loved it. ...
For authors from universities to use such a questionable resource casts doubt as to their other sources [and how they are teaching students to conduct defendable research].

On page 33, the authors place the ultimate demise of Germany on strategic blunders. While true, the lack of unit cohesion by 1944-45 clearly was a key element to the loss of many late war battles. When a group of men are thrown together and have a matter of weeks or months to train together (with some units assembled from the Navy, Luftwaffe, and other broken units), how can they form a cohesive unit needed to win in combat. See "Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose and "When the Odds were Even" by Keith Bonn. Addressing this lack of cohesion is a missed opportunity for the authors.

Page 46 shows a photo of a tank commander with "two sets of headphones." These are headphones and throat mike. The authors also miss the opportunity to point out this tanker is a member of the SS (note eagle and unit armband on left sleeve). The deaths head badges probably mean this is a member of the 3rd SS, Totenkopf.

Page 97 references German Paratroops, yet no Luftwaffe eagles are visible, only Wehrmacht.

Page 107, photo claims to be soldiers in France. Eagles are visible on several sleeves, thus, authors miss opportunity of indicating they are SS. According to "Das Reich," by James Lucas, 1991, this photo shows members of the 2nd SS in Poland in 1939.

Interestingly, in the authors other book: "Weapons and Fighting Tactics of the Waffen SS," they have a bibliography and correctly label the MP38 as not a Schmeisser.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb overview of the German army., September 10, 2006

By 

Jack Stone - See all my reviews

This review is from: German Soldier in World War II (Hardcover)

I purchased this book to get an overview of the Wehrmacht in order to further my research on the subject. This book answered the mail and described all aspects of the German Army as promised. The attention to detail on even minute subjects was impressive as were many of the excellent wartime photos. After reading this work, I had a much better understanding of the German Army and had a 'feel' for what it must have been to be a German 'landser'. Overall, an excellent, thorough product.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars OK, a nice C- book, April 2, 2008

By 

William A. Hensler (Holt, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: German Soldier in World War II (Hardcover)

I was expecting a great book. I really wanted to read a book that would tell totally about the training of the individual Landser (German Soldier) in WWII. Perhaps there would be things that the soldiers of 2008 and later could learn from this book.

Well, this book is most a rehash of other books. The best plain German soldier book is by Guy Saier. He tells of the tough German basic training, the endless drills, the all night maneuvers, and the weapons training. The result is he was well trained for his duties on the eastern front. And in this book they use his quotes endlessly. He should have been given co-author status.

This book just gives over views. It talks about the German machineguns but does not give any breakdowns of the types. So if you don't know the difference between an MG-34 or MG-42 you'll be left guessing. They also don't cover the mortars; the Germans started with the 50 mm mortar but went to a copy of the Soviet 80 mm mortar. The same is for the artillery; the 170mm, 150mm, and 105 mm guns are all ignored. Just one photograph could have been taken out and the gun types added.

The authors break down the German land army into its many parts: infantry, artillery, armor, special forces, and Waffen SS attachments. But they really don't go deeply into any of the any of the forces.

Oh, there is incorrect information given. The authors tell some weird tale about how the American "B-29" bombers missed bombing Omaha beach and that causes massive losses because the German defenders are not mollested. Well, I think the authors meant B-24 bombers because the B-29 was strictly a Pacific aircraft. Anyway, the Canadian army had just as stiff defenses at their landing beach but they used more of the British Army's specialized armor (the "funnies" as the Brits called them) and the US Army refused the offer.

This book is 198 pages plus index. Now, the pictures will take up a whole page so you're left with about 125 pages of reading material. Most of the pictures are published in other books. You pretty much will not find out anything new in this book.

Sorry, but I can't endorse this book. There are just so many better books out there. If you want to read about the German infantry then do a google search of "German WWII infantry tactics" and there is a guy who will sell a translated field manual of how the German Infantry operates: it's better than FM 7-8, the US Army infantry manual.

Save your money and avoid this book.