Customer Reviews

With Our Backs to Berlin

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In this excellent work Tony Le Tissier compiles narratives from German and one Russian survivors of the close, vicious combat in and around Berlin in 1945 and adds some of his own writing based on radio logs and other reports now available. The most compelling pieces in the book are the longer narratives of combat in Berlin and attempts to break out to the Western Allies prior to capture by the Soviets. Much of the writing is simple and frank; describing brutal conditions and chaotic combat in deceptively plain language. The writers are squad leaders or soldiers, so command insight is rare, but the things that matter to soldiers (hot food, competent leaders, working weapons,...) are mentioned frequently. If you want a higher-scale reference on the struggle for Berlin, this is not the book you want. If you want to know what it was like to be fighting in and near Berlin as the Soviet armies entered the city and closed in on the Reichstag, from the soldiers' point of view, this is a book you want.

I gave the book only four stars because an overview chapter on events leading up to the fall of Berlin and the combat formations involved, as well as a couple of larger-scale maps, would have made the book much more complete and provided a backdrop for the stories within. But the material is unique and fascinating and for the reader with the background knowledge already, this is probably a five-star work.

This is an outstanding compilation of experiences of front line soldiers relating what it was like to be in the front lines in and around Berlin at the end of World War II.

The book is not an orderly history of the Fall of Berlin. Instead, the book enriches one's general knowledge about that time period by recounting tales of derring-do, primarily from the German side. An exception is a very short account about a Russian corporal at Halbe, on the outskirts of Berlin. (Also, all but one story deal with the Eastern Front, i.e., the Russians.)

Altogther, these tales provide a powerful insight into the average German soldier's mindset as the defenders fought with limited resources against overwhelming odds.

In this book, you learn what it was like to be in the first line of defense when the Russians unleashed the largest military barrage in history to begin their final onslaught against Berlin.

You learn what it was like to discover that literally thousands of Russian tanks were coming straight at you.

You learn what it was like to be under siege by the Russians, including bombardments and repeated assaults directly on a position ordered to be held to the last man.

You learn what it was like to try to evade Russian patrols, and armies.

You learn the importance of the "Flak Towers" to the defense of the City.

You also learn what it was like for both soldiers and cvilians to try to escape the City in the last days in order to come under the auspices of anyone but the Russians.

One or more maps are provided for each story to make it easier to understand the action. A section of photos, including of many of the survivors whose tales are told, is included. There is even included in the Appendix the text of the award for the German Cross in Gold received by an NCO in the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, whose exploits take up about a third of the book and in many ways are the most memorable.

(The German Cross in Gold was one of the higher awards for German military valor and had to be approved by at least an Army Group Commander. In this instance, however, it does not appear to have been given for any single action but for the award of the Close Combat Clasp in Gold, which, beginning in August 1944, automatically qualifed the holder for the German Cross in Gold. The Close Combat Clasp was given in recognition of hand-to-hand combat. The Close Combat Clasp in Gold meant the recipient had survived 50 days of hand-to-hand combat, or its equivalent.)

This books explores the last and bitter days of fighting from the perspective of German soldiers. The book brings new insight into the last days of the once formidible German Army. It is good story given by the common soldiers who simply fight on for undisputed loyalty or simply because they are trapped an have no other choice but to fight or die.

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I don't think this book was a great read. The stories are unique, no doubt. However bringing them together leads to a disjoint and is not smooth. One story talked about the Western Front, then the next dealt with the Eastern Front. There was even a story in there from a Russian soldier. I tried to interpret these stories into some theme, but the only thing I got was the disorganized nature of the German Army. The last story from a Waffen SS recruit bordered on unbelieveable, and some of the interpretation mention that some may not be true. Perhaps a book called Berlin Dance of Death is a better book on the subject, although it is written by only one soldier.
This is an OK read, but there are better books out there from German soldiers. The stories are alright, if the reader is familiar with the last battles of the Third Reich.

To all those historians like myself, hearing the words from these veterans is simply priceless! This book, like many others I have read, depicts the futile struggle against the Allies from both fronts. With gripping accounts of street fighting and fire fights at point blank ranges, it will reach out to you and put you right in there shoes. These men were brave soldiers following orders to the last!

In 1985, I had the opportunity to travel to West Berlin. It remains one of the most amazing trips of my life. Few cities affected me as Berlin did. Standing in the Reichstag was the culmination of this visit. Hard to describe the thoughts and emotions that course through a person who has studied and understood the events that occurred in that place.

Tony Le Tissier's book would have been a welcome companion during that trip. The Cold War was still on in 1985 and detail about the final days of the Third Reich were as of that date left untold.

Of all the accounts in this volume, Willi Rogman's descriptions of the last battles around the Reichstag and the subsequent attempts to break out of the city are absolutely amazing. Some of his tale is very nearly unbelievable...but truth is always more fantastic than fiction. If for no other reason, read this book to follow Rogman as he does the impossible and escapes from a city in flames. What a story...

With Our Backs to Berlin is a collection of short German memoirs about the final battles fought between February - May 1945, with the primary focus on operations around Berlin. This book compromises personal accounts that author Tony Le Tissier was unable to include in his more in-depth campaign study, Zhukov on the Oder, but it is by no means a collection of left-overs. Many of the accounts are quite gripping and this book is a more interesting read than Zhukov on the Oder, in terms of narrative quality. There is also considerably more military detail in With Our Backs to Berlin than popular accounts such as Antony Beevor's Berlin or older books like Cornelius Ryan's The Last Battle. Military specialists will appreciate the gritty level of detail, although general readers will note that the fate of Berlin's civilian population is much less discussed than in other books.

The book consists of 12 accounts, which are arranged in chronological sequence, all but one of which are occur on the Eastern Front. The most prominent accounts are Gerhard Tillery's from the 309. Infanterie-Division, Ernst Henkel's `The Last Defender of Schloss Thorn,' Karl-Herman Tams' from the 20. Panzergrenadier-Division, Harry Schweizer's narrative on the defense of the Zoo Flak-Tower and SS-Oberscharfuhrer Willi Rogmann's tale of the last stand of the band of the SS-Leibstandarte in the ruins of Berlin. Henkel's account is the only one from the Western Front, although the author provides a short chapter on the surrender of the 11. Panzer-Division to the Americans. The accounts vary in length from as little as 4-5 pages up to Rogmann's 80-page narrative, which comprises nearly a third of the entire book. Overall, the quality of the personal accounts are quite good - some exceptionally so - although the supporting maps provide little help.

There are a number of take-aways from this book. First, most accounts suggest that German morale was at rock bottom after the defeats in 1944, but these first-person accounts clearly depict a large number of soldiers and civilians as still committed to the cause until Hitler's suicide. One regimental commander on the Seelow Heights tells his men, "We shall stay here if necessary until the American tanks drive up our arse!" Second, contrary to the final defense of the Reich formed of `old men and boys,' the SS and Wehrmacht were able to field at least a few quality formations right up to the end. Even the Kriegsmarine sailors sent o fight on the frontline are depicted as aggressive, even though they were unable to survive long in ground combat. Most of the accounts are harsh on the Volksturm, Hitler Youth and other hodgepodge last-minute volunteers, who contributed little to the defense of Berlin. Third, supply difficulties probably caused the Germans more problems in the defense of the Oder River line and the approaches to Berlin than the shortage of men, tanks or artillery. Various accounts mention poor quality fuel which caused problems with vehicles or fuel being pinched by rear echelon types, leaving front-line tanks without fuel. Low quality ammunition caused jamming and even the best units had less than a basic load of ammunition. Finally, it is apparent that German command control was falling apart faster than the front-line troops who bore the burden to the end. Even before the Soviets broke through on the Oder front, hastily-thrown together German units operated under a jumbled command structure.

Rogmann's account, detailing how the SS-Leibstandarte's band was converted into an 8-cm mortar platoon for the final defense of Berlin is simply terrific and even funny at points, but it is also very problematic. No matter how you slice it, Rogmann - a highly-decorated SS combat veteran - embellished and exaggerated his role in the battle to the point that all but the most blindly pro-Nazi readers will begin to doubt his veracity. Among other things, Rogmann claims that Hitler personally asked him for military advice (even though he admits he had no access to the Fuhrer bunker), that he drank Hitler's cognac from his desk in the abandoned chancellery (Hitler was a non-drinker), that he cussed out SS-Brigadefuhrer Mohnke in front of other SS officers, that he was easily able to con Soviet officers to get him through checkpoints on their vehicle, etc. Rogmann's account contains a great deal of useful information about the final Battle in Berlin but unfortunately, it leaves the reader wondering what is truth and what is post-war BS put in by the author to inflate his role. Nor does the author provide much help, beyond offering the official dispatches on Rogmann's earlier combat awards in 1941-44; these confirm that he was a brave soldier, but do nothing to corroborate his account of events in April-May 1945. Compared to the other accounts in this book, which portray German soldiers simply doing their duty, Rogmann's account jumps out as someone trying to portray himself as a superman. Overall, With Our Backs to Berlin provides a great deal of military detail about the final weeks of the Third Reich and is more than just a volume of supplementary material.

Tony Le Tissier has compiled wonderful veteran accounts of the fighting in and around Berlin as the war is nearing a tragic end for the soldiers of the Heer. These stories provide good insight as to what it was like to experience the horror of combat without getting up from your armchair. Very dramatic and sad tales of loss, sacrifice, heroism, and honor are in abundance throughout the book.

Contrary to what Liberal-PC extremism has been telling America and the world for years - that the Soviets were "liberators" is simply nonsense. In almost every tale there are stories of how small rearguard detachements of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS were left on suicide missions to let Rumanians, Ukrainians, Russian peasants, and Germans escape the ravaging Soviet juggernaut.

While there are better books that deal with the war in the East, this book and these stories (even one Red-Army soldier has one) is worth the purchase and worth your time.

This book gives you a good feel for what it was like for the German soldiers as the third reich crumbled under the Russian offensive. There are only a few books like this, including Tale of a German Sniper and a few others.

Good collection and well written accounts of the final days of WWII. If you are specifically looking for stories from the German perspective buy this book. Several of the stories are compelling and there is a facinating transcript from German radio communications with a 'fortress' kampfgruppe. For east front enthusiasts this book provides good first person commentary.