Sniper Ace: From the Eastern Front to Siberia [Hardcover]

Bruno Sutkus (Author), David L. Robbins (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2009

Throughout World War II, German snipers were obliged to carry a 'Scharfshutzen Buch' which recorded every kill. Each success noted had to be verified by a witness and signed by a superior officer.The journal of Sutkus is one of only a few such books to have survived the war. It records more than 200 kills, placing him as one of the war's most successful snipers. A large part of his journal is reproduced for the first time here.

As a Hitler Youth member his skill as a marksman was quickly noted and, in July 1943, aged 19, he was drafted into the Wehrmacht. A month later he was sent on a five month sniper's course in Wilna, after which he was posted to the Eastern Front.

He was so successful that his superiors sent him to crucial positions. Despite his age, he was regarded as one of Germany's best snipers and in November 1944 he was awarded the Scharfshutzenabzeichen 3 Stufe - the highest award for a sniper.

After being wounded in January 1945, Sutkus was given time to recuperate away from the Eastern Front. During this time he met a Red Cross nurse, to whom he gave all his journal.

When the war finished, Sutkus was forced to join the Red Army. He deserted to join the Lithuanian resistance fighters. After being captured again he was tortured by the KGB and deported to Siberia to endure forced labor. It was not until the collapse of the Soviet Union that he was able return to Germany and find his journal, still in the hands of the same nurse.Introduction written by David L. Robbins.

REVIEWS

ŒAs a sniper myself for many years I have always sought to learn from those who went before me, from all countries. This book provides a unique and fascinating in-depth look at the day to day life of an operational sniper.For many years the skill and the bravery of the Wehrmacht sniper has gone unrecorded. With this book we see inside his experiences for the first time and it is a read that I would strongly recommend to any current sniper. A truly fascinating look at the trials and tribulations of one mans war when the world was at war around him. Mark Spicer, author of the Illustrated Manual of Sniper Skills

"It's extremely rare to find a first-hand account by one of Germany's most accomplished World War II snipers but rarer yet, this memoir incorporates his actual wartime shooting logbook, documenting 207 kills. Fascinating and tragic, especially the post-war decades he spent in the Soviet gulag."

Major John L. Plaster, U.S. Army Special Forces, author, 'The Ultimate Sniper' and 'The History of Sniping and Sharpshooting.'

"The best first-person German sniper account of World War Two I have read, well documented and illustrated, a fascinating story"

- Tim Newark, editor, Military Illustrated magazine

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Frontline Books; First English Ed. edition (November 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848325487
• ISBN-13: 978-1848325487
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > History > Military > United States > Veterans

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good sniper tale, deals a lot with post-war life in Soviet Union, October 18, 2009

By 

O.L. "reader153" (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sniper Ace: From the Eastern Front to Siberia (Hardcover)

A decent well-written-enough sniper tale from the Eastern Front in World War II. Comparable to others such as "A Grandfather's Tale", unusually insofar as the author is ethnically Lithuanian but born in Germany; this fact plays a pivotal role in the course of his life events throughout the book. Also the book starts at a relatively late date (1944) so that the Soviets are pushing in East Prussia after only a couple chapters; also the author never really discusses National Socialism, or Hitler, at all, instead he focuses on his upbringing and how his agricultural training, work ethic, and observations of the natural world facilitated his later success as a sniper.

A large part of the book, more than half, is taken up by his various postwar arrests, imprisonments, "interrogations", and so on at the hands of communist authorities, including time spent in various locales in Siberia, in one capacity or another. Due to his high number of kills, including many officers, combined with ambiguity about his nationality, led to his only being released from Siberia *only after the collapse of the Soviet Union*, surely making him one of the longest-held prisoners of World War II of any nationality. Upon his release he was celebrated as a national hero in Lithuania, and lectured to many Lithuanian soldiers and cadets about his experiences.

The book makes a big deal out of the documentation surrounding his confirmed kills, whether this proves they were real or that the author/publisher were simply trying very hard to create that impression is impossible to know. The wartime narrative does consist of a virtually miraculous series of brushes with death along with many confirmed shots to the heads of snipers sent specifically to eliminate him, but as we all know truth is stranger than fiction so I for one was generally inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. He discusses unit movements and various battles in moderate detail, but does not really spend a great deal of time describing equipment, apart from his sniper's rifle. He also never really addresses any moral questions whatsoever, for him it was simply a matter of defending his homeland, and trying to stay alive (to be sure the author was fairly young while in service). Describes in some detail what the Soviet occupation of East Prussia was like, both while the war was ending and thereafter (not good). Also claimed that at war's end the U.S. Army attempted to recruit him for service in "Asia" but that he declined, telling the American officer that the Americans had helped the Bolsheviks defeat Germany and would now have to deal with them on their own, without his help.

All in all a good read but not great literature, similar to other accounts out there already but perhaps unique for people interested in the history of a German-Lithunian veteran of World War II, along with many detailed accounts of life as a POW in Siberia. The latter treatment especially is filled with accounts of the absurdities of state-run economic systems, both in agriculture and coal mining, along with the general brutalities of the gulag system. Unlike "A Grandfather's Tale" the author doesn't seem to embrace pacifism later in life, perhaps his existence was too filled with harshness and mistreatment to believe in anything other than a sober and somewhat grim view of human nature.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Disappointing Book, February 7, 2010

By 

Peter Lovett - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sniper Ace: From the Eastern Front to Siberia (Hardcover)

I was looking forward to receiving this book but was disappointed after reading it. It is rare for a German sniper's records to be still in existence, especially one who served on the Eastern Front and I thought that this record would provide the author with the structure to provide a vivid portrait of what it was like to be a sniper on that front. However, the reality is that this part of the book is little more than the recounting of his sniper log with some additional detail.

This may have been the result of the incredible difficulties the author went through after the war being exiled to Siberia by the Russians. That he survived that ordeal for as long as he did is a testimony to his powers of survival. Many men would have succumbed to the incredible conditions and hardships. He also must have been one of the last German prisoner of war to be repatriated. However, even this part of his narrative is skimmed over and at no time is there much sense of the ceaseless struggle to survive that he endured.

If you are looking for a book about sniping on the Eastern Front there are better books. If you want a book that shows just what a human can endure then this one is a good example.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sniper Ace, November 22, 2009

By 

Steven P. Shallenberger "Reptisillious" (Eugene, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sniper Ace: From the Eastern Front to Siberia (Hardcover)

I liked the book Myself. I have always liked the personal stories. It was interesting to maybe have a brief look at life in very early post-war Eastern Europe and the Bannishment to Siberia. It did seem like more than one life could live. But there have always been incrediable people throughout the ages. So, I just liked to believe that Bruno Sutkus was one of them. I would suggest it.