Customer Reviews

Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier, 1936-1949

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Out of every war there are survivors, and it is sometimes amazing how they make it through their ordeals. This is truly a picture of just how a commander's whim, school selection or being wounded can take you out of a potentially deadly situation (or stick you right back into one!) It shows just what a crapshoot surviving combat is.

It is also a great insight into the German indoctrination process of young men and how they were eventually turned into soldiers. Another plus is the insight into the training of the German non-mechanized artilleryman (I've read enough about Panzers) and how the peacetime German soldier acted and thought. It is nice to read another interesting viewpoint of the last days of the Fuehrer Bunker as well. This book is also one of the very few that discusses in some detail being held prisoner by the Russians after the war.

In response to other reviews, I don't think it was Knappe's goal to do any soul searching for what had happened during the war. He was an officer and a soldier. He did not allow himself to be put in questionable war crime offense situations. He treated his soldiers and prisoners with respect and dignity.

German soldier autobiographies do not need reflection, soul-searching or some kind of apology to tell how they feel now after having time to think about the war. Knappe was a soldier doing the best he could for his country, just like the men from other nations. He was not a member of the Nazi Party, or a fanatical facist, just a soldier.

Knappe did not agree with everything that Germany did, from both a tactical and philosophical standpoint, but this is a soldier's tale. He did what he had to do to complete his missions and survive.

Being a former soldier, one thing that I respect Knappe more for than anything else is that he never shirked his duties or deserted his men or family. He could have disappeared and headed to the west many times during the Battle of Berlin, but he stayed with his men and did his duty to the end, knowing that the end was inevitable. That is the mark of a true leader, no matter what nation he or she is from.

Don't pass this one up!

Follow a German soldier from his training, to the battlefield, from Russia to Italy, to the Battle for Berlin and then to his capture by the Russians. The details of life both on the front and at home really brings us into the war, allowing us to see how conditions change and how his view on war and the Reich also change. A few extras, like a small glossary and a organizational chart are not really needed. The book is about life in the Reich as much as the battles the Wehrmacht fought. Lots about the daily life of the German soldier, from their food, how they dealt with the weather, how they dealt with the horror of battle.
A must for seeing the war from a PERSON's point of view.

I have read several military memoirs. Some were great, and others were self serving, egotistical garbage. Richard Marcinco's books fall into the latter category. Siegfried Knappe's Soldat is on the other end of the spectrum. Knappe has written an entertaining, and very engrossing book that covers his distinguished career in the German army. If you want an honest German perspective of World War Two, look no further than Soldat.

Siegfried Knappe was an Artillery officer in the German army at the beginning of WWII. He saw service in Poland, Italy, Russia, and finally in the defense of Berlin. He was finally captured in 1945 by the Russians when Berlin fell and shipped to a Russian concentration camp for four years. This book chronicles the years he spent in combat and as a prisoner of war. He gives real insight into the way the German Army operated and he shows how he changed from idealisim and support for Hitler to growing disillusionment. It is an interesting book from both the standpoint of a combat history and also a social history of what Germany itself went through as the war dragged on. However, I did find myself skimming over certain parts, mainly Knappe's views on what he felt were German justifications for the war. And make no mistake, even though he came to feel Hitler was causing the German people great harm, he did feel that a Germany had valid reasons for invading Poland, France, and Russia. I'd recommend this book for anyone who's fascinated by what really happened in World War II.

Knappe's wartime memoirs are quite good, but keep in mind thathe was an officer most of the time and also that he did not experienceas much or as intense combat as other German landser (soldiers)did...officers generally lived better...that said, they had much moreresponsibility. Knappe mentions that his various injuries kept him outof many a battle (Stalingrad 1942-1943, Siege of Breslau 1945). Thismeans that while he was in a hospital, many fellow landser somehowmanaged to survive through a lot of battles (believe me, I'm notbelittling him here, just noting; admittedly pretty harshly). Perhapshis lack of combat experience helped him endure the camps in Russiaafter the war (which Knappe describes quite well). Try Guy Sajer's"The Forgotten Soldier" out--while it is written in aconsiderably less organized style, it gives a better view of alandser; one who fought in the elite "Grossdeutschland"Division, no less. While Sajer's book is quite controversial...it isstill the best "Personal War" book out there--far superiorto "All Silent On The Western Front" (Erich Maria Remarque),topping even Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace". Remarque's andTolstoy's war works were historically-based fiction. Sajer is fact.

I read this book in 1995, and was struck by the brutal honesty with which Siegfried Knappe addressed the issues he was faced with, which come down to one word, survival. In reading this book the reader comes away realizing the average German soldier was not moved by thoughts of grand world conquest or heroic deeds, he was moved by the thoughts of his family left behind, by the fear of letting his comrades down, by the desire to live another day to see his unborn child. Above all else, I found this book to be a very moving love story, for Knappe explains what kept him going during his brutal years in Soviet POW camps, namely the love and desire to see his wife, Lilo. I was fortunate to speak with Siegfried Knappe after reading this book, and he generously offered to autograph my copy, which I gladly took him up on. However, I was most happy to hear that his lovely wife Lilo was still with him and that they had lived a wonderful life together since the war. I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling in today's world....it will offer insight in how one man and woman survived against all the odds of a world at war

Ever since I first picked up a copy of this book, I've loved it so much that I think I've read the thing at least 4 times!

Soldat is a book that chronicles the recollections of a German named Siegfried Knapp, an ordinary boy caught up in WW2 Germany. While there are many books out there about WW2 in general and the Germans in particular, Soldat is remarkable in that its story is told from Knapp's perspective and on a very personal level. While reading, one gets a real sense of being `in the trenches', as Knapp details very vividly his experiences from basic training and artillery school (with some very memorable parts), through to the officer's academy and on to service on multiple fronts. The culmination of his service was the battle for Berlin, and his subsequent imprisonment by the Soviets is also covered.

What sets Soldat apart from other books on the subject matter is that the focus is on what directly relates to Knapp; there are no discussions about grand strategy or the motivations behind Hitler's invasion of the U.S.S.R. Instead, the reader is treated to a glimpse of life from inside the German army and German society, from someone who experienced it directly.

Overall, this book is definitely recommended for those wanting a more in-depth look at the German army from a true ground up and personal perspective. Those looking for Sven Hassel-esque action or Osprey-style discussions on strategy may be disappointed though and should look elsewhere.

Soldat
Author-Siegfried Knappe with Ted Brusaw
Dell Publishing
Copyright 1992 by Siegfried Knappe and Charles Brusaw
Printed 1993
Paperback 430 pages, 14 pages black/white photos.
This book is about the life and service in the German army between 1936 and 1949 of the author Siegfried Knappe.

In 1936 the author graduates from the gymnasium and enters the Labor Service. From there he joins the army in the artillery arm. On his first day with the artillery he is disappointed by the fact that it is not mechanized and all horse drawn. What is interesting that this did not change in his unit until Italy signed the armistice with the Allies and his unit took over the Italian motorized transport.
He served in the occupation of Sudetenland, the invasion of France, the Invasion of Russia, the Italian campaign and the defense of Berlin. By the end of the war he had moved up in rank and joined the generals staff complete with red stripes on his pants to designate himself as a senior officer. During his career he met Hitler several times and at the end of the war was held by the Russians at the Krasnogorsk Prison camp. He was lucky, he survived and was released in 1949 after 5 years of captivity. During the war he married and had children which gives an insight into the hardships that the civilian population suffered, as well as the soldiers worry about family at home.
This book provides a great deal of information on how the units operated and the state of the German Army throughout the war years. It deals with the prewar years as well as the postwar years of Germany and the horrible ordeal between the two. His rank late in the war gave him a clear view of what was going on with the defense of Berlin and as well as the state of the country at that time. Although this is truly his own story, he does mention that he used General Weidlings account of the 56th Panzer Korp defense from the Oder River to Berlin as well as the day to day report of his artillery battery from the invasion of France.
To summarize: It was well worth reading and gives a glimpse life and struggle at the unit as well as the senior staff level.

This book was an interesting read and I stuck with it without a break till the end (took a few days) but it just isn't anywhere near the book "The Forgotten Soldier" is. Knappe was just incrediably lucky during WWII. He seemed to always get out of sticky situations and places through amazing luck such as minor wounds or just transfers. This book is no where near as emotional and personal or well written as "Forgotten Soldier" and yet it still is worth reading. To me the best part of the book was his account of how he was kept a prisoner AFTER the war ended for over 5 years as were like a million others most of whom were killed AFTER the war had long since ended by the Russians in their labor camps. Many of the survivors that the Russian allowed to live did not get released until 1955 which was 10 years after the war ended. These facts are almost totally unknown to the general public in the USA. No one I told this of even believed me. I am glad to see that this book helps expose this crime the Soviet Union commited against men who were almost all just common foot soldiers. The generals the Russians caught were treated much better and yet they were far, far more to blame for anything the Nazi's did in Russia.

As an ex-artilleryman, I found Knappe's account of military life to be very accurate, and I was surprised at how similar life in a German WWII battery was similar to a 1990's American battery. Except for the horse-drawn aspect, discipline and duties were nearly identical to my own Army experience so I could easily relate to Knappe's narrative of events.
The eye-witness account starts out with the last defense of Berlin then goes back to the start of the war where Knappe tells about his thoughts and his actions to the unfolding of events of WWII. Usually, Knappe would become wounded at the beginning of any combat so he spent much of the time in hospitals or assigned to a training school. He was lucky. The book ends with his capture by the Russians and his 5-year prison sentence in Russia followed freeing his family from East Germany.
Overall, it is a very interesting read but sometimes became a llittle stale from the robotic narrative, like the voice of Dragnet's officer Friday droning on about "Just the facts, ma'am". Any person considering life as a soldier should read this account to get an idea of what military life is like and take note that officers live much better than enlisted soldiers. It also shows how important morale and training are for combat effectiveness. I was relieved that this book did not try to justify Nazism. Knappe was a career soldier, not an idealogue, and his loyalty was to his fellow soldiers and country first, government second.
Any deluded fool who should for some reason idolize Nazism should read this book and understand that the Nazis were a thug organization that was counter-productive to the German war effort and was the same as Communism concerning brutality and the stifling of freedom. Knappe was surprised to see in conquered France how the capitalist French lived and ate far better than his countrymen back in Germany who had to do without because the socialist government took much for itself.