Crossing the Sauer: A Memoir of World War II (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Extensive reconstructed conversations, reminiscent of Lester Atwell's classic Private, lend authenticity and immediacy to Felix's account of being drafted in late 1944 and sent to a battalion he leaves unnamed but is almost certainly within the 5th Infantry Division, part of Patton's Third Army. What really distinguishes this account is the quality of those conversations and of Felix's interior observations, whether he is describing, with restraint, a major's absurd grandstanding to German civilians ("He would be the first American soldier the Germans had ever seen, uncontaminated by the presence of some second lieutenants"), watching a loutish G.I. punch a married French patronne who refuses a drink after last call, or listening to a squad mate's raw and politically incorrect description of mud. Passages like the following abound: "I suddenly realized: There are no tough guys at the front.... I liked the front because we didn't have to salute the officers. And I liked the front because we were spared petty, chicken-shit harassing by noncoms. But the main reason I liked the front was the fellows." Felix describes his war as "a profoundly `good' experience" that still "sits, casting its shadow over everything." One need not be an enthusiast to enter that showdow's ken, making this book a good experience by any measure.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Former high school teacher Felix has written a memoir of his experience in the European theater during World War II. His account opens as he travels up to the western front in December 1944. Beginning his duty as a replacement in an infantry division, he becomes a radio operator assigned to an infantry battalion communications crew. By April 1945 he was out of the war, having been removed from active duty after drinking milk from a pail resulted in a case of yellow jaundice. The account of his three months has a rawness, earthiness, and sense of immediacy not usually found in the combat histories of this period. Whether Felix is relating incidents of graft committed by U.S. soldiers on their fellow G.I.s or describing his encounters with German civilians, the reader experiences an immediacy of feeling that makes one forget that these actions occurred over 50 years ago. For anyone wanting to know how it felt to participate in the events of World War II, this memoir is highly recommended. For large public and academic libraries. Robert J. Andrews, Duluth P.L., MN
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Burford Books; First Edition edition (April 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580800998
• ISBN-13: 978-1580800990
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #585,672 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put It Down!, June 10, 2002

By	Michael H. Frederick (Gaithersburg, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been reading WWII memoirs for thirty years. In that time I feel I've "seen" it all. Rarely, however, do I come across a book like "Crossing the Sauer," a book that I can't put down until I've read every page. Somewhat short (189 pp.) but chock full of honesty and realism, Felix's story oozes with gut wrenching confession. Too often things get glossed over and former soldiers leave out the juicy details. Mr. Felix, however, has brought his doubts, reluctance and horror at finding himself (trained in the artillery) attached to an infantry unit at the front to the reader's consciousness. It doesn't get any better than this.

Smooth, free-flowing prose and an eye for detail kept me riveted. I got some great laughs out of Felix's re-telling of some of his buddies' adventures, especially the sexual ones. We know those things went on but, until recently, the WWII generation has been reluctant to let the public in on their not-so-delicate tales of prostitutes and willing females. We want the whole story, not just the horror of war stuff.

I was a bit frustrated at not knowing the dates and, more importantly, which unit Mr. Felix served with but these are minor complaints. It would seem that he was with the 5th Infantry Division but one reference mentions the 28th Division, not part of Patton's Third Army, to my knowledge. Maybe he kept these things confidential to protect the participants. The officers, especially, come off looking pretty bad. As a former Marine I was appalled at how they treated the enlisted men. Marine officers and NCOs take care of their men first.

Evidently that wasn't the case in the WWII Army, especially the front line infantry units, full of replacements/draftees and lots of men who really didn't want to be there in the mud, blood and snow. Barely speaking to the lowly privates at best and sacrificing them for their own glory at worst, the higher ranks had no qualms about eating a fresh, hot meal of roasted chicken and baked potatoes under the nose of poor Felix who, while manning the radio, frequently went days without food. Spending up to fifty-two hours on duty without a break, Felix and his fellow "peasants" were at the mercy of the Army's "upper class," condescending, abusive, vainglorious and impervious to the plight of their underlings.

If you want to know what it was like to be drafted into an infantry unit during the war, pick up a copy of "Crossing the Sauer." I think, like me, you'll appreciate the author's honesty, insight and very literate tale.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A staunchly honest and unflinchingly vivid memoir, July 8, 2002

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Crossing The Sauer: A Memoir Of World War II is Charles Reis Felix's staunchly honest and unflinchingly vivid memoir of what it was like to serve in Patton's Army and advancing through the German battlefields of World War II. As memorable, emotional, and brutal as the bloodshed and battles of World War II itself, Crossing The Sauer is a compelling personal testimony and a highly recommended addition to Military History supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Being there, May 7, 2002

By A Customer

This book pulls the reader in with its seemingly simple, lean style. Putting the book down was like stepping back from a great pencil drawing and feeling all the lean gestural lines come together into a wonderfully textured whole. Felix's clipped prose and pastiche of stories lays down a sense of unadorned reality and humanity. A moving book.