In Deadly Combat: A German Soldier's Memoir of the Eastern Front (Modern War Studies (Paper)) | 
 enlarge | Author: Gottlob Herbert Bidermann
Creators: Dennis Showalter, Derek S. Zumbro
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Category: Book
List Price: $17.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  53 reviews
Sales Rank: 48884
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 344
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6 x 0.9
ISBN: 0700611223
Dewey Decimal Number: 940
EAN: 9780700611225
ASIN: 0700611223
Publication Date: September 2001
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Condition: Clean, unmarked pages. Good binding and cover. Softcover. Ships daily. (GER)
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Book Description
In the hell that was World War II, the Eastern Front was its heart of fire and ice. Gottlob Bidermann served in that lethal theater from 1941 to 1945, and his memoir of those years vividly recaptures his grueling experiences with an army marching on the road to ruin. A riveting and reflective account by one of the millions of anonymous soldiers who fought and died in that cruel terrain, In Deadly Combat conveys the brutality and horrors of the Eastern Front in detail never before available in English. Wounded five times and awarded numerous decorations for valor, Bidermann saw action in the Crimea and siege of Sebastopol, participated in the vicious battles in the forests south of Leningrad, and ended the war trapped in the Courland Pocket. He shares his impressions of countless Russian POWs seen at the outset of his service, of peasants struggling to survive the hostilities while caught between two ruthless antagonists, and of corpses littering the landscape. He recalls a Christmas gift of gingerbread from home that overcame the stench of battle, an Easter celebrated with a basket of Russian hand grenades for eggs, and his miraculous survival of machine gun fire at close range. In closing he relives the humiliation of surrender to an enemy whom the Germans had once derided and offers a sobering glimpse into life in the Soviet gulags. Bidermann's account also debunks the myth of a highly mechanized German army that rolled over weaker opponents with impunity. Despite the vast expanses of territory captured by the Germans during the early months of Operation Barbarossa, the war with Russia remained tenuous and unforgiving. Translator Derek Zumbro has rendered Bidermann's memoir into a compelling narrative that retains the author's powerful style. This English-language edition of Bidermann's dynamic story is based upon a privately published memoir entitled Krim-Kurland Mit Der 132 Infanterie Division. Zumbro has also added important events derived from numerous interviews with Bidermann to provide additional context for American readers.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 48 more reviews...
 Excellent account of hardship, interesting perspective September 2, 2008
I loved reading this book. It is full of great stories of near misses and high adventure in the face of certain doom. This book was given to me by someone who thought it looked "boring" and it had been left to them when the former tenant moved and was not bothered to take it with them. Their losses were my gain. I will read it again. Personal accounts are always subject to mistaken remembrances, fantasizing, over-indulgences, etc., but this story still rings true. As the son of a WWII US army infantry veteran, I am sure that my father would have enjoyed reading this book. Thank goodness this information was resurrected and preserved.
Very realistic, moving and, at times, hard hitting! July 15, 2008
The book was originally written for the survivors of Bidermann's regiment and division, not for the general public. Bearing this in mind you will have a better understanding and feeling for the author's account of his experience of fighting on the Eastern Front during WW2. At times you might find the narrative old fashioned and even cliched but this is definitely not the case, it has to be taken in context of when and why this book was first written. This is a combination of a combat history of the 132nd Infantry Division and the author's role and experiences in the fighting on the Eastern Front. The author, Gottlob Herbert Bidermann, won the Iron Crosse First and Second Class, the Crimean Shield, the Close Combat Badge, the German Cross in Gold, the Golden Wound Badge (wounded five times), the Honour Roll Clasp and the Tank Destruction Badge. What is remarkable is that the author survived five years of combat on the Russian Front fighting in Crimea (in Manstein's legendary 11th Army), Leningrad and later in the Courland Pocket under the most attrocious conditions. I found his stories about his early years fighting with an anti-tank section using the Pak 37 "doorknocker" very interesting, I had always believed these weapons to be next to useless on the Russian Front however I was surprised. Generally, I found this book to be a very fascinating account of the fighting conducted on the Eastern Front from the perspective of a young German soldier. It offers some very interesting insights into combat and its effect on men who in the end just tried to survive against immense odds, but also some light moments which reveal the true character of the typical German soldier. The last chapters deal with Bidermann's imprisonment in various camps in USSR and the many hardships that the German soldiers suffered there. There is a number of absorbing black and white photographs supplied from private sources that give the book a human touch. The only real problem that readers may find with this book is the lack of maps detailing the movements and battles of the 132nd Infantry Division. Overall this is the sort of book that should be in the library of every serious reader or student of the war on the Russian Front during World War Two.
 Excellent Read - With One Exception May 3, 2008
There's not much more I can add to all of the glowing reviews for this book. I'm fascinated by WWII history and have read many accounts, and this is a rare and excellent look from the German soldier's point of view.
I would have given it 5 stars but for one thing: the publishers have included only one map. This book needs many more maps to illustrate the remote locations and battles described by the author.
Unfortunately, this is often the failing of too many historical books about various wars. This book has a single map at the beginning, illustrating a vast area from Finland down to the Black Sea in almost no detail. It is nearly useless for understanding the movements of the troops as described.
I would strongly urge the publishers to include more maps for the next edition -- surely there will be one?
Page turner April 23, 2008
A few things stood out in this book,
1. Bidermann was envious of how well the Russian soldiers were outfitted from boots, jackets, to weapons and trucks.
2. By late 1941 the fighting was already tenacious in Russia.
3. By late 1942 - early 1943 it seemed that the Russian air force was unopposed.
4. On the eve of invading Russia, there divisions main source of mobility was either by foot or horse, and from the very beginning if they could acquire the enemies equipment they would because that was all that was available - Bidermann even commented how they preferred the Russain trucks (Fords via lend lease I am sure) because it was easier to get maintence parts - this was already standard operation by September 1941 ! !
5. Several examples of how strict discipline was in the German army.
6. Bidermann described VERY vividly the deprivations they lived and fought in starting with 1941. As one example - he wrote about how taxing it was to be out doors 24 hours a day for months - in the rain, mud, snow, heat, etc - always outdoors.
7. When his unit entered Latvia he commented that he was finally in familiar surroundings as far as the farms/buildings and people. My parents are from Latvia, and even though we are not slavic, and embrace the west not the east, I found it interesting that an outsider could see a difference between the Russian landscape versus the Lavtvian.
8. I have ready several German accounts about fighting on the eastern front, and they do mention fighting Bolshevism, but Bidermann is the first author that conveyed to me why the Germans fought so tenaciously in Russia once the war got under way. ( I have never come across a satifying explanation that compeled the comon Germans to attack France, Norway, Belgium, Greece etc.)
9. In describing the hardship, heartache, fear etc.Bidermann is actually quite a good writer. He was not merely repeating events as he experienced them, but portrayed the experiences in a way that takes you there. I have recently read Tigers In the Mud, Black Edelweiss, Soldat by Sigfried Knappe, and Death Traps - all personal accounts, all books I liked and recomend, BUT Biedermann is the most taleneted writer.
This book is a personal account which I very much enjoy reading about, but interspersed is also unit movements and the like. These sections are not too long, and I quickly skim over them because I am not interested in large troop movement type history. The book also had a map that was ok, but Bidermann mentions many cities where he was, but are not shown on the map. Also, the names of most cities in Latvia are the German version not Latvian, so despite being fluent in Latvian I have to do some studying to figure out where he is. For non- latvian speakers they would have to find a German-Laltvian translation.
 Very good in places March 6, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this book based on reviews on Amazon.
What interested me was that the book was not written to be sold to the masses and make a million dollars, but rather it documents actual events that occurred on the eastern front to this infantry regiment. The book is written for the most part in third person.
Much of the book, which is quite long, is outstanding and certainly provides a glimpse of what it may have been like to be a German soldier flighting on the eastern Front. That said, many pages I found dry and uninteresting. I found myself skipping a few lines here and there - especially in relation to divisional history, etc.
If you are wanting a spine chilling account of warfare - don't buy this book. It cannot be compared to, for example, "Sniper on the Eastern Front" (which maybe a true account or fiction; I'm not quite sure). If your interested in history, would like to try and understand why the Germans fought as they did and what living and fighting was like in Russia, then I'd recommend you buy the book.
I'd say that 60% of the book is interesting, whilst the remaining 40% will make you a little sleepy. That said, the 60% is well worth reading. My opinion only and others will no doubt think differently.
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