Customer Reviews:
 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.
anti-tank gun August 18, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
awsome read! this guy went through hell and lived . i found how he described abandoning his PAK ( life-saver many times ) very moving.he always gave a damn about his troops ( which doesn't happen nowadays ).i highly recommend this read to anyone who wants to know how the heer ( not the ss or nazis etc. ) made it through this war of extreme depravity. excellent in my books!
first hand account of Herr soldier on the eastern front August 8, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I found this first hand account of fighting on the eastern front behind a Pak (anti-tank gun) interesting. The narrative could get monotonous at times, which reflected down time at the front. I got a better idea of what fighting was like in the southern and Crimean fronts and what Germans' experienced in the Soviet POW camps after the war.
That there was no index was a letdown since I like to look up many of the persons and events for future reference.
I sensed that Bidermann was a soldier doing his duty, not a Nazi. He was caught up in the turmoil of the times and was just trying to survive.
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