Customer Reviews

Blood Red Snow: The Memoirs of a German Soldier on the Eastern Front

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

if you are interested in indepth first person accounts of the eastern front then this book is a must have. this book is equal to "the forgotten soldier" and if you know military books that is saying alot.

I couldnt put this book down...while "The Forgotten Soldier" remains the most moving ostfront memoir i have read, Blood Red Snow ranks a very close second, without any of the controversy about it's authenticity (i personally believe TFS to be completely factual as well)...sad that american children are led to believe that germans were evil or 'fanatical'...they should all read a book like this to learn that they were people just like us. I count America fortunate our boys never had to fight against the Red Army 'meat grinder' in WWII or any time during the cold war.

When I read a WW2 soldier's memoir, I'm looking for four things:

1- Tactics: This book does a good job of describing small-unit tactics. The author definitely gets up close and personal to the action at a variety of times. Although it would have been interesting had he gained some experience in Italy fighting the Allies, he certainly shows how chaotic the Eastern front was in the front trenches. His own grasp of tactics were quite sound and grew noticeably as he gained experience. The book definitely does not lack for action!

2- Strategy: This book is light on overall strategy, although it does offer a company-battalion level glimpse now and again. Naturally, an enlisted solider wouldn't be privy to the larger picture, so that's fine.

3- The Little Picture: Details of the author's travails are the strongest point of this book. It really hits home as you read all of his daily struggles, hopes, and victories. My absolute favorite had to be with the ponies. You'll know it when you read it! Overall, the author does an excellent job conveying the feeling of what it was like being there (or at least, it seems that way to me). Basically, it was a horrible, inhuman meat grinder that remains the least understood, but most important theater of the war (probably because the West didn't fight in it).

4- The Big Picture: Again, you'd expect this to be a little weaker in a book of this nature. I was happy to read about the morality of the war, surprised that the author realized at the end how easy it was for good people to follow an evil cause, and disappointed that he didn't try to tackle why he himself followed the cause (well, he sort of did saying it was his duty as a soldier- but why did he enlist?), and most importantly, what his participation in a war of aggression meant to him all those years later. As you can tell, I'm not overly sympathetic to the Germans who started and fully participated in the war. The author does have compassion though, and displays it even to his enemies, so he's certainly not an evil or sadistic man. I don't know if that makes it more frightening, but I guess that's the lesson of World War 2, and the author rightfully emphasizes it- vigilance is the price we must pay, and not by bearing arms, but by standing up for what's right.

Overall then, this is an excellent book that does just about everything I could hope for in a book of its kind. If you want to know what the war was like for a German soldier on the Eastern front from late '42 onwards, this book is an excellent choice. Highly recommended.

This is a powerful memoir of a German machine gunner involved in close combat on the Eastern Front. Nonstop action, interesting characters and Korschorrek's humanity makes this a satisfying and edifying read. More suspenseful than Black Edelweiss, more subjective than In Deadly Combat, more substantial than The Good Soldier, Korschorrek has written a war memoir every bit as good as Forgotten Soldier.

This book brings the Russian front to life from the perspective of a common man who happens to be German. The futility and inevitability of the war's direction take second place to understanding why many German soldiers kept on fighting to the bitter end in spite of the craziness all around them. This is a well done and important book because it is about a human experience that even today resonates with meaning.

Koschorrek's work serves as an interesting memoir of an aspect of World War II not often discussed in the West. Yes, we often hear tales of the horrors of a winter invasion in Russia, and of Hitler's faults in directing the campaign, but we seldom hear a first person account of the conflict on the Russian steppes. I knew the battle for Stalingrad was full of blood and violence, but Koschorrek's work brought the actual sights of frontline combat to the fore. His descriptions of waves of Russian soldiers assaulting his machine gun position, and the incessant barrage of artillery shells draws a chilling reminder of the utter horror and destruction faced on all sides during WW II.

I also found the records of Koschorrek's growing disillusionment with Hitler and his Nazi party very enlightening. As a frontline soldier, Koschorrek doesn't claim to have been an expert on the political situation in Germany. Many times he announces that he was fighting for the German people, rather than the Third Reich. And towards the end of his extremely long time on the Eastern Front, Koschorrek claims only to be fighting for his fellow soldiers. It must have been a terrible struggle to continue on in a failing attempt to capture Stalingrad, and then endure a savage retreat all the way to the gates of Berlin. To see one's homeland utterly destroyed would be terrible in itself, but then to realize this destruction was caused by the ideas of a madman would almost be too terrible to bear. Koschorrek's book serves as yet another good reminder of the lunacy and horror that is war.

The one disappointment I found in Koschorrek's book was the writing. Although I understand that he was probably attempting to vanquish some long standing demons, the use of a co-author would have made the book more readable. His complete use of first person narration, at times, becomes trying. I see that he was attempting to retain the vision of frontline life as it happened, but this reader would have rather seen him use some other literary methods in order to bring more cohesion to the story. Still, Blood Red Snow is a good book.

One of the first books I read about the Eastern Front. If one is contemplating buying this book. Do so, you will not be disappointed.

A little slow at the start but does pick up quite quickly soon after. If I had to choose between this and "The Forgotten Soldier" I think this just squeaks by. Well worth the money.

This is a powerful memoir of a German machine gunner involved in close combat on the Eastern Front. Nonstop action, interesting characters and Korschorrek's growth as a soldier makes this a satisfying and edifying read. More suspenseful than Black Edelweiss, more personal than In Deadly Combat, more substantial than The Good Soldier, Korschorrek has written a war memoir every bit as good as Forgotten Soldier.

I do not know what else to say other than this is a very good book. It is a very good combat memoir written about a german soldier on the Eastern Front. I have not seen this book much or heard a whole lot about it, but I feel it should be more known to the public than it is. Buy it or read it from a library, I highy reccommend it.