Legion of the Damned

By: Sven Hassel

Narrated by: Rupert Degas

Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

Convicted of deserting the German army, Sven Hassel is sent to a penal regiment on the Russian Front. He and his comrades are regarded as expendable, cannon fodder in the battle against the implacable Red Army. Outnumbered and outgunned, they fight their way across the frozen steppe....

This iconic anti-war novel is a testament to the atrocities suffered by the lone soldier in the fight for survival. Sven Hassel's unflinching narrative is based on his own experiences in the German Army. He began writing his first novel, Legion of the Damned, in a prisoner of war camp at the end of the Second World War. Read by Rupert Degas.

©1957 Sven Hassel (P)2014 Orion Publishing Group

A great, literary war novel

There is a certain type of universal, everyman war novel that transcends nationality. While "All Quiet on the Western Front," is considered a literary war classic, I was surprised to find that I liked this book better. For anyone who has read Johnny Got His Gun, The Things they Carried, The Painted Bird or Farewell to Arms, you will find yourself stepping into similar themes. Exhaustion. Torture. Horrors of war. Comedy. Rare, odd bits of humanity. I did not expect this book to be anything better than a general war story, but its actually very well-written and much more literary than I'd expected. The author spices the story with his insights and grudges against war more overtly than in books like Farewell to Arms. After having read so many war books, I don't have high expectations towards encountering new ones. This one really took me by surprise and I loved every minute of it. On top of that, the narrator is superb. Couldn't have found someone more perfect. I will definitely read more books by this author as they come available on audible.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

strayed from the novel

not bad, I grew up reading Sven Hassell, all of them. this story strays from the novel considerably. a bit too much filler and not enough action for me.

A revelation.

This is a powerful account of the madness and dehumanisation of war. It is quite old fashioned, written in a very telling and sometimes passive style, but it is very moving, especially when the protagonist returns to the front after hospital. I don't care how much of it is true, the anti-war message is strong and it is not the boys own adventure I thought it would be for all those years.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Either a fraud or a fantasy

What about Rupert Degas’s performance did you like?

Everything. It was a brilliant performance. Unfortunately this is the second bad book I have chosen purely for the narrator. I wish they picked him for some better books.

Any additional comments?

We have all heard that the WWII Russian front was one of the nearest things there has ever been to hell on earth and reading an autobiographical account of it promised to be both enlightening and fascinating. At first it was. The hero seemed to give an honest account, full of humble reflections, of the extraordinary suffering and extraordinary heroics in which he had become embroiled. Unfortunately it was too extraordinary. The further I read, the more incredible became the exploits of bullet-dodging Sven, his friends and their uniform-wearing, vodka-drinking cat who was happy to live in a greatcoat pocket in a tank in the middle of roaring artillery.

A bit of research shows that it was certainly not an autobiographical account. It is possible that the author fought in the war and wrote a fictional account in which some (probably a minority) of the events were real. But there is evidence that he neither fought in the war nor even wrote the book himself, but paid someone else to write it based on second hand stories he had picked up.

So shouldn't we just read it as a novel and enjoy it, like All quiet on the Western front? That seems to be a popular view since this Danish book has enjoyed its greatest success among English readers. I would guess that the English enjoy reading about a Danish German soldier who not only loathes the Nazis but constantly slates nearly everything about the German military while killing an astronomical number of Russians.

That won't do. The book is not presented as fiction. It contains many comments about his thoughts as a writer looking back on real events which strongly suggest it is autobiographical. Many reviewers seem to have been taken in by this, as I was. Once you take away the autobiographical side of it, there isn't much left. To be one of about three survivors from a 6,000 regiment is impressive in real life. In fiction it is cheap. All Quiet on the Western Front is fiction but it is not exaggerated. We learn a great deal about the war from reading it. Legion of the Damned is so exaggerated we cannot extract any truth from it. It is simply a fantasy.

I give it two stars instead of one because the anti-war message was thought-provoking, though rather simplistic. He says all generals and their political associates are corrupt, soldiers in all armies should rebel and military spending should be switched to cars and houses. Of course he was talking about the Nazis 70 years ago who have nothing in common with today's generals and leaders. However, he makes one point we should not be smug about, that many powerful men benefit from the fighting in numerous ways and at times fall prey to destructive self interest. Anyone who believes the British are immune to this should read the introduction to Pakenham's history of the Boer war, titled "Milner's War". I get the same feeling sometimes when I listen to senior military on the Today Programme insisting that the £60 billion Britain paid for the Afghanistan war was money well spent.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Gripping account of German tank regiment

Another excellent listen from Sven Hassel ....
Simply brilliant stuff for sure .....
Real life factual stories from a German perspective.
Well done .

Great story but let down by narrator

The narrator was not easy to understand sometimes and the volume spikes were a nuisance too.

Horrified description of war

I never would have thought that I would be interested in reading the story of a soldier from other side. It was very gripping and absorbing. The description of that period from German perspective was enlightening. The brutality of war is described in such detail that a reader can almost smell it.

Breathtaking !!!!!!

If you could sum up Legion of the Damned in three words, what would they be?

Brutal Honest Shocking

What was one of the most memorable moments of Legion of the Damned?

Close quarter bayonet fighting with the Russians.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I Particularly enjoyed the minefield sabotage scene.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes the 1st chapter to the last.

Any additional comments?

Brilliant book for an honest insight into the German army some parts do feel slightly far fetched but war is war I suppose. It also has to be said that Rupert Degas is fantastic in his narration of this book.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Surprisingly good

When you start to like the characters, you know that you are enjoying a book! Not normally
my kind of listen, but enjoyed nonetheless.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful