In Deadly Combat

A German Soldier's Memoir of the Eastern Front

De: Gottlob Herbert Bidermann, Derek S. Zumbro - translator

Narrado por: Paul Woodson

Wounded five times and awarded numerous decorations for valor, Gottlob Herbert 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 in the Courland Pocket.

In his memoir, 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 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. His story commits that living hell to the annals of World War II and broadens our understanding of its most deadly combat zone.

©2000 The University Press of Kansas (P)2017 Tantor

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Stands head and shoulders above the many other books in this genre. Bidermann's style is crisp, succinct, and lucid and Zumbro has done a great job of translating." (David Glantz, coauthor of The Battle of Kursk)

Great detail of daily life

Great discussions of daily life and battle. Wide experience throughout the eastern front from Leningrad to Sevastopol

Hearing the WWII story from a German soldier is great

After reading many books by former German soldiers, and trying to understand how they could continue fighting a lost war still is impenetrable to me.
We should really be aware that our human mind is self destructive if brought under some conditions, and that killing other humans in high quantity seems to become accepted by us as, paradoxically a way to survive.

Excellent history of a group of German soldiers in WW2

Outstanding history of a German soldier experience during WW2 from the opening days of the war until his release from Soviet prison of war camp. Very interesting story from a German soldiers perspective.

In deadly combat.

Whilst the life of the ordinary soldier is well depicted, in all its horror and brutality, I felt there was insufficient introspection about the odious cause Bidermann fought for. He seemed to be an intelligent man, and must have known about the racial policies and genocidal nature of the Nazi regime. Maybe he just couldn’t face up to the awful reality, of which he was a willing part.

Very detailed...

It is a matter of fact listen for any studious person of the Eastern front...