Legion of the Damned

By: Sven Hassel

Narrated by: Rupert Degas

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.

interesting introduction

Having read all of the books in this series, I thought that I should now listen to them . This book covers most of the story. I enjoyed listening to this presentation.

Strafbatalion

I first read this book in 1980, in a Romanian translation; it was as moving as it was horrifying. To witness the horrors of the WWII revisited on almost the same grounds by the Russians as aggressors these days is uncanny: will humanity never learn?!

A classic book about the 2nd world war and life.

I read all the Sven Hassell books back in the 1980's and loved them.
This book is a commentary about life during the 2nd world War and the social order at that time, (which is still relevant today).
The war was hell for the soldiers and it is interesting see how the 2 sides worked together to circumvent the leaders and survive the conflict.
When I look at authority figures today, I compare them to the officers in this book and shake my head.
Enjoy this book as I have, and learn a few life lessons.

Moving

First read this 40 years ago. Better than I remembered & I thought it was great then. Looking forward to rest of series.