In the Hell of the Eastern Front by Arno Sauer

In the Hell of the Eastern Front by Arno Sauer

On 22 June 1941, German forces launched Operation Barbarossa - Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union. Instead of the swift knock-out blow that the Germans had anticipated, the war against the Soviets ground on relentlessly for almost four years. It was into this bloody theatre of war that Fritz Sauer was sent. Having initially joined the ranks of the Reichsarbeitsdienst, the Reich Labour Service, Fritz was posted to Infantry Regiment No.437 in April 1942\. Part of the 132nd Infantry Division, the regiment was serving on the Eastern Front having been deployed to the Crimea. The regiment was then transferred to the region around Leningrad, where, for the first time, Fritz truly experienced the horrors of war. As well as his best friend being killed by a sniper, Fritz recalled events such as recovering the body of a fallen colleague from No Man's Land, the terrifying experience of facing a Red Army infantry attack, Soviet tank assaults, and the moment when a group of comrades in a neighbouring crater were hit by a shell. He became a casualty himself when he was badly wounded in the legs during a counterattack. After his recovery and retraining in a convalescent unit, Fritz was detailed to serve as a guard in a prisoner of war camp - still on the Eastern Front. Transferred to a tank assault regiment during the last year of the war, he was ordered to make contact with another unit, but lost his way in the snow. After sheltering with a farmer's family, Fritz decided to head west, fleeing before the advancing Red Army. His subsequent journey home took many twists and turns. Based on Fritz's own recollections and narrative, this account of a young soldier's experiences in the Second World War was brought together by his son. It is a moving and graphic description of one man's involvement in the largest military confrontation in history - the Hell that was the Eastern Front.

Known to his friends and family as Fritz, FRIEDRICH GOTTFRIED SAUER was born on 22 December 1923, in Bassenheim near Coblenz in the Rhineland, to farmer and potato dealer Josef Sauer and his wife Antoinette. He was just eighteen when he was first conscripted by the German authorities in the winter of 1940-41\. Initially joining the ranks of the Reich Labour Service, he was soon transferred to the Heer, the German Army, and posted to an infantry unit which formed part of Army Group North on the Eastern Front. Despite being terribly wounded, Fritz survived the war. Based on his recollections, this account of his wartime experiences was written by his son, Arno Sauer.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781526733337
ISBN 10	1526733331
Title	In the Hell of the Eastern Front
Author	Arno Sauer
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Year published	2020-09-14
Number of pages	192
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.