Title: Survivors of Stalingrad
Author: Reinhold Busch
Translator: Geoffrey Brooks
Publisher: Frontline Books London
Date: In German: 2012, In English: 2018
Pages: 264
Survivors of Stalingrad
The author, Reinhold Busch, took a lot of time and effort to seek out stories of German soldiers that were part of Adolf Hitler’s war effort to take Stalingrad during the World War 2. Many of these soldiers had directly told the author their stories. Some were copied, with permission, from other reliable sources as to the stories given. This book is composed of the stories of 39 soldiers that had some part of this great battle, from privates to generals and every type of position. Many of these soldiers had survived unto the early 2000s.
Each chapter is the story of one soldier. Some of the soldiers that have their own chapter, also have their names mentioned by other soldiers in a different chapter. Although there is a slight timeline with the lineup of the chapters, they do not flow from one to the next. Each soldier’s story takes place at different places, different times and different circumstances.
This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. It has some extremely gruesome parts talking about what they had to go through. Some had fell to cannibalism. The extreme suffering of living on less than 50 grams of bread per day, with no meat or vegetables to eat. Surviving in the extreme sub-zero temperatures with no warm clothing. Not being able to change any clothes for several months. Being shot, ran over by tanks, blown up and much more. Their own government also forced them to keep fighting, even when all was already lost and no hope of winning.
Although the German Nazi Army was known for extreme torture of Jews and others, it breaks the heart to hear what these men were going through. Many times, they treated their Russian prisoners with great care, even turning away from killing at times. Several told how superiors would kill a German soldier for mistreating a captive Russian. It is very complex story on their love for their nation and doing what is right.
Some of the men told of their great faith in Jesus Christ and struggled to understand why there was all the killing going on. Many had prayed that God would deliver them from the horror that they were going through so that they could go back home to their families and former jobs.
As history shows, in the end the German Army was defeated and lost its battle to win the war.
If you are interested in history from direct perspective, I recommend reading this book. As an American that saw what Hitler did was totally wrong and would been against him if I had lived during that timeframe, it is interesting to hear their story, their fears, injuries, battles and thoughts, while being loyal to their leader.
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