Guy Sajer,L. Emmet, The Forgotten Soldier

The Forgotten Soldier is probably the best book I've ever read. If your interested in war you'll find it fascinating, like I did. Great descriptions of life as a soldier in the Wermacht. Touching descriptions of comradeship in its truest form, and heroic actions of ordinary soldiers. Very well written, interesting, touching and emotional.

The author is battling on more than just the Eastern Front. He is a Franco-German but French on his Father's side but unusually drafted in to the German Army. He has to overcome the reservations of his own brothers-in-arms to accept him as a worthy soldier of the Wermacht. He is by his own admission, a physically weak young man not readily capable of the arduous aspects of military training and soldiering. Yet, on the promise of some additional leave he volunteers for an elite SS Division. Along with him is his constant companion Hals, who at times literally carries Sajer to enable his sucessful completion of the SS training and subsequent return to the Russian Front as part of the Gross Deutchsland Division.

Sajer then recounts his story of surviving the War. If you want an accurate historical account of the battles and movements of the German & Soviet Armies then read a Reference book. This is a human story brilliantly written by an ordinary soldier at the front line coping with his own very personal fears and battles and most of all surviving.

To paraphrase Sajer, there are no words strong enough to describe what you are reading. Horrific, awesome, catastrophic, gut wrenching, heart breaking.

The history of warfare is written by those that won. The winners should be made to read this book. Guy Sajer won.... he survived.