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In the Hell of the Eastern Front: The Fate of a Young Soldier During the Fighting in Russia in WW2 Kindle Edition
Friedrich “Fritz” Sauer was posted to the Eastern Front in 1942. A soldier in the 132nd Infantry Division, he was deployed in Hitler’s grand invasion of Russia. But instead of the swift knockout blow the Germans had anticipated, Operation Barbarossa ground on for almost four years.
Sent first to the Crimea and then the region around Leningrad, Fritz experienced horrors of all kinds. In this memoir, Fritz recalls losing his best friend to a sniper, rescuing the body of a fallen comrade from No Man’s Land, enduring Soviet tank assaults, and his own wounding during a counterattack.
Fritz was later transferred to a tank assault regiment where, on a mission to contact another unit, he lost his way in the snow. After sheltering with a farmer’s family, Fritz headed west to flee the advancing Red Army. His subsequent journey home took many twists and turns.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherFrontline Books
- Publication dateSeptember 30, 2020
- File size3.7 MB
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About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B092CSMWRL
- Publisher : Frontline Books (September 30, 2020)
- Publication date : September 30, 2020
- Language : English
- File size : 3.7 MB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 179 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 1526797704
- Best Sellers Rank: #160,301 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #64 in Historical Russia Biographies
- #93 in Biographies of World War II
- #326 in Russian History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

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To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book an engaging first-person account of World War II from a German soldier's perspective. They appreciate the insightful, personal memoir that maintains their interest from beginning to end. Readers describe it as a good read and one of the best.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the storytelling. They find the book provides a valuable first-person account of World War II from the German perspective. The account is interesting and engaging, not only for history enthusiasts but also for people approaching the subject.
"...Not only does this book tell some harrowing war stories, but it also gives valuable insight into the lives of everyday, working-class Germans during..." Read more
"...Nevertheless, it's a powerful story of war and defeat told by a boy soldier." Read more
"...read WWII extensively and particularly enjoyed the storytelling format in the first person, putting the reader in the shoes of the author...." Read more
"...Great overall true story intertwined with the history of the day." Read more
Customers find the book insightful and engaging. They say it's a personal memoir that keeps their interest from beginning to end. The afterword summary is excellent.
"...tell some harrowing war stories, but it also gives valuable insight into the lives of everyday, working-class Germans during this time...." Read more
"...The ‘Afterward’ summary was excellent!" Read more
"...This book maintained my interest from beginning to end." Read more
"A personal memoir- great. As a history of WWII- nah..." Read more
Customers find the book engaging and worth reading. They describe it as a good account of one soldier's life during the war and how he survived.
"...of WW2 Germany, and I have to say that this one is page for page, one of the best...." Read more
"A very good book recounting one soldier’s life during the war and how he survived. Interesting read. I highly recommend it." Read more
"...To me though, it was still worth a read." Read more
"Very well written, a good book for feeling like you were in the battle...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2025I have read literally hundreds of books on the subject of WW2 Germany, and I have to say that this one is page for page, one of the best. This book was written by Fritz Sauer and presumably finished and brought to publishing by his son Arno. In it, Fritz details his life before, during, and after the war. Not only does this book tell some harrowing war stories, but it also gives valuable insight into the lives of everyday, working-class Germans during this time. I recommend this book not only to serious history buffs, but also to people approaching this topic for the first time, or for the first time from the perspective of the "other side." A very insightful, engaging read.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2024Personal chronology is disjointed, with a good deal of the subject's history before the war detailed AFTER the defeat of the German army in the east. There's a great deal of military history of the collapse of the German armies in Russia, little of which directly involved the author. There's only a taste of the infantryman's "hell of the Eastern Front"'; if that's your main interest, read Guy Sajer's Forgotten Soldier (though be aware of the criticism of the strict details of his story). Or Defeat in the East by Juergen Thorwald.
Nevertheless, it's a powerful story of war and defeat told by a boy soldier.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2024I have read WWII extensively and particularly enjoyed the storytelling format in the first person, putting the reader in the shoes of the author. Anyone interested in WWII would realize that the position of the German (and Russian) infantry was one of total servitude, voluntary or involuntary. The ‘Afterward’ summary was excellent!
- Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2025A very good book recounting one soldier’s life during the war and how he survived. Interesting read. I highly recommend it.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2024Aron’s personal story of his involvement in WWII as a common landser is excellent. The problem with this book lies in the fact that about one third of it is like a history text of the German war against Russia. Most readers will undoubtedly already know that information. To me though, it was still worth a read.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2022The author writes about the experiences of his father fighting against the Soviet Union. Many of the overriding conditions of war, mentioned in the narrative, had to be learned years after the war actually ended.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2024A satisfying mix of a soldier's personal account of WWII with a broader account of events from the perspectives of the people who fought in the war. This book maintained my interest from beginning to end.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2022Very well written, a good book for feeling like you were in the battle.And I like how he placed his experiences in context with the broader history of World War II.
Top reviews from other countries
- AirViceMarshalGandhiReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 20, 2021
1.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected
The translation is laughable. I had to give up on p75 when one man addresses another as 'dude'. Somewhat rambling. Sorry to be so harsh, but I've read dozens of memoirs by German soldiers, and this is by far the worst, and the only one I unequivocally wish I hadn't bought.