Forgotten Soldier : The Classic WWII Autobiography (Brassey's Commemorative Series WWII)

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Summary: Excellent book from an unpopular perspective
Review: There is some Question about he details of this book which I feel are well answered by some of the reviews below. Because a man may forget some details of a very traumatic time in his life, and uncaring editors and publishers regulary slash and hack at works presented to them-- it is not surprising that some details may not be consistant with that which view of history that is taken to be the "truth". One must remember that it is often difficult to remember a dinner from last week much less recount 100% accurately a wartime experienct that you'd probably rather forget!!! This book is very highly reguarded in military history circles and it is not surprising that "armchair generals" are quick to critcize its authenticity and hope to gain their own noteriety by doing so. Read the "soldat" series and interview German soldiers and you discover that there were vast differences among units and observances of official regulations in the front line German army. If you decide you like this book there are a few others that would be of interest, among them is "The Forsaken Army" Though admited to be a novel it is an excellent view into the life of the most common victim of war, the common soldier.

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Summary: You must read this book
Review: An excellent personal account of the eastern front. What else can be said other than why are you still reading these reviews when you should be reading this book?

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Summary: Outstanding. Read it.
Review: Everyone should read this book. It is simply stunning. I read the book 16 years ago and have never forgotten Sajer. The book rings true when compared to other war memoirs I've read. Errors of detail are understandable. What was the air pressure requirement for the tires on your second car? You think you know but you really don't. Does that mean you didn't own the car?

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Summary: Any other WW II autobiography pales by comparison
Review: This book literally places you in the front lines with a foot soldier. His whole story is up front and personal; something that was and is common to foot soldiers. I realize many are saying he has made it all up; however, I remember hearing first hand in the 1950s very similar stories being told by former German soldiers who were lucky enough to have survived the fighting on the Russion front. I will leave it to the experts as to whether Guy Sajer was there or what we are reading is a fictional composite. The absolute violence and depravity rings true to exactly what I was told by former eastern front veterans

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Summary: Thank you Mr. Sajer
Review: I'll never forget this book. No other war biography I've found comes close.

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Summary: The best personal history I've ever read
Review: I read this book about 12 years ago. I've never forgotten it. It immediately springs to mind whenever I think of a book to recommend. It was the best story I've ever read. I search for personal histories from WWI to Vietnam and have not found anything close across all of that time. How it was told and the story being told was incredible. No movie I know of can compete. Personal histories from the German side are rare in the USA. I'm very interested to hear the German point of view, to understand how the soldier felt. But this book goes beyond that and gives you the point of view of a non-German, yet who's inside the German system, starting as a semi-laborer and progressing to be a member of the Waffen SS. Nearly unbelievable if I hadn't read it myself. The vividness of the roar of the charge as the Russians came on from horizon to horizon during the battles in Russia still is fresh in my mind. Read it!

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Summary: Forgotten Soldier - Fact, not Fiction
Review: The Forgotten Soldier, by Guy Sajer, is and remains one of the finest autobiographies to come out of the Second World War. More than any other similar work, it relates the author's experiences as a young private in the German Army who served on the Russian Front from 1942 to 1945. In a recent letter to me, the author, commenting on recent criticism that his book is fictional, admitted to making mistakes on small details, dates, and locations, but told me he wrote about what he personally experienced while fighting as a member of the elite Grossdeutschland Division. He wrote me that "In the Blackness of the Russian Winter, you could have told me that we were in China, and I would have believed you." Although he changed names to protect his friends, both living and dead, he says that he wrote the truth as he remembered it. Readers can, with confidence, delve into the dark underbelly of World War Two, written from the perspective of its most ubiquitous victim - the common foot soldier. For more details on Guy Sajer, look for an article I wrote in the upcoming Fall 1997 Issue of Army History magazine, the official publication of the U.S. Army's Center of Military History

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Summary: Describes soldiers as humans, not political zealots
Review: One of the problems with military history is the reader tends to get one side of the story. Often times, those who fought on opposing sides are viewed as sub-humans. Just like how the film "Das Boot" showed German submariners as humans, Guy Sajer does the same with the German soldiers in "The Forgotten Soldier." When reading about the Russian Front, the reader experiences the bitter cold and unbearable suffering. The reader feels sorry for what Guy Sajer and his comrades experienced. Another heartbreaking story is the hungry German soldier hung for eating abandoned food earmarked for the German officer corps. "The Forgotten Soldier" brilliantly tells the story of a Frenchman who fought with the Germans. This book should be read by all those in the military, for it does a masterful job of detailing the human costs soldiers must pay in combat

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Summary: Guy Sajer is alive and living in Paris
Review: Guy Sajer is alive and well and living in Paris. He is a well known newspaper cartoonist and has never tried to hide his identity- nor has he tried to promote it (why should he, he is well known in his own country). He has illustrated a number of books and comic books on military themes- and has a personal interest in U-boats. Folks that work in Paris military bookshops know him fairly well. On the other hand, Sajer does not like to talk much about the Forgotten Soldier. He seems to like having an aura of mystery about him. Responding to claims he does not exist- he thinks this is very funny. But again, why should he even care about trying to prove he is real if the book sells so well, and he is very easy to find if you use half an ounce of brain power? A while ago a US Military Historian wrote an essay claiming the book was fake. In my opinion this essay was very poorly researched. Many of the reasons cited can easily be attributed to the fact that the book was written in French for a French audience. Hence FRENCH military terms (like PM for machine pistol) were used. Again, why would anyone but a diehard enthusiast worry about such details? Certainly not the book publishers who really do not care to re-do a book which keeps selling just fine as is. Other small details have been cited to prove Sajer is a fake: GD title on wring sleeve- well, figure how easy this is to screw up in translation, or have a 'know-it-all-editor' see that all the SS armbands are on one sleeve, so he changes it. I do not think Sajer has ever even read the English translation. It is sloppy scholarship to use details in a translation of a book to claim the book is a fake! You must go to the original French version and cite the text as written by the author. As to the non-existence of some of the names used in the book, and the use of certain famous other units (such as a famous Stuka squadron). How many other war books use altered names for whatever reason? So what? This is no big deal. Keep in mind that this book was written in France during a time when it was NOT a good idea to let people know you served with the Germans- and definitely NOT a good idea to let them know you served in an elite German unit- and a NO NO if you were in an SS unit. Think about this- it is rather important to keep this in mind. Why write a book that may well get you into trouble, under your own name, when it is very easy to take a fake pen name

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Summary: Universal Truths
Review: I read this book the first time in 1979. Since then I have read it three more times. It contains many universal truths, about courage, friendship and love. Not just love of country, but love of fellow man.and woman. There is no better book about war. It is the quintessential book about Barbarossa. When I read about the soldiers celebrating Christmas on the front and singing carols,I can feel the lonliness and isolation of a soldier far from home. These are not German Russian or Frenchmen;.they are just boys..catapulted into manhood. All other war books pale beside it