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D-Day Through German Eyes


Fiziwater
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I recently discovered this book, by Holger Eckhertz, and found it absolutely riveting. We're all familiar with the horror of allied soldiers being slaughtered on the beaches, but the very first chapter of this book, D-Day Through German Eyes, goes way beyond the portrayal of carnage on either side, in Saving Private Ryan. First of all, the first-hand accounts, which were recorded ten years after the fact, come across as if they'd happened the day before. The detail leaves nothing to the imagination. It is no exaggeration to say that the graphic nature of Saving Private Ryan is closer to The Longest Day, than it is to what's described in this book.

The other impression I gained from reading this book is the almost spooky way these Germans began to realize they were under attack by ground forces. The allies are faceless apparitions who suddenly appear on the doorsteps of the German bunkers and overwhelm them with a ferocity that seems to have no limit.

Another impression I gained is of the role allied fighters played in the destruction of German positions along the beach. Many of these Germans describe the accuracy, power and relentlessness of swarms of Mustangs and Thunderbolts that reduced almost everyone around them to body parts or charcoal. The survivors only escaped by some miracle.

These second-by-second accounts of German soldiers on D-Day are the most vivid depictions of all-out combat I've ever read about, seen on the screen or could even imagine.

Prior to this book, I haven't felt compelled to post a review of any other books I've read. But this book demanded it.

 

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I have it on my want list. Thank for for the review... it looks interesting.

 

You can't really judge the effectiveness of Allied actions without hearing from the other side.

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I have just orderd a copy after reading your appraisal. From the number of votes on amazon it is clearly a good read. I always appreciate reading German accounts more than Allied accounts as Germans ones are much harder to come by, at least for me as a non native German speaker.

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I'll add my two cents worth to Fiziwater's review and recommendation. I also own a copy and have read it several times. The book is well worth your time if you want to know the German side of D-Day. One thing that may surprise readers is the almost universal belief of the German Landser at the time (at least those veterans interviewed for the book) that they were fighting for a good purpose - the unification of Europe (under German auspices of course!). It seems that the Nazi propaganda machine was pretty effective with the common soldier on this topic.

 

Like Fiziwater I highly recommend this book!

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  • 1 month later...

I am just finishing this book right now. It is outstanding, one of the best collection of first hand WWII accounts I have read. I always find German accounts much more interesting as they are harder to come by. I always figured these guys in their bunkers behind their MGs had the upper hand, but didnt realise how fragile these defenses where in comparison to the massive allied firepower.

A must read book for anyone interested in WWII.

 

JL

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Thanks for the reviews guys, just picked up a copy online. I am currently reading "The Dead and Those About to Die" about the 1st Division on D-Day so this will be a great follow up read.

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I posted a review of this book on the WAF forum, and was made aware that there is doubt wether the stories are true, or fiction.

So I did a bit of digging on google, and found that the author, does not exist, nor does his name, Eckhertz, even exist. It is therefore difficult to contact him of course.

Apparently the same editing house has made several very questionable books, and is also not availlable for answering questions.

There are also some people, including myself, who noted strange similarities between the stories told by different witnesses... The very first and last stories in the book both seem very far fetched.

 

With all this in mind, this book in my opinion should be considered questionable until the author comes out of the shadows and proves that what he writes in the book is truthful, by telling the real name of his grandfather (who conducted the interviews) and by showing evidence that these interviews actualy exist. But since the author is deliberatly hidding, I doubt that will ever happen.

Sorry for my first very positive review, I guess this is another case of "too good to be true".

 

I have no problem with fiction writers, but I have a huge problem with fiction being passed off as real life stories. It cheapens the actual stories of real witnesses, and polutes the historical record with questionable and false information, so as not to say disinformation.

 

JL

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