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Devil's Guard #4
Devil's Guard: Vietnam
The fourth book in Eric Meyer's acclaimed new series on the REAL story behind the SS in Vietnam.
Following the myths and legends about Nazis recruited by the French Foreign Legion to fight in Indochina, Eric Meyer's new book is based on the real story of one such former Waffen-SS man who lived to tell the tale. The Legion recruited widely from soldiers left unemployed and homeless by the defeat of Germany in 1945. They offered a new identity and passport to men who could bring their fighting abilities to the jungles and rice paddies of what was to become Vietnam. These were ruthless, trained killers, brutalised by the war on the Eastern Front, their killing skills honed to a razor's edge. They found their true home in Indochina, where they fought and became a byword for brutal military efficiency.Out of the death and destruction of the French war in Indochina, a new country is born and a new war begins. Vietnam. The survivors of Hitler’s war in Russia who took up arms for the French in the bloody conflict that ended with the debacle at Dien Bien Phu lay down their arms to start afresh in the fledgling democracy. Yet there is to be no respite for the veterans of the Waffen-SS, for again they are called upon to support the endless battles against the dark onslaught of the communist hordes. To defend themselves from both the communists and the Americans, Jurgen Hoffman and Paul Schuster are compelled to use their brutal fighting skills and expert knowledge of the enemy to once more wage war in the steaming cauldron of the South East Asian jungle. The Devil’s Guard is on the march yet again.
Following the myths and legends about Nazis recruited by the French Foreign Legion to fight in Indochina, Eric Meyer's new book is based on the real story of one such former Waffen-SS man who lived to tell the tale. The Legion recruited widely from soldiers left unemployed and homeless by the defeat of Germany in 1945. They offered a new identity and passport to men who could bring their fighting abilities to the jungles and rice paddies of what was to become Vietnam. These were ruthless, trained killers, brutalised by the war on the Eastern Front, their killing skills honed to a razor's edge. They found their true home in Indochina, where they fought and became a byword for brutal military efficiency.Out of the death and destruction of the French war in Indochina, a new country is born and a new war begins. Vietnam. The survivors of Hitler’s war in Russia who took up arms for the French in the bloody conflict that ended with the debacle at Dien Bien Phu lay down their arms to start afresh in the fledgling democracy. Yet there is to be no respite for the veterans of the Waffen-SS, for again they are called upon to support the endless battles against the dark onslaught of the communist hordes. To defend themselves from both the communists and the Americans, Jurgen Hoffman and Paul Schuster are compelled to use their brutal fighting skills and expert knowledge of the enemy to once more wage war in the steaming cauldron of the South East Asian jungle. The Devil’s Guard is on the march yet again.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 17, 2023
Thin plot and inaccurate information., July 31, 2017
This review is from: Devil's Guard Vietnam (Kindle Edition)
Just as with the first three volumes in the series, this novel suffers from factual errors and careless writing and editing. For instance, near the beginning, Mr. Meyer writes of the first French Indochina war. This reference should simply be the French Indochina war as there was not a second. He could also have written it as the First Indochina war as some sources refer to the American experience in Vietnam as the Second Indochina war. This may seem trivial, but an author who presents himself as knowledgeable on the subject should not make such basic errors.
Throughout the book, his main characters are using the M2 selective fire version of the U.S. M1 carbine. This weapon is not a rifle or an assault rifle. Nor is it chambered for a rifle round. Neither is it referred to as a submachine gun.
The main characters meet Colonel Goldberg in December 1962 or January 1963. He is carrying an AR15. Mr. Meyer's comments on that weapon include the statement that the AR15 was rapidly becoming the standard Infantryman's weapon of the U.S. and ARVN forces. In January 1963 there were about 1000 AR15's in Vietnam for field testing, mostly by Special Forces. In November 1963, the army finally ordered about 85,000 and the air force about 20,000. The rifle did not enter production until early spring 1964. The army received about 2000 rifles later that year. It was not until 1965 that the army received almost 60,000 AR15's. The ARVN forces were way down the list for being equipped with AR15's (later designated M16).
Meyer also refers to the U.S. M60 light/medium machine gun as a Browning. It is not. In fact it borrows heavily from the German MG42.
Here is a quote from the book, "Schuster and I took the C-47 to Hue in the morning. It was a milk run, as the RAF used to call their missions during the Second World War." Only the very easy missions were called milk runs. Most RAF missions were not milk runs.
None of this would matter so much except that Mr. Meyer makes these little asides about history and weapons and other equipment, presenting himself as knowledgeable concerning these matters. In fact, the reader can trust neither Mr. Meyer's history nor technical knowledge.
In addition to these problems, the plot of this novel is very thin. For instance, the main characters make a big point of not wanting to land their JU 52 in North Vietnam in daylight because of the North's system of defense, observation and information gathering. Every farmer, every peasant is a potential observer for the Peoples' Army. So the whole thing shuts down at night? The idea that they can land a three engine transport aircraft near a North Vietnamese prison for two high value U.S. prisoners without notice is not very believable.
This review is from: Devil's Guard Vietnam (Kindle Edition)
Just as with the first three volumes in the series, this novel suffers from factual errors and careless writing and editing. For instance, near the beginning, Mr. Meyer writes of the first French Indochina war. This reference should simply be the French Indochina war as there was not a second. He could also have written it as the First Indochina war as some sources refer to the American experience in Vietnam as the Second Indochina war. This may seem trivial, but an author who presents himself as knowledgeable on the subject should not make such basic errors.
Throughout the book, his main characters are using the M2 selective fire version of the U.S. M1 carbine. This weapon is not a rifle or an assault rifle. Nor is it chambered for a rifle round. Neither is it referred to as a submachine gun.
The main characters meet Colonel Goldberg in December 1962 or January 1963. He is carrying an AR15. Mr. Meyer's comments on that weapon include the statement that the AR15 was rapidly becoming the standard Infantryman's weapon of the U.S. and ARVN forces. In January 1963 there were about 1000 AR15's in Vietnam for field testing, mostly by Special Forces. In November 1963, the army finally ordered about 85,000 and the air force about 20,000. The rifle did not enter production until early spring 1964. The army received about 2000 rifles later that year. It was not until 1965 that the army received almost 60,000 AR15's. The ARVN forces were way down the list for being equipped with AR15's (later designated M16).
Meyer also refers to the U.S. M60 light/medium machine gun as a Browning. It is not. In fact it borrows heavily from the German MG42.
Here is a quote from the book, "Schuster and I took the C-47 to Hue in the morning. It was a milk run, as the RAF used to call their missions during the Second World War." Only the very easy missions were called milk runs. Most RAF missions were not milk runs.
None of this would matter so much except that Mr. Meyer makes these little asides about history and weapons and other equipment, presenting himself as knowledgeable concerning these matters. In fact, the reader can trust neither Mr. Meyer's history nor technical knowledge.
In addition to these problems, the plot of this novel is very thin. For instance, the main characters make a big point of not wanting to land their JU 52 in North Vietnam in daylight because of the North's system of defense, observation and information gathering. Every farmer, every peasant is a potential observer for the Peoples' Army. So the whole thing shuts down at night? The idea that they can land a three engine transport aircraft near a North Vietnamese prison for two high value U.S. prisoners without notice is not very believable.
September 19, 2025
Audiobook: I liked this second book more than the first book in this series. I appreciated that this second book picked up ten years later in the lives of the characters, Jurgen Hoffman and Paul Schuster. I admired the skills these two used in order to carry out their mission. There were times when I felt like I was on the edge of my seat as the story unfolded. I thought Gary Roelof's narration was good, and his performance kept my attention. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which reflected my honest opinions regarding this audiobook.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews