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Devil's Guard #2
Devil's Guard: Blood and Iron
After the bloody struggle for Kharkov, the SS Officer who was later to pursue a brutal and bloody career in the jungles of Vietnam has another battle to face. Kursk, the name that has come to symbolise the epic showdown between German and Russian armour, the greatest tank battle in history. The story begins before the battle when the commanders of both sides are fighting an intelligence war. Sent on a mission behind the lines into the heavily defended Kursk salient, Obersturmfuhrer Jurgen Hoffman and his platoon has to fight their way back to their own lines. When they return there is a traitor who needs to be hunted down, a traitor supplying German secrets to the enemy. The battle commences and the monstrous clash of iron and flesh threatens to tear Hoffman’s regiment, SS-Deutschland Panzer Grenadiers, into bloody ruin.
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First published June 7, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 17, 2017
Many factual errors, July 16, 2017
This review is from: Devil's Guard Blood and Iron (Kindle Edition)
I purchased the 6 volume Devil's Guard set but I am reviewing each volume separately. Just as with the first volume, Devil's Guard: Blood and Snow, this second volume tells an exciting story marred by poor editing and/or careless writing. The research is most definitely careless. I noticed so many factual errors that it would be foolish to rely upon "facts" recounted in this novel. I like historical novels which educate as well as entertain. So far, the Devil's Guard series fails. Among the errors which I noted are the following:
According to Mr. Meyer, the M1895 Nagant Revolver was designed and produced by Belgian industrialist, Leon Nagant for the Russian Empire. The misinformation here is by omission. The brothers Nagant, Leon and Emile, developed the revolver. Not just Leon. They did produce some of the revolvers but soon after adoption Imperial Russia began production at the Tula Arsenal. Production continued into the Soviet era with large numbers produced through 1945 at two arsenals. I believe that a few continued in service with police, postal service and others into the Russian Federation era. The Nagant revolver figures in Russian history much the same as the Colt single action does in American history.
Mr. Meyer makes a point of Hoffman and his men using the panzerfaust anti-tank weapon in the Fourth Battle of Kharkov (Russians call it the Belgorod - Khar'kov offensive) which lasted August 3 thru 23, 1943. The Wehrmacht purchased some 20,000 almost prototype panzerfausts in August 1943. The first effective panzerfaust, the panzerfaust 30 (approximately 30 meter effective range) was not deployed until October 1943. Most internet sources which came up in the first two pages of my search state that the weapon was deployed in 1943 without giving the month. A careless search could lead one to believe that it was therefore available for both Kursk and Fourth Kharkov. In the first volume of this series, Meyer had the panzerfaust used in the Third Battle of Kharkov fought from February 19 thru March 15, 1943.
Concerning the Russian PPSh submachine gun, Meyer states that it was a development of the older PP type, the drum magazine loaded with the shorter 7.62 mm pistol round. In fact, the entire series of Russian submachine guns were chambered for the same round, the 7.62 X 25 Tokarev. Perthaps Meyer meant, but did not make clear, that the 7.62 x 25 Tokarev cartridge is shorter than the 7.62 x 54R (sometimes referred to as 7.62 x 53R) cartridge which the Russians used in rifles and machine guns.
There is a scene in which Hoffman's men kill two Russian sentries with knives. They then put the dead Russians' bayonets in their hands to make it look as though they had killed each other in a fight. The standard Russian rifle, the Mosin Nagant used a cruciform socket bayonet, not a knife type.
In that same reconnaissance raid the Germans use a tunnel under the front lines which is not known to the Russians or Germans. Yet a Russian Cossack unit used the tunnel earlier. Hoffman appears to have not reported the tunnel as we hear no more of it. There are many things wrong with this throw away tunnel story.
The StuG III was built on a panzer III chassis not a panzer IV chassis. It was armed with a 75mm gun, not a 88mm.
There are others but this review is long enough. As I wrote concerning the first volume, if there are inaccuracies concerning things I know about, hiw can I trust the book concerning things I don't know about?
This review is from: Devil's Guard Blood and Iron (Kindle Edition)
I purchased the 6 volume Devil's Guard set but I am reviewing each volume separately. Just as with the first volume, Devil's Guard: Blood and Snow, this second volume tells an exciting story marred by poor editing and/or careless writing. The research is most definitely careless. I noticed so many factual errors that it would be foolish to rely upon "facts" recounted in this novel. I like historical novels which educate as well as entertain. So far, the Devil's Guard series fails. Among the errors which I noted are the following:
According to Mr. Meyer, the M1895 Nagant Revolver was designed and produced by Belgian industrialist, Leon Nagant for the Russian Empire. The misinformation here is by omission. The brothers Nagant, Leon and Emile, developed the revolver. Not just Leon. They did produce some of the revolvers but soon after adoption Imperial Russia began production at the Tula Arsenal. Production continued into the Soviet era with large numbers produced through 1945 at two arsenals. I believe that a few continued in service with police, postal service and others into the Russian Federation era. The Nagant revolver figures in Russian history much the same as the Colt single action does in American history.
Mr. Meyer makes a point of Hoffman and his men using the panzerfaust anti-tank weapon in the Fourth Battle of Kharkov (Russians call it the Belgorod - Khar'kov offensive) which lasted August 3 thru 23, 1943. The Wehrmacht purchased some 20,000 almost prototype panzerfausts in August 1943. The first effective panzerfaust, the panzerfaust 30 (approximately 30 meter effective range) was not deployed until October 1943. Most internet sources which came up in the first two pages of my search state that the weapon was deployed in 1943 without giving the month. A careless search could lead one to believe that it was therefore available for both Kursk and Fourth Kharkov. In the first volume of this series, Meyer had the panzerfaust used in the Third Battle of Kharkov fought from February 19 thru March 15, 1943.
Concerning the Russian PPSh submachine gun, Meyer states that it was a development of the older PP type, the drum magazine loaded with the shorter 7.62 mm pistol round. In fact, the entire series of Russian submachine guns were chambered for the same round, the 7.62 X 25 Tokarev. Perthaps Meyer meant, but did not make clear, that the 7.62 x 25 Tokarev cartridge is shorter than the 7.62 x 54R (sometimes referred to as 7.62 x 53R) cartridge which the Russians used in rifles and machine guns.
There is a scene in which Hoffman's men kill two Russian sentries with knives. They then put the dead Russians' bayonets in their hands to make it look as though they had killed each other in a fight. The standard Russian rifle, the Mosin Nagant used a cruciform socket bayonet, not a knife type.
In that same reconnaissance raid the Germans use a tunnel under the front lines which is not known to the Russians or Germans. Yet a Russian Cossack unit used the tunnel earlier. Hoffman appears to have not reported the tunnel as we hear no more of it. There are many things wrong with this throw away tunnel story.
The StuG III was built on a panzer III chassis not a panzer IV chassis. It was armed with a 75mm gun, not a 88mm.
There are others but this review is long enough. As I wrote concerning the first volume, if there are inaccuracies concerning things I know about, hiw can I trust the book concerning things I don't know about?
October 10, 2023
Very enjoyable read
February 6, 2015
Couldn't put this book down!
I am a newcomer to world war 2 novels. In fact this is only my 2nd one, but I absolutely love it! I get so tired of finding historical errors in many of the "Authentic" history that I read that it is relaxing and enjoyable reading fiction. However, there is enough history involved to keep me interested. I'm something of a germophile so even better if it is about an SS unit on the eastern front. Especially when the SS man is the hero. That usually isn't the case. But in all truthfulness, I highly recommend "Devil's Gaurd" Blood and Iron. It is a terrific book
I am a newcomer to world war 2 novels. In fact this is only my 2nd one, but I absolutely love it! I get so tired of finding historical errors in many of the "Authentic" history that I read that it is relaxing and enjoyable reading fiction. However, there is enough history involved to keep me interested. I'm something of a germophile so even better if it is about an SS unit on the eastern front. Especially when the SS man is the hero. That usually isn't the case. But in all truthfulness, I highly recommend "Devil's Gaurd" Blood and Iron. It is a terrific book
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews