GPU-fengslet

Legion of the Damned #12

by Sven Hassel, Ragnar Madssen (Translator), Sven Hazel

Tyskerne og russerne utkjemper kamper om GPU-fengselet i Charkov. Dette er den 13. boka om det 27. panserstrafferegiment.

Genres: War, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Military Fiction, World War II, Adventure, Danish

303 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Hassel served in the Danish merchant navy till 1937, when he moved to Germany to join the army. He served with the second Panzer Division stationed at Eisenach and in 1939 was a tank driver during the invasion of Poland. A year later he attempted to escape because of being mentally exhausted. He was transferred to a Sonderabteilung, a penal unit manned by criminals and dissidents. He served with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and later the 11th and 27th Panzer Regiments (6th Panzer Division) on all fronts except North Africa and was wounded several times. Eventually he reached the rank of lieutenant and received an Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class. He surrendered to Soviet troops in Berlin in 1945 and spent the following years in various POW camps. He began to write his first book Legion of the Damned while he was interned. He was released in 1949, and was planning to join the French Foreign Legion when he met Dorthe Jensen. They got married in 1951. He went to work in a car factory. In 1957 Sven Hassel suffered from an attack of a sickness caught during the war and was paralyzed for almost two years. After recovery, he began to write more books.

See also Sven Hazel

Reviews

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Russia, among Mr. Hassel's less known novels and perhaps one of the saddest from the series. As usual in these stories, you have to fight for your life and for your soul...

[Phillip Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book overdoes it's main point that war is hell by putting a copious amount of scenes of carnage as the main characters serve at the Eastern Front. The demoralization of war is pointed out as a boxing match goes from a sports match to what amounts to a cockfight to the death between a Russian and a German. This book has some great sections that show how war is not usually for a noble cause but a bloodbath orchestrated by politicians safely far away from real action. There are no heroes in this book since everyone is fighting for survival not for their Fuhrer.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

You think that All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque was great book about the brutality of war. You should read Sven Hassel's books - they show brutality of World War II through the eyes of German soldiers from Penal Battalion.

[Polifemo]

En esta ocasión nuestro autor, que sigue en el Frente del Este, junto con sus compañeros de aventuras llegan a una prisión soviética, liberando a los prisioneros, narrándoles estos las penurias y el trato recibido.El más extraño personaje de todos es sin duda alguna, el Stabsgefreiter Albert Mumbuto, por ser de raza negra. Antes que comenzara la Segunda Guerra Mundial en Alemania había unos 200 mil negros procedentes de las ex colonias alemanas en África, las cuales les fueron quitadas a Alemania por el Tratado de Versalles. Algunos otros habitantes de raza negra procedían del Sarre, descendientes de miembros de la Legión Extranjera que vivieron en esa zona francesa que luego volvió a ser parte del territorio alemán.

[Hans-Petter Sandseth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leste den norske utgaven

[Andreas Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il penultimo libro di Hassel, che parla ancora degli orrori della guerra di Russia. Questa volta, per la maggior parte del romanzo, si parla del volere dello stato maggiore della Wehrmacht di prendere un insignificante paesino con una prigione della OGPU, la polizia comunista. Si parla di massacri e di uno dei più terribili errori dell'artiglieria tedesca, che per colpa di un capitano assonnato spara con un ritardo eccessivo, massacrando alleati e nemici. Sven parla di questo terribile inferno scatenato dal fuoco amico, e in un certo senso, è come se fosse un cronista sul posto che parla degli errori della guerra. Per il resto del romanzo, è tutto come sempre, con Porta che fa il "gangster" e Fratellino che è il suo braccio destro. Infine, finalmente, il 27° cessa di essere solo fanteria appiedata ed è dotato di veri carri armati, e tutto ciò occupa una parte così insignificante del libro come a voler significare la velocità delle macchine moderne, che danno la morte con una velocità impensabile.

[Juan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uno de los libros que eran de mi padre y que llevaba años en el estante sin conocer el contenido. La contratapa hablaba de la experiencia del autor en cautiverio soviético y eso despertó mi interés, creyendo que mostraría algún choque cultural o contribuiría con datos históricos que ignoro. Nada de eso noté, aunque siento,por las siglas y estructura de la narración que es un libro que se enmarca en su género (literatura alemana de la segunda guerra mundial) y probablemente los conocedores de éste podrán disfrutarlo más que yo. Los primeros capítulos cargados de diálogos e insultos, estridencias, bravuconadas y alguna pelea. Después lucha, balazos, descripciones de esferas de combate y anécdotas, pero la narración termina saltando a unas estridencias que no logré entender en el marco de lo que se trataba; escenas prostibularias y un combate de boxeo que termina en caos. Con esa sensación de que no entendiste. O que no había mucho que entender.

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buenísima descripción de la cárceles militares y del horrible trato que recibían los prisioneros, durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. En un tono de "semihumor", el autor relata escenas escalofriantes en las que la muerte se ha vuelto cotidiana y matar un acto de supervivencia, carente de cualquier emoción.

[Blogul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Din păcate, ca adult văd că nu mai pot citi Sven Hassel, deși ca adolescent i-am adorat cărțile.
Umorul rămâne bun, la fel și scrierea scenelor de luptă, dar mă disperă erorile tehnice/factuale/istorice, prea multele deturnări de la războiul propriu-zis, caracterul intenționat vag al încadrării în timp și spațiu și, destul de rău, traducerea.

[maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book full of action. It kept getting better and better right when I thought that was the worst point it could ever get too. A great book. Could not let go until I finished it. Would recommend it to fans of the war and action lovers.

[Mihaela Abrudan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lăsând la o parte capitolele despre năzdrăvăniile lui Porta și ale Micuțului, acest volum are cele mai sângeroase scene de luptă. Pur și simplu este de ne imaginat ca din cauza nesincronizării unui ceas soldații aceeași armate să se ucidă între ei.

[Vlăduț Ilie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tare mi-ar plăcea să văd opera și ecranizată. M-aș aștepta la o comedie clasică.

[Antoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hi ha imatges que encara les recordo

[Shanna Luciani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sven hai scritto questo libro fuori dalla grazia di Dio ma ti voglio bene lo stesso.
No, non avrete una recensione seria, solo amore e follia da queste parti

[Narkkipiispa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this in one night in jail. Didn't really make me feel better but I guess it took my mind away for a while.

[Sandra McCourt · Rating 4 out of 5]

From all of these books I found this one the one that felt real. It’s all death and destruction and chaos but it gives a true story. The group are in Russia and have to fight for a prison which is on top of a massive hill. Hundreds are killed while trying to overrun it and our characters are also injured. But this story feels so sad for whatever reason. I feel it is also better written and not all over the place like his normal but I liked this one in a sad sort of way

[Procyon Lotor · Rating 1 out of 5]

13th - ?? ???? ????! OGPU Prison chapter by chapter: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Obstacle Race To The Glasshouse Porta, Tiny, Sven and Gregor escort four prisoners through Berlin. Stop by at 'The Crooked Dog' pub - and 'The Crippled frog' whorehouse. We meet Albert for the first time. Drunken progress to 'The Rosy Maid'. Gregor gets very confused with orders. Arrival at garrison prison and meeting with 'Wicked Emil'. 2. Infantry Attack Front line. Attempt at training new arrivals. More about Julius Heide as the perfect soldier. Porta makes blinis. Anti-tank fighting. Porta makes Bortsch. Porta and Tiny find a safe in a Russian mayor's office. Porta and Tiny dress up in frilly underwear (read the book - I'm just telling you what happens!) Lots of fighting up hill towards OGPU prison. 3. Fire Controller Making plans for attack on the OGPU prison. Artillery Fire Controller Henckel keeps going to sleep (compulsive reading this one). 4. O.G.P.U. Prison Powerful battle descriptions. Winter. Flamethrower tanks. Old Man and Heide as artillery spotters. Attack on prison and retreat after counter-attack. 5. War Debris Section badly wounded. Albert goes mad! Revenge on MPs. Long retreat by lorry, ambulance, Puma, motor sleigh. Description of field hospital. Train to Berlin. 6. Eighty Per Cent Porta back in Berlin but 'Egon The Poof' has taken over his patch. Oberfeldwebel Sally helps out. Introduction to the hit man 'Happy Release'. Visit to Egon The Poof's apartment. Tiny has a fight with 'Viola Ballbreaker'. Happy Release attempts to kill Egon. Tiny and Porta kidnap Egon. Lots of exciting events events including the hunt for 'Olfert The Dwarf'. 7. The Boxing Match Lice. Wolf and Porta arrange venue for boxing match. Description of fight and aftermath! 'Ulrich' the panther joins in the fun. Visit to brothel to spend winnings. Big investigation into panther. Attempt to arrest Porta (more top-class officer-baiting). 8. The Tigers Section issued with Tiger tanks. Tank battle description. Wolf mentions existence of enemy gold (this crops up again in The Commissar). Porta's recipe for 'Partridge in Hiding', 'coconut bread', 'sweet noodles', 'singing mushrooms' etc (till the Old Man threatens to shoot him unless he shuts up about food!) Special deal with Russian tank crew.

[Strider · Rating 2 out of 5]

That was my first book of this kind and it was a good read. Firstly, I did not really like the whole thing, but after I have started to like the main characters I had to realise that I enjoy it more and more. It shows you the true face of war. I will definitely read some of the other books as well.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Full Review to Follow]

[Justin Sarginson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing ground breaking, just good friendly fun.