On the Devil's Tail: In Combat with the Waffen-SS on the Eastern Front 1945, and with the French in Indochina 1951-54

by Paul Martelli, Vittorino Dal Cengio (Editor)

This is the riveting true story of Paul Martelli, a fifteen-year-old German-Italian, who fought in Pomerania, on the Eastern Front, in 1945 as a member of the 33. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS "Charlemagne" and, later, as a soldier with French forces during three years (1951-1954) in the Tonkin area, Vietnam.

Paul recounts his time at the Sennheim military training base, where he was introduced to the rigorous discipline of body and he then goes back to 1940, during the German invasion of France, when he was still a boy in Lorraine, hinting at his motivations for enlisting with the Waffen SS. He reveals his and many young soldiers' exciting and often humorous escapades at Greifenberg, his first love with a German girl helping refugees, his experiences and feelings during the combats at Körlin, during the strenuous defense of Kolberg, while regrouping at Neustrelitz and at the German defeat. With a companion he ends up at a castle delivering a group of women camp prisoners to a Russian officer, living in disguise among enemy soldiers until he escapes and surrender to the Americans.

After his sentence, imprisonment, evasions and military service in Morocco, Paul is sent to fight in defense of bases north of Hanoi, Vietnam. He survives three years of fierce combats, assaults, ambushes, night patrols, fatal traps and mortal risks but, deep down, he compares his service with the Waffen SS during the last year of war with the inefficiency of the French Expeditionary Force in the Far East and comes out deeply frustrated. At almost 26, he has fought and lost in two wars, both against the communists, be they Soviet or Viet-Minh. Unemployed, and with the ideals of a 'Nouvelle Europe' in pieces, he briefly joins the French Foreign Legion, his last hope, but in the end choses another path.

This is a unique memoir, packed with incident and recounting the story of one individual caught up in a series of life-changing events.

Genres: Memoir, World War II, Military History, History

328 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2014

Reviews

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story of a French teen (that joined the German military in the last couple years of the war. He needed a job, saw a recruitment poster, and joined up. He ended up in the SS, however, the part of the SS he was a part of was a combat unit. He was not directly involved in the holocaust. He did not get an SS tattoo as many other members did. He was one of the youngest members of his unit. He worked on a mortar team and ended up on the front lines against the Russians as they invaded Germany. His combat time and time as Germany was collapsing around him as he retreated from the Russians is one of the high points of the book.

He ended up surrendering, being sent back to France, and then put on trial for collaborating. He was sentenced to prison until he turned the age of majority (18). With his training and his record he found it difficult to get a job. He ended up joining the French military and ended up in Vietnam fighting the communists there. While the author lives a very interesting life, and he was a skilled combat veteran, he struggled with anger issues and the propensity to solve issues with other people using violence. These traits are helpful on the battlefield but would not be acceptable in most modern military organizations. An interesting story though it ends abruptly after his return to France from Vietnam.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is entertaining but it is not historically correct it is fiction. You may not notice it at first but about halfway into the book all of the cliches added up and I felt compelled to make an account on Goodreads so people are not deceived. I am so tired of some war memoirs that are not real and hocked off as they are by hacks. it is a true Injustice to the people that actually served. I mean the character is basically an action hero, he's a Deadshot Marksman I swear he kills like 30 people in a day, they capture spies, he blows up a tank single-handedly. he's eating sausage when they're being shelled by artillery for the very first time. There's more than four occasions where he leaves something like a bag and there's apparently Russians like everywhere and he's " cover me I left my things." None of these things are suspect by themselves but they all add up and you realize you are being duped. Scholars have researched a lot of the historical accuracy of this book and it is incorrect.

[Jeffrey Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, Martelli was one tough dude, with a steel trap memory! Amazing stories of combat from the time he joined a French SS regiment (at 15), through his years in Indochina with the French Army. His story ends at 25, when he pasted up a posting with the Foreign Legion, and I would have liked to have known more about his later life.

[Mr Greg · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book after reading multiple positive reviews, but to say I was disappointed would be a massive understatement. I honestly don't know how you come away from reading this saying it was good. So here we go, in my opinion;

The book was poorly written, or very poorly translated into English, or both. The reasons for a French teenager joining the Waffen SS are woefully lacking in any substance that a reasonable reader can understand. The story was jumbled and hard to follow, and some of the supposedly verbatim conversations were nonsensical / unbelievable.
For instance;
1) Whilst supposedly under Russian attack and with his partner calling for more charges our intrepid hero Mr. MARTELLI supposedly says "Here they come... would you like another sausage?..........He too was having fun, real fun".
2) Whilst under another attack he says ""This reminds me of when I was a kid playing soldiers" I shouted between blasts."". He then gets handed more hand grenades ""After you" I replied nonchalantly. I was having fun, great fun.""
3) You guessed it, whilst again under attack he finds a novel reason to head back to his abandoned position; "" Let's go!" I answered with confidence. "There's still some chicken left at our emplacement. I don't like the idea of those Popovs devouring everything.""

I mean really? How ridiculous and stupid.

Also plenty of mentions of supposed massacres of civilians by marauding allied fighter planes, and how well the Germans treated everyone. Comes across as a propaganda piece.

After more jumbled and badly explained movements MARTELLI ends up in Vietnam where he seems to be a loose cannon getting into multiple brawls with other people. If we are to believe MARTELLI he supposedly takes on about 5 opponents on multiple occasions and leaves them in a bloody heap, ie "I suddenly launched myself forward, arms flailing and feet flying......it didn't take long before all five of them were on the floor".

The thoughts re this book possibly being a fake certainly resonate with me. See;
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtop...

I honestly doubt I have read so much drivel in a long time.
Give it a big miss.

[Mike Keleher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite an interesting story

This a well written tale of an ambitious young man in a difficult time during WWII and beyond. An inside look at the non- German forces inside the axis and how they were treated.