What do you think?
Rate this book
The Eastern Front: Memoirs of a Waffen SS Volunteer, 1941–1945
A gripping first-person memoir of soldierly sacrifice, heroism and fierce combat against numerically superior Soviet forces during World War II, by a charismatic Belgian writer and politician turned Waffen SS front-line infantryman.
In a laudatory review appearing in an official US Army Department magazine, US Army Brigadier General John C. Bahnsen wrote: "The pace of the writing is fast; the action is graphic, and a warrior can learn things from reading this book. I recommend its reading by students of the art of war. It is well worth the price."
Here is the epic story of the Walloon Legion, a volunteer Belgian unit of the World War II pan-European SS force, as told by the legendary figure whose unmatched frontline combat experience and literary talent made him the premier spokesman for his fallen comrades.
Captures the grit, the terror and the glory of Europe's crusade against Communism in absorbing prose. Includes fascinating first-person descriptions of Hitler, Himmler, and other Third Reich personalities.
Degrelle vividly describes how he and his comrades endured danger, privation and torrents of shot and shell -- on the sun-baked steppes of Ukraine, at the foothills of the Caucasus, in the depths of bone-chilling winter, through the stinking mud and the flaming hell of Cherkassy, and across the rolling plains of Estonia and the Pomeranian lake country.
You’ll learn what moved the 35-year-old Degrelle -- a brilliant intellectual and his country’s most colorful political leader -- to enlist as a private in the volunteer legion he himself organized to join with Third Reich Germany and its allies in their titanic fight against the Bolshevik enemy.
In a laudatory review appearing in an official US Army Department magazine, US Army Brigadier General John C. Bahnsen wrote: "The pace of the writing is fast; the action is graphic, and a warrior can learn things from reading this book. I recommend its reading by students of the art of war. It is well worth the price."
Here is the epic story of the Walloon Legion, a volunteer Belgian unit of the World War II pan-European SS force, as told by the legendary figure whose unmatched frontline combat experience and literary talent made him the premier spokesman for his fallen comrades.
Captures the grit, the terror and the glory of Europe's crusade against Communism in absorbing prose. Includes fascinating first-person descriptions of Hitler, Himmler, and other Third Reich personalities.
Degrelle vividly describes how he and his comrades endured danger, privation and torrents of shot and shell -- on the sun-baked steppes of Ukraine, at the foothills of the Caucasus, in the depths of bone-chilling winter, through the stinking mud and the flaming hell of Cherkassy, and across the rolling plains of Estonia and the Pomeranian lake country.
You’ll learn what moved the 35-year-old Degrelle -- a brilliant intellectual and his country’s most colorful political leader -- to enlist as a private in the volunteer legion he himself organized to join with Third Reich Germany and its allies in their titanic fight against the Bolshevik enemy.
397 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1985
182 people are currently reading
939 people want to read
About the author
Leon Degrelle
54 books99 followersWalloon politician, founder of the Walloon Autorian Catholic movement "Rex" and Nazi collaborator volunteer of the Waffen SS
Degrelle was also active in the Belgian Catholic Party of which he splitoff in 1935 when he formed the Rex movement.
After Belgium was defeated by Germany, Degrelle joined the Wehrmacht. In 1943 he and all the other Wallonians were transferred to the Waffen SS. The Wallonian Waffen SS fought at the Eastern front.
After the war Degrelle fled to Spain and was the head publisher for the group "Círculo Español de Amigos de Europa". In the 1960s, Degrelle returned to public life as a neo-Nazi and gained great influence in far-right European circles. He published several books and papers glorifying Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime and publicly denying the Holocaust.
Degrelle died in 1994 in a Spanish hospital.
Degrelle was also active in the Belgian Catholic Party of which he splitoff in 1935 when he formed the Rex movement.
After Belgium was defeated by Germany, Degrelle joined the Wehrmacht. In 1943 he and all the other Wallonians were transferred to the Waffen SS. The Wallonian Waffen SS fought at the Eastern front.
After the war Degrelle fled to Spain and was the head publisher for the group "Círculo Español de Amigos de Europa". In the 1960s, Degrelle returned to public life as a neo-Nazi and gained great influence in far-right European circles. He published several books and papers glorifying Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime and publicly denying the Holocaust.
Degrelle died in 1994 in a Spanish hospital.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
April 27, 2015
Very good and largelu unbiased even though it may seem otherwise given the general perception of these men.
I had the honor of meeting Mr Degrelle in the 70's and the book certainly reflects the person.
I had the honor of meeting Mr Degrelle in the 70's and the book certainly reflects the person.
June 22, 2020
There are narratives that enrich the tribe that owns and runs almost all media and publishing (not to mention usury, international finance, pornography, academia, hollywood and celebrities of all stripes, organ trafficking and human smuggling, etc.) in the West through reparations, that allow them to project their crimes upon their racial enemies, that protect anyone from questioning their power or the deeds (past and present). I think the most crucial of these narratives center around WWII, things that supposedly happened during these times, and actors on all sides. When was the first time you realized that books that go against these narratives are often obscenely expensive and hard to find? Searching for this book many months or years ago might have been the first time I had this realization, although after listening to it (here: https://archive.org/details/CampaignI...), I no longer think $80 or $90 is too much to pay for it.
I think this is the best firsthand account of war I've ever read (although there could be recency bias). I think Westerners, non-cucked whites, and anyone who loves light and love and truth and honor would do well to read this. There is something almost spiritual about subjecting yourself to the suffering and injustice and sacrifice and honor and bravery and daring contained in these pages, or as close to spiritual as I can seem to get. I highly recommend this book.
PS If you're triggered by the above, or think I'm dumb, crazy and/or ignorant, I refer you back to the first paragraph, and assure you I am none of those.
I think this is the best firsthand account of war I've ever read (although there could be recency bias). I think Westerners, non-cucked whites, and anyone who loves light and love and truth and honor would do well to read this. There is something almost spiritual about subjecting yourself to the suffering and injustice and sacrifice and honor and bravery and daring contained in these pages, or as close to spiritual as I can seem to get. I highly recommend this book.
PS If you're triggered by the above, or think I'm dumb, crazy and/or ignorant, I refer you back to the first paragraph, and assure you I am none of those.
May 2, 2016
Excellent read from a pro-German, pro-Hitler perspective.
This is one of the few SS memoirs I have read in which the author details the eastern front from a pro-Hitler perspective. The author never looses faith in the ideals of Hitler or the cause against anti-communism.
This is one of the few SS memoirs I have read in which the author details the eastern front from a pro-Hitler perspective. The author never looses faith in the ideals of Hitler or the cause against anti-communism.
August 9, 2016
Remarkable from many perspectives. Degrelle is a wonderful writer, an established Belgian political leader and a man of amazing valor and incredible luck enduring over three years in almost constant combat and surviving over a score of wounds and other injuries.
His perspective is also complex, idealistic, and not without merit. Opposed to the European war and a neutral until June 22, 1941, when Germany struck the Soviet Union, he saw the future of Europe as preferable under German leadership than Communism which he abhorred. He organizes a Wallonian legion and joins it as a private, Belgium being one of 20 countries that joined the Fascist in a crusade against the Bolsheviks.
Perhaps he was a bit naive, perhaps he was a bit too enamored with the lost cause so his memoirs are abundantly loving of the German "endeavor, and perhaps the best description I have read of combat on the Eastern Front. A very good read in spite of his political beliefs, that add a shade of gray to the black and white of the good war.
His perspective is also complex, idealistic, and not without merit. Opposed to the European war and a neutral until June 22, 1941, when Germany struck the Soviet Union, he saw the future of Europe as preferable under German leadership than Communism which he abhorred. He organizes a Wallonian legion and joins it as a private, Belgium being one of 20 countries that joined the Fascist in a crusade against the Bolsheviks.
Perhaps he was a bit naive, perhaps he was a bit too enamored with the lost cause so his memoirs are abundantly loving of the German "endeavor, and perhaps the best description I have read of combat on the Eastern Front. A very good read in spite of his political beliefs, that add a shade of gray to the black and white of the good war.
September 18, 2011
This was the first war bio that I've read since my early teens. I'm obviously not an usual fan of the genre, and I just bought the book for my research into the Catholic "volunteers for Hitler" phenomena.
Degrelle was no ordinary Catholic, no ordinary Nazi, and certainly no ordinary soldier. He was a very complex individual, and of his several often incompatible personas, I think I know which one was the dominant, after reading this magnificent epic. But I will keep that opinion for myself...
He rose up meteorically up ranks by sheer bravery and intelligence,and was, I believe, the most decorated foreign volunteer in the entire German Army.
The style used in the depiction of battles is probably usual in the genre, but some of the passages denote a cultural level and a sensitivity towards the suffering civilians that I doubt you will find amongst today's boy soldier biographies. But then again, I could be wrong. Maybe those guys are smarter than they appear when they talk on TV...
I would thorough recommend this book to everybody, particularly to those who, like myself, have not been exposed to the genre recently. In Campaign in Russia you will see humanity at its best and worst, and you will feel thankful that your generation (if you're a westerner) did not experience war on a scale Degrelle's did.
Degrelle was no ordinary Catholic, no ordinary Nazi, and certainly no ordinary soldier. He was a very complex individual, and of his several often incompatible personas, I think I know which one was the dominant, after reading this magnificent epic. But I will keep that opinion for myself...
He rose up meteorically up ranks by sheer bravery and intelligence,and was, I believe, the most decorated foreign volunteer in the entire German Army.
The style used in the depiction of battles is probably usual in the genre, but some of the passages denote a cultural level and a sensitivity towards the suffering civilians that I doubt you will find amongst today's boy soldier biographies. But then again, I could be wrong. Maybe those guys are smarter than they appear when they talk on TV...
I would thorough recommend this book to everybody, particularly to those who, like myself, have not been exposed to the genre recently. In Campaign in Russia you will see humanity at its best and worst, and you will feel thankful that your generation (if you're a westerner) did not experience war on a scale Degrelle's did.
February 9, 2018
Degrelle is a happy coincidence of a brave soldier, political thinker and great storyteller.
Sometimes a bit too much romantic and too much detailed description of the landscape and nature but still an outstanding adventure and a very entertaining book from a superb warrior.
Sometimes a bit too much romantic and too much detailed description of the landscape and nature but still an outstanding adventure and a very entertaining book from a superb warrior.
January 23, 2021
Приятна за четене, различна от повечето мемоари на пълководци. Леон Дегрел е някак по средата между редови войник и военначалник.
Безкромромисен и в действията си, и в писането.
Горещо я препоръчвам.
Безкромромисен и в действията си, и в писането.
Горещо я препоръчвам.
October 23, 2020
This book would be very interesting to a lot of different people for very different reasons. Leon Degrelle lived an exceptional life to anyone's standards. His life pre-WWII was entangled with the complex dynamics of Belgian politics and the dangerous tensions in the world of big fascist and communist movements gripping many countries. His story during WWII would make a very compelling, dramatic and action-filled story if some of the specifics clothed in the narrative would've been slightly adjusted. If he would've shown regret and clearly understood how wrongfooted he was in his perceptions of Nazi-Germany and other Fascist movements during the war, he might have been able to kind of redeem himself, maybe. But he stunningly continued to delude himself by completely denying the evils of fascism and standing by the narrative of "We were christian knights holding back the hordes of evil bolsheviks that were inevitably going to doom the world if we didn't stand fast" (or attack rather as the German army actually did).
I believe this book to be very dangerous if it served as a primary source on WWII through an interesting characters perspective, just because the narrative is inheritably very compelling but severely incorrect. But, if you've done your due diligence reading important works telling what actually happened during the war and it's horrific consequences AND reading in mind trying to understand some of the deluded minds being heard in some of the right-wing extremist movements of today, you can gain a profound understanding of how they rigidly perceive "existential threats" and "insidious" elements of society such as immigration, media, progressive movements etc. Those individuals are not stupid, they don't see themselves as evil, on the contrary they are just like everybody else in so far as being human individuals being duped by bad ideas engulfed in a larger structure of ideas which provides a terrible lens of the world that could and has led to massive human suffering in the attempt of realizing those ideas.
I believe this book to be very dangerous if it served as a primary source on WWII through an interesting characters perspective, just because the narrative is inheritably very compelling but severely incorrect. But, if you've done your due diligence reading important works telling what actually happened during the war and it's horrific consequences AND reading in mind trying to understand some of the deluded minds being heard in some of the right-wing extremist movements of today, you can gain a profound understanding of how they rigidly perceive "existential threats" and "insidious" elements of society such as immigration, media, progressive movements etc. Those individuals are not stupid, they don't see themselves as evil, on the contrary they are just like everybody else in so far as being human individuals being duped by bad ideas engulfed in a larger structure of ideas which provides a terrible lens of the world that could and has led to massive human suffering in the attempt of realizing those ideas.
February 11, 2015
Well written book. Degrelle has a knack for describing the settings of the fighting. First being part of the Heer and then being transferred to the Waffen SS, Degrelle started his German Military career as a simple soldier and climbed the ranks all the way to Commander of the Walloon SS Legion. He is considered the most decorated non German combatant of WWII in the German army. He met Hitler twice on the occasion of his decorations. The book needs to be read with a degree of skepticism, as he of course attempts to justify his enrollment in the German Army as a combatant against the hordes of Communist who threaten the European way of life. However he manages in the book to very accurately and poetically describe the landscapes and physical terrain the advance and retreat takes place. Contrary to general reporting of scorch earth, he talks about rich and luscious vegetation and fields full of crops. All the way to the Caucus, in the general area of Sochi, and the constant retreat from there starting in 1942. If half of what he claims is true this man must have been some amazing fighter, tactician and motivator. Amazingly at the end of the war he manages to escape from Denmark and then fly all the way to Spain where he spends the rest of his life. Well worth the reading and as far as I am concerned a must read regarding the Eastern Front.
September 25, 2012
Degrelle is a perplexing character. On the one hand, it's hard to doubt his leadership ability and bravery, reading the accounts of endless battles of his Walloon volunteers battling against impossible odds. However when an autobiographer continually portrays himself as the fearless hero of every event recounted, you have to wonder.
Also perplexing is the fact that Leon Degretlle remains unapologetically pro-Nazi, going so far as to call Adolf Hitler a genius, and telling the story of the time Hitler said to Degrelle, "If I had a son, I would want him to be like you".
It seems an odd reaction that when Germany invaded and occupied Belgium in 1940, that Degrelle's and his cohort's reaction to this 'humiliation' is to volunteer to fight for the cause of the invaders. He defends this as a crusade against Bolshevism, to save Europe from the godless communists, rather than a campaign in furtherance of fascism.
Nevertheless the whole work comes across as one of bluster and self-justification, springing from the festering conscience of an egotist who is unable to admit that he chose badly and backed the wrong side.
Also perplexing is the fact that Leon Degretlle remains unapologetically pro-Nazi, going so far as to call Adolf Hitler a genius, and telling the story of the time Hitler said to Degrelle, "If I had a son, I would want him to be like you".
It seems an odd reaction that when Germany invaded and occupied Belgium in 1940, that Degrelle's and his cohort's reaction to this 'humiliation' is to volunteer to fight for the cause of the invaders. He defends this as a crusade against Bolshevism, to save Europe from the godless communists, rather than a campaign in furtherance of fascism.
Nevertheless the whole work comes across as one of bluster and self-justification, springing from the festering conscience of an egotist who is unable to admit that he chose badly and backed the wrong side.
August 5, 2018
A front line soldier from the Wallonian volunteer Waffen-SS campaign on the Eastern Front during World War II provides a gripping, blood-drenched and shocking account of his part in the greatest land war in human history. From the opening days of the invasion of the Soviet Union, the drive to the Caucasus in 1942, the encirclement of the Cherkassy Pocket and the desperate fighting retreat across the Ukraine and the Baltics, this book recounts the awful cost paid by both sides in the war. Degrelle, leader of Belgium's Rexist party, volunteered as a private and eventually rose to one of the highest ranks ever held by a non-German in the Waffen-SS. This book is for anyone interested in the soldier's point of view from the frontline: a raw, bloody, uncensored and brutal account which provides a rare insight into the conflict and is guaranteed to leave the reader emotionally drained-and filled with hope that such a conflict may never again curse any European nation.
January 13, 2017
I started reading this with quite a bit of trepidation, not knowing anything about Leon Degrelle or the Rexists, although it felt appropriate after finishing We Will Not Go To Tuapse. Degrelle's writing style, and overall perceptions, differ considerably from those portrayed in many other memoirs that I've enjoyed. His love of nature and romanticized outlook made this an easy and incredibly enjoyable read. Although you could sense the occasional omission, it felt honest with a truly earnest motivation.
September 16, 2021
I am going to attempt to be objective with my review but I will say off the bat that I loved this book.
Degrelle has a fantastic way of writing and his information about what happened is blended perfectly with his ability to write about it so emotively.
That being said you will find times where he seems to get lost in the emotion. At these points the narrative veers away from the story an into his florally written romantic idealism.
This at times did annoy me especially when it went on a little too long but thankfully after a while you can see it coming and I was able to skim read these parts when I wanted and get back to the actual substance. That being said it was a welcome change of pace from those military writers that are unable to give any sense of emotion in their work, often sounding like a military briefing rather than a combat memoir.
My only other issue is the complete lack of pictures especially maps! I think there is a total of two pictures in the entire book. Both of which are printed in basic low res formats on regular pages. In an age where most memoirs have a few glossy pages mid way through containing some half decent images this seems like a missed step for Degrelles book. The other and even bigger issue is the total lack of maps. Degrelle explains a lot of the fighting in terms of geography and not even having the most basic of hand drawn maps to help explain what is happening is infuriating.
Whether you agree with what Degrelle stood for during this period of his life and after the war (the majority do not) there is no doubt that under any other circumstances he would of been considered one of the greatest military heroes of all time. This book is an exciting and well written epic that actually left me wanting to know more.
Read it with an open mind and you’ll be left thinking “what an unbelievable life that man lead”
Read it with a closed mind and you’ll rob yourself of enjoying a fantastic book.
Degrelle has a fantastic way of writing and his information about what happened is blended perfectly with his ability to write about it so emotively.
That being said you will find times where he seems to get lost in the emotion. At these points the narrative veers away from the story an into his florally written romantic idealism.
This at times did annoy me especially when it went on a little too long but thankfully after a while you can see it coming and I was able to skim read these parts when I wanted and get back to the actual substance. That being said it was a welcome change of pace from those military writers that are unable to give any sense of emotion in their work, often sounding like a military briefing rather than a combat memoir.
My only other issue is the complete lack of pictures especially maps! I think there is a total of two pictures in the entire book. Both of which are printed in basic low res formats on regular pages. In an age where most memoirs have a few glossy pages mid way through containing some half decent images this seems like a missed step for Degrelles book. The other and even bigger issue is the total lack of maps. Degrelle explains a lot of the fighting in terms of geography and not even having the most basic of hand drawn maps to help explain what is happening is infuriating.
Whether you agree with what Degrelle stood for during this period of his life and after the war (the majority do not) there is no doubt that under any other circumstances he would of been considered one of the greatest military heroes of all time. This book is an exciting and well written epic that actually left me wanting to know more.
Read it with an open mind and you’ll be left thinking “what an unbelievable life that man lead”
Read it with a closed mind and you’ll rob yourself of enjoying a fantastic book.
September 7, 2023
Fascinating and disturbing in equal measure. Degrelle was a reactionary monarchist rather than a Nazi, but having nailed his colours to the Nazi cause, he was unable or unwilling to admit the contradictions inherent in his choice. It is startling to read of SS men taking the sacrament from their Catholic chaplain before battle. Of Degrelle’s extraordinary courage in battle there is no doubt, for despite the modesty of his writing, his much-decorated record speaks for itself. He was involved in a great deal of very intense combat and endured much privation. In the midst of war and horror his writing also evokes the beauty of the natural world, and even has glimmers of the transcendent. But he also has an extraordinary capacity to refuse to see what is front of his eyes...
“Was it to be Europe, reforged by twenty centuries of civilisation, or the savage hordes of Asia, bestial and grimacing behind the red emblems of the Soviets?” - so writes the pious Catholic, convinced he is on a mission to bring civilisation to the East. A civilisation involving the deliberate infliction of unimaginable suffering and death on millions of women and children and prisoners of war.
What would you do, gentle reader, if in a situation where your men had run out of bandages, more were urgently required, and you were aware that a nearby group of Russian women were wearing underwear which would do just nicely? I think you would be justified in asking them to donate their underwear for an urgent humanitarian need – and if they refused, I think you might even be justified in compelling them. This is what Degrelle does – but – and here is the difference between us – the women are forcibly held upside down, their knickers ripped off and ripped up, and he invites us to laugh at the sight of them running away in terror and confusion, trying to cover their modesty. Is this the action of a chivalrous Catholic, the heir to twenty years of civilisation? Who exactly is the “bestial and grimacing” one here?
It is remarkable that Degrelle survived the war and lived to a ripe old age. No one would have taken bets on such an outcome. His description of his flight across Europe and crash landing on a Spanish beach to escape justice at the end of the war is just as remarkable as the rest of his career. A brave man and a resourceful one, who can write with verve and even a measure of beauty: but also a man so lacking in self awareness that he was unable to admit that he had hitched his wagon to a cause that was in direct contradiction to the idealistic faith in which he purported to believe.
“Was it to be Europe, reforged by twenty centuries of civilisation, or the savage hordes of Asia, bestial and grimacing behind the red emblems of the Soviets?” - so writes the pious Catholic, convinced he is on a mission to bring civilisation to the East. A civilisation involving the deliberate infliction of unimaginable suffering and death on millions of women and children and prisoners of war.
What would you do, gentle reader, if in a situation where your men had run out of bandages, more were urgently required, and you were aware that a nearby group of Russian women were wearing underwear which would do just nicely? I think you would be justified in asking them to donate their underwear for an urgent humanitarian need – and if they refused, I think you might even be justified in compelling them. This is what Degrelle does – but – and here is the difference between us – the women are forcibly held upside down, their knickers ripped off and ripped up, and he invites us to laugh at the sight of them running away in terror and confusion, trying to cover their modesty. Is this the action of a chivalrous Catholic, the heir to twenty years of civilisation? Who exactly is the “bestial and grimacing” one here?
It is remarkable that Degrelle survived the war and lived to a ripe old age. No one would have taken bets on such an outcome. His description of his flight across Europe and crash landing on a Spanish beach to escape justice at the end of the war is just as remarkable as the rest of his career. A brave man and a resourceful one, who can write with verve and even a measure of beauty: but also a man so lacking in self awareness that he was unable to admit that he had hitched his wagon to a cause that was in direct contradiction to the idealistic faith in which he purported to believe.
May 20, 2020
I disagree with Degrelle's political positions; I despise his arrogance, and I see his strong feelings of German and Western European superiority over Eastern European civilizations as totally unsubstantiated. His cultural and political bias, pervasive Rusophobia and hardcore antisemitism were too much for me, when I read this book for the first time. However, I must admit that time has changed, and nowadays, there is quite a lot of similar political extremism with Rusophobia becoming a mainstream political position. As a result, this SS political officer from the WWII era is not so distant from some present-day mainstream politicians, even if they would try to deny to have anything in common with him. Why do I rate his biography and his historical account on the Eastern front so highly? First of all, I know that life is not black and white. Conventionally thinking people tend to dismiss everything that comes from a person whom they do not like, but I do not fall for this two-dimensional optics that projects simplified image of the world divided between good guys and bad guys. I credit Degrelle for writing this powerful diary of a warrior fighting a total war in a country that was too vast, too strange, and too foreign to him. As a warrior, he demonstrated courage and determination. As a political officer, he demonstrated genuine interest and care for safety and welfare of his subordinate soldiers. He went to fight first and retreated last, trying to protect everyone else. I can acknowledge his virtues, even though I consider him to be a man from enemy side. I do not think that one should unconditionally hate his enemies and adversaries, and I believe that one should never dehumanize his enemies in war or be blind to their virtues and positive traits. This is the essense of chivalry: we must respect enemies if they do something worth respecting and we should try to defeat them, but not necessarily wipe them out. Dehumanizing enemies is the beginning of the road to war crimes. It is enough to defeat the enemy and turn him away from being an enemy. Hatred to enemy makes wars costly, brutal and inevitably perpetual with no chance for peace and reconciliation. I strongly condemn Degrelle's political views and supremacy sentiment, but I accept him as a human being, talented writer, great warrior and a dedicated political officer who performed his duties well. He fought bravely and he deserves my respect for his courage and determination. For his views, however, he deserves condemnation, and I am glad that his side eventually lost the war. As Antoine de Saint-Exupery said, respect to enemy is the highest form of respect.
March 20, 2017
Доволі цікаві воєнні мемуари. Попри належність автора до одної із сторін, він намагається бути об’єктивним, не перетворюючи свій текст у пропаганду.
На жаль, довелось читати в російському перекладі, тож було забавно спостерігати, як у вступному слові перекладач щиро обурюється, шо "праклятий нацист" Деґрель бачив у його дєдах винятково азіатів та орду більшовицьких монголів. (Чого б це? :)
Що ще цікаво: автор розрізняє і позитивно відгукується про "працьовитих та гостинних" українців (правобережної України) та водночас жахається із злиднів та бруду в які комунізм загнав росіян (від Дніпра і до Донбасу), при цьому загому називчаючи все це Росією.
Хороша книга, для тих хто цікавиться Другою Світовою.
На жаль, довелось читати в російському перекладі, тож було забавно спостерігати, як у вступному слові перекладач щиро обурюється, шо "праклятий нацист" Деґрель бачив у його дєдах винятково азіатів та орду більшовицьких монголів. (Чого б це? :)
Що ще цікаво: автор розрізняє і позитивно відгукується про "працьовитих та гостинних" українців (правобережної України) та водночас жахається із злиднів та бруду в які комунізм загнав росіян (від Дніпра і до Донбасу), при цьому загому називчаючи все це Росією.
Хороша книга, для тих хто цікавиться Другою Світовою.
June 11, 2017
I thought that this would be a good follow up to Kaisergruber's 'We Will Not Go To Tupase' in light of their both being Belgian volunteers and Rexists, and I was not disappointed.
It provided some insight into the Rexist Movement, of which I knew nothing, and provided many interesting contrasts in the telling of similar experiences, albeit at different levels.
There is no doubt that Degrelle has told his story with a great deal of omissions, but I didn't feel that this detracted from the book at all. Instead, his regular descriptions of his natural environment help provide insights into a man who reveals little on a personal level.
It provided some insight into the Rexist Movement, of which I knew nothing, and provided many interesting contrasts in the telling of similar experiences, albeit at different levels.
There is no doubt that Degrelle has told his story with a great deal of omissions, but I didn't feel that this detracted from the book at all. Instead, his regular descriptions of his natural environment help provide insights into a man who reveals little on a personal level.
December 25, 2010
Excellent war story. Degrelle doesn't go into politics much in this book. I'm glad that he didn't because it would have taken away from the experience. Think of this as Das Boot on land. And good luck finding a copy!
November 12, 2024
„Visa gražioji Ukraina su auksiniais laukais<...>su kukurūzais ir kviečiais, kurioje per dvejus metus buvo pastatyta šimtai gamyklų, paskendo lojančioje mongolų ir kalmukų, šlapiaūsių makrocefalų balto metalo dantimis, ginkluotų griozdiškais automatais su plokščiomis būgninėmis dėtuvėmis, bangoje.“
Pasirodo, „Briedis“ pernai nusprendė išleisti belgų-valonų nacio ir esesininko Leono Degrellės atsiminimus, tą – „vertingą karo istorijos tyrinėtojams ir mėgėjams“ knygą. Na kaip – išties vertinga, jei kartais būsite primiršę (ar nežinoję) kaip ir kuo kvepia naciai.
Degrellės – vadinamojo Valonų Legiono, kovojusio Wehrmachto sudėtyje (atrodo, taip ir nepasiekusio divizijos skaitlingumo) vado atsiminimuose jo tautiečiai visi kaip vienas – kilnios išvaizdos, ir net pusiau sudraskyti sviedinio dar randą minutę kitą iki numirštant sukalbėti poterius, palaiminti kovos draugus ir pan.
Tuo tarpu priešininkai – atitinkami ir aprašomi atitinkamai su įtūžio kupinu vaizdingumu, aiškia abejone ar šie verti žmogaus vardo:
„Jie priešinosi kaip urviniai žmonės, bet, be gyvuliškos jėgos, turėjo modernius automatus su septyniasdešimt vienu šoviniu. Utėlėtuose daiktamaišiuose ant nugaros jie vilko visa, kad galėtų kovoti savaitę ar dvi<...> Šie gauruoti gigantai, tie mongolai moliūgo pavidalo kaukolėmis, apžėlę šiurkščiais šeriais, plokščiais veidais, tarsi kiaulės oda aptrauktais skruostais, šie kačių įpročių turintys azijiečiai mažomis blizgančiomis akutėmis, niekada nesiprausiantys, apdriskę, nenumaldomi, lyginant su minkštakūniais, plonaodžiais mūsų kariais, mums atrodė kaip priešistoriniai monstrai.
Šituos driskius sugavome kaip kokius šernus jų priedangose. Tie plačiaveidžiai, atrodantys kaip laukiniai, juokėsi, nes jų nenužudėme ir net dalijome cigaretes.
<...>
Rusai prasiskverbdavo į mūsų kovos rikiuotę, o mes tuos šlykščius apdriskusius monstrus kaip žvėris, kalenančius geltonais dantimis, tamsoje sučiupdavome ir vesdavome į vadavietę. Tie belaisviai viską pasakojo ir tikino, kad yra už mus dešimt kartų stipresni. Paskui jie kažką rijo ir užmigdavo kur pakliuvo, kaip laukiniai, per miegus blaškėsi, kažką šnekėjo, skleisdami suodžių ir šlapių drabužių smarvę.“
<...>
Arba
„Tie belaisviai buvo vaikigaliai, makaulės atrodė panašios į sodų miegapelių galvas, daugiausia šešiolikmečiai, padžiūvę kaip sausainiai, iškankinti žygių ir miego stokos.<...>Vietoj tų kareivių-vaikigalių, su kuriais susidūrėmę anksčiau, mums teko susigrumti su baustinių batalionu. Tai buvo bukanosiai aukštaūgiai plikai skustais kiaušais.““
Bet skaityti įdomu. Įvykių, vaizdų, kovų aprašymai savo vaizdingumu ir įtaigumu gniaužia kvapą ir artėja prie kažkokio Ragnaroko orbitos.
Tiesa, „Briedis“ lieka prie savo – redagavime, švelniai tariant, nepersistengia, tad knygoje netrūksta tokių nesusipratimų kaip:
„Kraujuodamas vaikinas prišliaužė prie tanko ir paleido šovė iš „pancerfausto“...“
arba
„Viename kelyje palei Breslau stovėjo paliktas traukinys, o atviruose jo vagonuose gulėjo įšalę 150 du berniukų ir mergaičių kūnai.“
Man gal labiausiai įstrigo ši kartuvių scena (pacituota žemiau), kažkuo primenanti šių dienų mūšius Ukrainoje, kai į beviltišką padėtį pakliuvę rusų kareiviai sprogdinosi granatomis, šaudosi kalašnikovais, persirėžia gerklę į Bruno spiralę ir pan.... Tas pat fatališkumas, bevališkumas mirties akivaizdoje, aklas sutikimas tapti patrankų mėsa.
Šių dienų pasaulyje to jau lyg ir neturėjo būti, bet yra.
„Paprastai mirčiai pasmerkti rusai į savo lemtį žvelgė su buku fanatizmu, nuleidę rankas.<...>Pasmerktieji rusai eidavo padriku žingsniu, nebyliai žvelgdami priešais save, paskui lipo ant kėdės, kuri stovėjo ant stalo. Jie taip ir stovėjo, nieko neprašydami, nesipriešindami. Jiems būdavo uždedama ant kaklo nukarusios virvės kilpa.
<...>Kartą vokiečiai vienu metu turėjo įvykdyti mirties nuosprendį penkiems nuteistiesiems. Vieno iš pakartųjų virvė nutrūko, jis parvirto ant žemės. Atsikėlė netardamas nė žodžio, pats vėl pastatė kėdę ant stalo, užlipo ant jos ir nesutrikęs laukė, kol jam ant kaklo bus užnerta kita virvė. Šių žmonių širdyse būta kažkokio rytietiško fanatizmo, vaikiško nekaltumo, bejėgiškumo, taip pat įpratimo ilgą laiką būti mušamam ir kentėti.“
Pasirodo, „Briedis“ pernai nusprendė išleisti belgų-valonų nacio ir esesininko Leono Degrellės atsiminimus, tą – „vertingą karo istorijos tyrinėtojams ir mėgėjams“ knygą. Na kaip – išties vertinga, jei kartais būsite primiršę (ar nežinoję) kaip ir kuo kvepia naciai.
Degrellės – vadinamojo Valonų Legiono, kovojusio Wehrmachto sudėtyje (atrodo, taip ir nepasiekusio divizijos skaitlingumo) vado atsiminimuose jo tautiečiai visi kaip vienas – kilnios išvaizdos, ir net pusiau sudraskyti sviedinio dar randą minutę kitą iki numirštant sukalbėti poterius, palaiminti kovos draugus ir pan.
Tuo tarpu priešininkai – atitinkami ir aprašomi atitinkamai su įtūžio kupinu vaizdingumu, aiškia abejone ar šie verti žmogaus vardo:
„Jie priešinosi kaip urviniai žmonės, bet, be gyvuliškos jėgos, turėjo modernius automatus su septyniasdešimt vienu šoviniu. Utėlėtuose daiktamaišiuose ant nugaros jie vilko visa, kad galėtų kovoti savaitę ar dvi<...> Šie gauruoti gigantai, tie mongolai moliūgo pavidalo kaukolėmis, apžėlę šiurkščiais šeriais, plokščiais veidais, tarsi kiaulės oda aptrauktais skruostais, šie kačių įpročių turintys azijiečiai mažomis blizgančiomis akutėmis, niekada nesiprausiantys, apdriskę, nenumaldomi, lyginant su minkštakūniais, plonaodžiais mūsų kariais, mums atrodė kaip priešistoriniai monstrai.
Šituos driskius sugavome kaip kokius šernus jų priedangose. Tie plačiaveidžiai, atrodantys kaip laukiniai, juokėsi, nes jų nenužudėme ir net dalijome cigaretes.
<...>
Rusai prasiskverbdavo į mūsų kovos rikiuotę, o mes tuos šlykščius apdriskusius monstrus kaip žvėris, kalenančius geltonais dantimis, tamsoje sučiupdavome ir vesdavome į vadavietę. Tie belaisviai viską pasakojo ir tikino, kad yra už mus dešimt kartų stipresni. Paskui jie kažką rijo ir užmigdavo kur pakliuvo, kaip laukiniai, per miegus blaškėsi, kažką šnekėjo, skleisdami suodžių ir šlapių drabužių smarvę.“
<...>
Arba
„Tie belaisviai buvo vaikigaliai, makaulės atrodė panašios į sodų miegapelių galvas, daugiausia šešiolikmečiai, padžiūvę kaip sausainiai, iškankinti žygių ir miego stokos.<...>Vietoj tų kareivių-vaikigalių, su kuriais susidūrėmę anksčiau, mums teko susigrumti su baustinių batalionu. Tai buvo bukanosiai aukštaūgiai plikai skustais kiaušais.““
Bet skaityti įdomu. Įvykių, vaizdų, kovų aprašymai savo vaizdingumu ir įtaigumu gniaužia kvapą ir artėja prie kažkokio Ragnaroko orbitos.
Tiesa, „Briedis“ lieka prie savo – redagavime, švelniai tariant, nepersistengia, tad knygoje netrūksta tokių nesusipratimų kaip:
„Kraujuodamas vaikinas prišliaužė prie tanko ir paleido šovė iš „pancerfausto“...“
arba
„Viename kelyje palei Breslau stovėjo paliktas traukinys, o atviruose jo vagonuose gulėjo įšalę 150 du berniukų ir mergaičių kūnai.“
Man gal labiausiai įstrigo ši kartuvių scena (pacituota žemiau), kažkuo primenanti šių dienų mūšius Ukrainoje, kai į beviltišką padėtį pakliuvę rusų kareiviai sprogdinosi granatomis, šaudosi kalašnikovais, persirėžia gerklę į Bruno spiralę ir pan.... Tas pat fatališkumas, bevališkumas mirties akivaizdoje, aklas sutikimas tapti patrankų mėsa.
Šių dienų pasaulyje to jau lyg ir neturėjo būti, bet yra.
„Paprastai mirčiai pasmerkti rusai į savo lemtį žvelgė su buku fanatizmu, nuleidę rankas.<...>Pasmerktieji rusai eidavo padriku žingsniu, nebyliai žvelgdami priešais save, paskui lipo ant kėdės, kuri stovėjo ant stalo. Jie taip ir stovėjo, nieko neprašydami, nesipriešindami. Jiems būdavo uždedama ant kaklo nukarusios virvės kilpa.
<...>Kartą vokiečiai vienu metu turėjo įvykdyti mirties nuosprendį penkiems nuteistiesiems. Vieno iš pakartųjų virvė nutrūko, jis parvirto ant žemės. Atsikėlė netardamas nė žodžio, pats vėl pastatė kėdę ant stalo, užlipo ant jos ir nesutrikęs laukė, kol jam ant kaklo bus užnerta kita virvė. Šių žmonių širdyse būta kažkokio rytietiško fanatizmo, vaikiško nekaltumo, bejėgiškumo, taip pat įpratimo ilgą laiką būti mušamam ir kentėti.“
March 30, 2025
One of the best war memoirs I have ever read.
What is amazing about this memoir is that Degrelle was a Belgian fighting alongside the German armed forces in WWII. He was both insider and outsider, soldier and officer. The reader experiences Degrelle's life at the front AND at the command post. They experience everything from his interactions with other soldiers to his interactions with generals, Heinrich Himmler and Adolf Hitler himself.
Degrelle was NOT a National Socialist. He was what we might understand as a monarchist--and a very devout, faith-filled Catholic. He was young and idealistic, gifted with both linguistic and leadership abilities. While the reader may or may not agree with what he writes, it is hard to not be moved by it.
He is brutally, blatantly honest about the horrors of the Eastern Front. The book is engaging and moves steadily, in spite of it's lengthy chapters. The young Belgian volunteers had little respite for four years.
Though I already knew the end of the story of Degrelle's war years, I was still very moved by the end of the book, to see the story written out in his own words.
This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of WWII, but especially for those who are keen to study the Eastern Front, the Waffen-SS or the European volunteers that sided with Germany.
What is amazing about this memoir is that Degrelle was a Belgian fighting alongside the German armed forces in WWII. He was both insider and outsider, soldier and officer. The reader experiences Degrelle's life at the front AND at the command post. They experience everything from his interactions with other soldiers to his interactions with generals, Heinrich Himmler and Adolf Hitler himself.
Degrelle was NOT a National Socialist. He was what we might understand as a monarchist--and a very devout, faith-filled Catholic. He was young and idealistic, gifted with both linguistic and leadership abilities. While the reader may or may not agree with what he writes, it is hard to not be moved by it.
He is brutally, blatantly honest about the horrors of the Eastern Front. The book is engaging and moves steadily, in spite of it's lengthy chapters. The young Belgian volunteers had little respite for four years.
Though I already knew the end of the story of Degrelle's war years, I was still very moved by the end of the book, to see the story written out in his own words.
This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of WWII, but especially for those who are keen to study the Eastern Front, the Waffen-SS or the European volunteers that sided with Germany.
January 22, 2022
The Eastern Front has all of the components that I tend to enjoy in a WW2 memoir. Astonishing acts of derring-do, decisive action and impossible bravery against the odds, leavened with philosophical reflections and a dash of sentimentality. Yet by the end of reading it, I felt annoyed.
I don't expect every Waffen-SS volunteer to admit they were wrong, or deluded. That's not in human nature, and frankly I doubt that many of them feel they were wrong. But in that case, I would expect them to be honest about their motivations and why they feel, even now, that they were right. Degrelle's version of events is so carefully managed and the context so carefully presented that it rings false in a way that most similar memoirs do not.
Léon Degrelle was a Belgian Walloon political journalist, then a politician, then a volunteer for the armed wing of the Nazi party. In that context, I shouldn't be surprised that his memoir oozes propaganda. But it makes me doubt the underlying truth of what I'm reading and that's tough to get over. I got the sense that Degrelle was spinning his (truly remarkable) experiences for posterity, consciously minimising his racial motivations and maximising his honourable Wallonian patriotism. It became hard to take it seriously or even believe some of it.
That said, thanks to his background in journalism and public speaking, the book is written in a striking and lyrical way, heavy on poetic description, some of which is excellent, some of which is cloying. Either it was written in English (doubt) or an unnamed translator has done a great job of transcreating his writing. The events are exciting despite the feeling of propaganda. It's worth reading, just handle with care and cross-reference with Wikipedia to get a less stage-managed idea of the bigger picture. I would normally give this kind of book 4* but I couldn't shake the feeling that The Eastern Front lacks fundamental integrity and takes me for a fool.
I don't expect every Waffen-SS volunteer to admit they were wrong, or deluded. That's not in human nature, and frankly I doubt that many of them feel they were wrong. But in that case, I would expect them to be honest about their motivations and why they feel, even now, that they were right. Degrelle's version of events is so carefully managed and the context so carefully presented that it rings false in a way that most similar memoirs do not.
Léon Degrelle was a Belgian Walloon political journalist, then a politician, then a volunteer for the armed wing of the Nazi party. In that context, I shouldn't be surprised that his memoir oozes propaganda. But it makes me doubt the underlying truth of what I'm reading and that's tough to get over. I got the sense that Degrelle was spinning his (truly remarkable) experiences for posterity, consciously minimising his racial motivations and maximising his honourable Wallonian patriotism. It became hard to take it seriously or even believe some of it.
That said, thanks to his background in journalism and public speaking, the book is written in a striking and lyrical way, heavy on poetic description, some of which is excellent, some of which is cloying. Either it was written in English (doubt) or an unnamed translator has done a great job of transcreating his writing. The events are exciting despite the feeling of propaganda. It's worth reading, just handle with care and cross-reference with Wikipedia to get a less stage-managed idea of the bigger picture. I would normally give this kind of book 4* but I couldn't shake the feeling that The Eastern Front lacks fundamental integrity and takes me for a fool.
July 25, 2024
It's fascinating to see someone as proficient at self-delusion as this guy.
I'm having a hard time understanding his popularity among the neo-Nazis. He seems to be a run-of-the-mill right wing loser politician, sliding into irrelevancy after winning 11% of vote and then deciding to lick daddy Hitler's boots for some glory in an anti-communist crusade (?). Then, he and his Walloon comrades freeze their asses off for years in the USSR, his unit getting destroyed thrice. Yeah, I don't get it.
I'm having a hard time understanding his popularity among the neo-Nazis. He seems to be a run-of-the-mill right wing loser politician, sliding into irrelevancy after winning 11% of vote and then deciding to lick daddy Hitler's boots for some glory in an anti-communist crusade (?). Then, he and his Walloon comrades freeze their asses off for years in the USSR, his unit getting destroyed thrice. Yeah, I don't get it.
December 23, 2020
We all need to be better informed of the case of Leon Degrelle. Nothing, in fact, is more important than a thorough assessment of this man's struggle with the times in which he lived. I for one need to mention that though I condemn his identification with Nazi ideology, and I do so not because the Nazis lost the war, but because I consider their ideology repulsive in and of itself. And I believe I would find such an ideology repulsive even without the historical conditions under which I have experienced life.
But to return to M. Degrelle. He was the youngest and most energetic leader in Belgium during the early years of the war. At the age of 29 he rose to prominence and he was an acknowledged leader. His followers had complete confidence in him. They demonstrated their passionate commitment by following his exploits. The Belgian parliament was filled with members sympathetic to his message. All M. Degrelle needed to do was say the word: it was to be done.
What were his objectives, the curious reader may ask? Well, it's a simple list of demands. You'll notice the simple list of demands has a way of making history happen: the Boston Tea Party or Luther's 95 Theses. "I wanted to free my country from...moneyed interests." No problem with that. We all know that the "moneyed interests" are vampires. A little money here and there corrupts, but money everywhere corrupts absolutely. This is not a question of favoring 'fascism' as the Leftist will say, but of good sense and sound order.
M. Degrelle called for a living contract between his people and the government. Elites tend to play of the differences between people in order to dominate them. Language, money, occupation all play a role in the politics of resentment. Look at President Biden, someone who has exploited resentment from his very beginnings, claiming "I'm just an ordinary guy from Scranton, PA." Nonsense, and a lie. Let's hope he is impeached and as soon as possible.
It's true that M. Degrelle is responsible for the Rexist movement. But he is also responsible for this remarkable statement that easily resonates with others today: "I swooped down, broom in hand, under the eyes of a corrupt gang that had drained life out of my country. I flogged and I flagellated them. I destroyed, before the eyes of the people, the white sepulchers under which they hid their depravities, their plundering, their lucrative collusions. I caused a breath of idealism to pass over my country...."
Can we blame this man, misguided as he is, for the vigor and determination he displays?
But to return to M. Degrelle. He was the youngest and most energetic leader in Belgium during the early years of the war. At the age of 29 he rose to prominence and he was an acknowledged leader. His followers had complete confidence in him. They demonstrated their passionate commitment by following his exploits. The Belgian parliament was filled with members sympathetic to his message. All M. Degrelle needed to do was say the word: it was to be done.
What were his objectives, the curious reader may ask? Well, it's a simple list of demands. You'll notice the simple list of demands has a way of making history happen: the Boston Tea Party or Luther's 95 Theses. "I wanted to free my country from...moneyed interests." No problem with that. We all know that the "moneyed interests" are vampires. A little money here and there corrupts, but money everywhere corrupts absolutely. This is not a question of favoring 'fascism' as the Leftist will say, but of good sense and sound order.
M. Degrelle called for a living contract between his people and the government. Elites tend to play of the differences between people in order to dominate them. Language, money, occupation all play a role in the politics of resentment. Look at President Biden, someone who has exploited resentment from his very beginnings, claiming "I'm just an ordinary guy from Scranton, PA." Nonsense, and a lie. Let's hope he is impeached and as soon as possible.
It's true that M. Degrelle is responsible for the Rexist movement. But he is also responsible for this remarkable statement that easily resonates with others today: "I swooped down, broom in hand, under the eyes of a corrupt gang that had drained life out of my country. I flogged and I flagellated them. I destroyed, before the eyes of the people, the white sepulchers under which they hid their depravities, their plundering, their lucrative collusions. I caused a breath of idealism to pass over my country...."
Can we blame this man, misguided as he is, for the vigor and determination he displays?
April 21, 2024
Joseph Goebbels said, "Humanity would sink into eternal darkness, it would fall into a dull and primitive state, were the [Allies] to win this war." Leon Degrelle was one who fought against this darkness. This surprisingly poetic and literary memoir details his service in the Waffen-SS against the communist menace that threatened to overrun and destroy all of Europe. The narrative describes the Walloonian Legion's advance through picturesque Ukraine and into the horror of the Russian winter, culminating in Degrelle's triumphant audience with Hitler. Afterwards, we're faced with the Gotterdammerung of the Reich's defeat by the forces that would soon usher in a New World Order. The Eastern Front is a detailed and compelling account of the Second World War, told by one of its heroes.
February 12, 2012
Ik moet zeggen dat dit boek me van begin tot het einde geboeid heeft. De lijdensweg, de verbetenheid van onze Oostfronters gezien door de ogen van Léon Degrelle.
De eindeloze steppe in hartje Rusland, de koude siberische winters, ...
Enkel halfweg 't boek had ik 't effe gehad. Maar vanaf de Slag om de Oder, de laatste dagen van 't rijk ... opnieuw dat hectische ...
Wat me daarenboven is bijgebleven, is het feit dat ie niet uit de hoogte doet over z'n onderscheidingen, ook z'n politieke ideeën laat ie achterwege.
Een echte aanrader!
De eindeloze steppe in hartje Rusland, de koude siberische winters, ...
Enkel halfweg 't boek had ik 't effe gehad. Maar vanaf de Slag om de Oder, de laatste dagen van 't rijk ... opnieuw dat hectische ...
Wat me daarenboven is bijgebleven, is het feit dat ie niet uit de hoogte doet over z'n onderscheidingen, ook z'n politieke ideeën laat ie achterwege.
Een echte aanrader!
December 8, 2019
A modern Iliad; the inspiring tales of a skilled warrior of noble character.
May 31, 2017
Great account of Belgians during WW 2 on the Eastern Front as remembered by Leon DeGrelle. Especially about the Cherkassy pocket.
November 13, 2023
10/10.
Degrelle has lived one of the most interesting lives of a soldier and commander in the twentieth century. It is a tragedy that he fought on the "wrong" side of history, and thus no one knows of his exploits.
He should have died not five times, not ten times, but thirty times over. From the near-eternal bombardments of Bolshevik artillery; to getting injured nine times; to being trapped and surrounded on all sides; to fighting 41 Soviet tanks with nothing but a band of 100 men without support; to getting harassed hours upon hours by American planes in a Volkswagen filled with 25 holes; to escaping Red mobs — lynching Germans left and right — in the streets of Copenhagen; to flying a labeled National Socialist plane over all of Europe on the day Germany officially surrendered; and finally having that plane run out of fuel, crashing on the coast of Spain, almost being drowned, getting wounded in five different locations, and surviving — this man has been blessed by Fate and God to have lived!
Perhaps that survival was to tell his great story. I know of no other man's memoirs that are as filled with acts of heroism, self-sacrifice, duty, and courage as Degrelle's. To think — Degrelle was not a German! Nor was he fighting in Germany! He and the men under him were French-speaking Belgians, or Walloons.
Why were they fighting? Why were they sacrificing themselves in the -40° Celsius winters in the Caucasus, in the seemingly hopeless struggles against the Bolshevik hordes in the Baltic lands and in Pomerania, in covering the retreat of hundreds of thousands of Germans? For what end did these Walloons gain renown all throughout Europe for their selflessness?
They fought for a united Europe. Not for a Europe "united" by economic interests and the desire to make as much money as possible. No, they fought for the vital Europe, the Europe connected by blood. They fought to defend Europe against the Asiatic hordes pouring in from Bolshevik Russia, who were ready and eager to destroy Europe's culture, heritage, and DNA. They loved their mother country, Belgium, but saw its only protection in a Europe ready to defend itself from foreign influences — whether of thought, culture, or blood.
Degrelle and his fellow Walloons saw the devastation that Bolshevism had wrought when they marched through the Ukraine. Everywhere they went, they were greeted with the utmost happiness and joy. Men and women started up with enthusiasm, ready to bake them plentiful amounts of food. Degrelle instituted Christian masses and other worship sessions as soon as he got to villages, and the villagers loved him for it. They would take out their idols that they had hidden and immediately pray with tears streaming down their faces.
No one was a Bolshevist in rural Ukraine. No one cared about the ideology. They did care that their sons had been taken under threat of immediate torture and execution; that they had almost nothing to eat; that their relatives had "mysteriously disappeared".
Bolshevism was like a guillotine to Europe. It threatened to cut its head off, taking all achievements of thought, spirit, and culture with it, thereby making Europeans a race of slaves. All would be leveled, and national cultures would no longer remain. All that would remain was "the proletariat", with the added benefits of soulless art, mass arrests, eternal fear, and starvation.
This is what Degrelle, his men, and the other hundreds of thousands of European volunteers of the SS fought against. They wanted to keep Europe for Europeans. With this ideal in their mind, they fought like the bravest knights the world had ever seen. Degrelle's memoir is a testament to their unfathomable bravery.
Alas, his memoir is also one of tragedy. It saddens one to read of Degrelle discovering that the Russian transport vehicles had written on them "Ford Motor Company", and that the tanks stopping the German offensives in 1941 and 1942 had American manufacturers. It makes one melancholy to see this land, America, conquered and colonized by Germans — Angles and Saxons amongst others — fighting to destroy its blood relatives and lavishly funding the production of a massive slave-state. Then American planes proceeded to shoot millions of rounds of incendiary bullets at fleeing German women and children, burning holes in breasts, killing blonde children by the dozen, and leaving the survivors to be raped and tortured by Bolshevik savages.
It truly is a tragic story. Let us be thankful, though, that Degrelle survived to tell us it. For without his survival, and the courage of many others, none of us would have known any better. We would have believed we won the Holy War against fascism and "Nazism". Yet, if we look closely, we can see clearly whose side Satan is on.
Degrelle has lived one of the most interesting lives of a soldier and commander in the twentieth century. It is a tragedy that he fought on the "wrong" side of history, and thus no one knows of his exploits.
He should have died not five times, not ten times, but thirty times over. From the near-eternal bombardments of Bolshevik artillery; to getting injured nine times; to being trapped and surrounded on all sides; to fighting 41 Soviet tanks with nothing but a band of 100 men without support; to getting harassed hours upon hours by American planes in a Volkswagen filled with 25 holes; to escaping Red mobs — lynching Germans left and right — in the streets of Copenhagen; to flying a labeled National Socialist plane over all of Europe on the day Germany officially surrendered; and finally having that plane run out of fuel, crashing on the coast of Spain, almost being drowned, getting wounded in five different locations, and surviving — this man has been blessed by Fate and God to have lived!
Perhaps that survival was to tell his great story. I know of no other man's memoirs that are as filled with acts of heroism, self-sacrifice, duty, and courage as Degrelle's. To think — Degrelle was not a German! Nor was he fighting in Germany! He and the men under him were French-speaking Belgians, or Walloons.
Why were they fighting? Why were they sacrificing themselves in the -40° Celsius winters in the Caucasus, in the seemingly hopeless struggles against the Bolshevik hordes in the Baltic lands and in Pomerania, in covering the retreat of hundreds of thousands of Germans? For what end did these Walloons gain renown all throughout Europe for their selflessness?
They fought for a united Europe. Not for a Europe "united" by economic interests and the desire to make as much money as possible. No, they fought for the vital Europe, the Europe connected by blood. They fought to defend Europe against the Asiatic hordes pouring in from Bolshevik Russia, who were ready and eager to destroy Europe's culture, heritage, and DNA. They loved their mother country, Belgium, but saw its only protection in a Europe ready to defend itself from foreign influences — whether of thought, culture, or blood.
Degrelle and his fellow Walloons saw the devastation that Bolshevism had wrought when they marched through the Ukraine. Everywhere they went, they were greeted with the utmost happiness and joy. Men and women started up with enthusiasm, ready to bake them plentiful amounts of food. Degrelle instituted Christian masses and other worship sessions as soon as he got to villages, and the villagers loved him for it. They would take out their idols that they had hidden and immediately pray with tears streaming down their faces.
No one was a Bolshevist in rural Ukraine. No one cared about the ideology. They did care that their sons had been taken under threat of immediate torture and execution; that they had almost nothing to eat; that their relatives had "mysteriously disappeared".
Bolshevism was like a guillotine to Europe. It threatened to cut its head off, taking all achievements of thought, spirit, and culture with it, thereby making Europeans a race of slaves. All would be leveled, and national cultures would no longer remain. All that would remain was "the proletariat", with the added benefits of soulless art, mass arrests, eternal fear, and starvation.
This is what Degrelle, his men, and the other hundreds of thousands of European volunteers of the SS fought against. They wanted to keep Europe for Europeans. With this ideal in their mind, they fought like the bravest knights the world had ever seen. Degrelle's memoir is a testament to their unfathomable bravery.
Alas, his memoir is also one of tragedy. It saddens one to read of Degrelle discovering that the Russian transport vehicles had written on them "Ford Motor Company", and that the tanks stopping the German offensives in 1941 and 1942 had American manufacturers. It makes one melancholy to see this land, America, conquered and colonized by Germans — Angles and Saxons amongst others — fighting to destroy its blood relatives and lavishly funding the production of a massive slave-state. Then American planes proceeded to shoot millions of rounds of incendiary bullets at fleeing German women and children, burning holes in breasts, killing blonde children by the dozen, and leaving the survivors to be raped and tortured by Bolshevik savages.
It truly is a tragic story. Let us be thankful, though, that Degrelle survived to tell us it. For without his survival, and the courage of many others, none of us would have known any better. We would have believed we won the Holy War against fascism and "Nazism". Yet, if we look closely, we can see clearly whose side Satan is on.
August 2, 2023
A fascinating and interesting insight into one of the lesser-known facets of World War II. Thousands of non-Germans fought in the German Army. In the case of Leon Degrelle, one of the founders of the Rexist movement in Belgium, he was instrumental in forming the Walloon Legion of French-speaking Belgians, that became part of the Waffen SS and spent much of the war fighting in Russia.
Degrelle was an interesting character. The introduction to this book gives some background to the man, even if it is coloured by the obvious ideological bent of this whole publication. He was very active in Belgian politics, and formed the Rexist movement out his initial involvement with Catholic politics in Belgium. Initially the Rexist party was a nationalist movment, but gradually moved to the right and became influenced by fascism. While initially supporting Belgium's neutrality, once Germay had invaded Rexists generally supported the occupation. Degrelle had the idea of forming a battalion of Rexist volunteers for the German army, with the thought that if Belgians fought well during the War, they could carve out a better accommodation with Germany in the peace that would follow. Degrelle backed the wrong side...
...however, he, and most of the troops under his command, backed it to the hilt. Campaign in Russia is a catalogue of Degrelle's time in the SS, from where he rose from Corporal, through to General of the Walloon Legion (called so even though it never grew much beyond Brigade strength). Like most personal descriptions of fighting in Russia, it lays bare the lack of preparedness of the Germans, their struggles even while "winning", the horrifying privations that the troops suffered because of the weather, and the horror of the final collapse in 1945.
Where Degrelle's memoir differs from others that I have read is in the macabre descriptions of death, the dead, and the wounded. One description struck me as particularly callous and vicious: "I had picked up an Estonian officer. I would have liked to use him to command his compatriots scattered among my troops, but he was consumed by panicky fear. He turned green hearing the bullets whistle past, and lay down flat against my boots, as stiff as a board. One bullet, instead of hitting me in the foot, struck him full in the face, went through him from one end to the other, and came out between his buttocks. He twisted about like a worm, spat, cried, defecated. It was too late. He had digested the bullet too quickly. Ten minutes later he was dead." As you can see, he almost seems to revel in describing the carnage, to the extent that I am left wondering whether he suffered some sort of PTSD: given the amount of fighting and death he saw, it's almost certain that he did suffer mentally from his actions. He himself was wounded several times, and was no doubt a brave soldier.
While the introduction would have us believe that he thought the Russians just as brave as the Germans, - and he does mention that several times during the text - there is no doubt that Degrelle was a committed anti-communist and Nazi. He never fails to make racial slurs about the Russian soldiers he encounters, to emphasise their stupidity, and to glorify the Germans, the Nazi State, and Adolf Hitler himself. In fact he met Hitler on more than one occasion (Degrelle was the only non-German to receive the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves) and comes away convinced of the man's genius, even though intellectually he knows the War will be lost.
The Wallonian troops, if Degrelle is to be believed, were often used a shock troops, which Degrelle put down to their ideological ardour. They were certainly sent to undertake impossible tasks again and again, with ever decreasing levels of support from air, artillery and tanks. Degrelle continues to praise the "calmness" of the German General Staff, even when they were transmitting impossible orders to hold on to him and his units.
In fact Degrelle's lack of insight is a theme that runs through this book. He lambasts the Soviets for their poor equipment but continually describes the lack of such equipment for his troops. He lampoons the Russian command for their crude tactics, and yet is continually describing lunacy coming from his own superiors. He reviles the brutality of the Russians, and yet calmly describes the execution of German deserters in the last days of the War.
Perhaps his biggest self-delusion was the one that led him to form the Walloon Legion itself - that 8,000 or so Belgian troops fighting for Germany would somehow mean that Hitler would give their country some sort of self-determination. He must have been very blind to all that the Nazis did everywhere in Europe to continue to believe that. He makes much of fighting for European civilization against the communist Slav, and yet who was it that began the conflagration; who was it that invaded Russia? He has nothing to say about the treatment of the Jews or the Russian population more generally, and I suppose it may have been that he did not know too much, given where he was posted and the times he was posted there, although he does write, when searching a Russian that he had killed "He had on his person a last will in which he had sworn that, as a Jew, he was resolved to do everything to avenge the Jews." Which does at least imply that he knew something of their fate. More self-delusion in the sentence he wrote following the one just quoted - "Men's fanaticism has no limits." That actually took my breath away.
The Wallonians had a small part to play in the Ardennes offensive (Battle of the Bulge), as they were coming in behind the attacking troops to take control of Belgian territory, but when that assault failed they were sent back to the East to face their final martyrdom. Degrelle describes the final carnage and confusion well, including his own flight to Oslo and eventually to Spain, where he lived in exile until his death in 1994. His Legionnaires went on to various fates, but most ended up back in Belgium to ponder what they had done.
Campaign in Russia is a racy description of the life of one unit on the Eastern Front in World War II. It is also an interesting psychological study into how someone can fall in with evil from what they consider high ideals, and how the brutality of war leaves a stain on everyone involved.
A few words now about the physical book itself. The copy I read is a handsome hardback volume, with a nice black-and-white dustjacket. It's printed, for an American book, on lower quality paper (although still better than the trash used by most Australian publishers), has only one black-and-white photograph (of Degrelle), and has no maps and virtually no other apparatus, apart from some laughable "notes", and a Glossary of terms. There are noticeable printing errors, spelling mistakes and mis-translations throughout the book. The Introduction, by Ted O'Keefe, which is basically a short hagiographic piece on Degrelle, rang alarm bells for me immediately. Who was Ted O'Keefe, what was the Institute for Historical Review, and why would they publish this particular work?
A little bit of fishing around on the Internet confirmed that the Institute is in fact some sort of anti-Semitic group that operates in California, so basically a bunch of nut-jobs. I picked this book up second-hand because I hadn't seen it before, so I know it's relatively scarce. While reading it it's impossible not to notice that it is a pro-Nazi work, so it's not surprising that Nazi sympathisers published it - a quick trip to their website store shows exactly what type of operation it is - and where you can find an "updated" edition of the work under review, which I note has an index - I wonder if there are any maps? Both are sorely lacking in the edition which I have read.
If you are a serious student of World War II, and in particular the Eastern Front, this book would be worth hunting out. If you can stand the pro-Nazi flavour, there is much good writing on what the life of the soldiery was like during nearly four years of hell.
Recommended, with reservations.
Check out my other reviews at http://aviewoverthebell.blogspot.com.au/
Degrelle was an interesting character. The introduction to this book gives some background to the man, even if it is coloured by the obvious ideological bent of this whole publication. He was very active in Belgian politics, and formed the Rexist movement out his initial involvement with Catholic politics in Belgium. Initially the Rexist party was a nationalist movment, but gradually moved to the right and became influenced by fascism. While initially supporting Belgium's neutrality, once Germay had invaded Rexists generally supported the occupation. Degrelle had the idea of forming a battalion of Rexist volunteers for the German army, with the thought that if Belgians fought well during the War, they could carve out a better accommodation with Germany in the peace that would follow. Degrelle backed the wrong side...
...however, he, and most of the troops under his command, backed it to the hilt. Campaign in Russia is a catalogue of Degrelle's time in the SS, from where he rose from Corporal, through to General of the Walloon Legion (called so even though it never grew much beyond Brigade strength). Like most personal descriptions of fighting in Russia, it lays bare the lack of preparedness of the Germans, their struggles even while "winning", the horrifying privations that the troops suffered because of the weather, and the horror of the final collapse in 1945.
Where Degrelle's memoir differs from others that I have read is in the macabre descriptions of death, the dead, and the wounded. One description struck me as particularly callous and vicious: "I had picked up an Estonian officer. I would have liked to use him to command his compatriots scattered among my troops, but he was consumed by panicky fear. He turned green hearing the bullets whistle past, and lay down flat against my boots, as stiff as a board. One bullet, instead of hitting me in the foot, struck him full in the face, went through him from one end to the other, and came out between his buttocks. He twisted about like a worm, spat, cried, defecated. It was too late. He had digested the bullet too quickly. Ten minutes later he was dead." As you can see, he almost seems to revel in describing the carnage, to the extent that I am left wondering whether he suffered some sort of PTSD: given the amount of fighting and death he saw, it's almost certain that he did suffer mentally from his actions. He himself was wounded several times, and was no doubt a brave soldier.
While the introduction would have us believe that he thought the Russians just as brave as the Germans, - and he does mention that several times during the text - there is no doubt that Degrelle was a committed anti-communist and Nazi. He never fails to make racial slurs about the Russian soldiers he encounters, to emphasise their stupidity, and to glorify the Germans, the Nazi State, and Adolf Hitler himself. In fact he met Hitler on more than one occasion (Degrelle was the only non-German to receive the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves) and comes away convinced of the man's genius, even though intellectually he knows the War will be lost.
The Wallonian troops, if Degrelle is to be believed, were often used a shock troops, which Degrelle put down to their ideological ardour. They were certainly sent to undertake impossible tasks again and again, with ever decreasing levels of support from air, artillery and tanks. Degrelle continues to praise the "calmness" of the German General Staff, even when they were transmitting impossible orders to hold on to him and his units.
In fact Degrelle's lack of insight is a theme that runs through this book. He lambasts the Soviets for their poor equipment but continually describes the lack of such equipment for his troops. He lampoons the Russian command for their crude tactics, and yet is continually describing lunacy coming from his own superiors. He reviles the brutality of the Russians, and yet calmly describes the execution of German deserters in the last days of the War.
Perhaps his biggest self-delusion was the one that led him to form the Walloon Legion itself - that 8,000 or so Belgian troops fighting for Germany would somehow mean that Hitler would give their country some sort of self-determination. He must have been very blind to all that the Nazis did everywhere in Europe to continue to believe that. He makes much of fighting for European civilization against the communist Slav, and yet who was it that began the conflagration; who was it that invaded Russia? He has nothing to say about the treatment of the Jews or the Russian population more generally, and I suppose it may have been that he did not know too much, given where he was posted and the times he was posted there, although he does write, when searching a Russian that he had killed "He had on his person a last will in which he had sworn that, as a Jew, he was resolved to do everything to avenge the Jews." Which does at least imply that he knew something of their fate. More self-delusion in the sentence he wrote following the one just quoted - "Men's fanaticism has no limits." That actually took my breath away.
The Wallonians had a small part to play in the Ardennes offensive (Battle of the Bulge), as they were coming in behind the attacking troops to take control of Belgian territory, but when that assault failed they were sent back to the East to face their final martyrdom. Degrelle describes the final carnage and confusion well, including his own flight to Oslo and eventually to Spain, where he lived in exile until his death in 1994. His Legionnaires went on to various fates, but most ended up back in Belgium to ponder what they had done.
Campaign in Russia is a racy description of the life of one unit on the Eastern Front in World War II. It is also an interesting psychological study into how someone can fall in with evil from what they consider high ideals, and how the brutality of war leaves a stain on everyone involved.
A few words now about the physical book itself. The copy I read is a handsome hardback volume, with a nice black-and-white dustjacket. It's printed, for an American book, on lower quality paper (although still better than the trash used by most Australian publishers), has only one black-and-white photograph (of Degrelle), and has no maps and virtually no other apparatus, apart from some laughable "notes", and a Glossary of terms. There are noticeable printing errors, spelling mistakes and mis-translations throughout the book. The Introduction, by Ted O'Keefe, which is basically a short hagiographic piece on Degrelle, rang alarm bells for me immediately. Who was Ted O'Keefe, what was the Institute for Historical Review, and why would they publish this particular work?
A little bit of fishing around on the Internet confirmed that the Institute is in fact some sort of anti-Semitic group that operates in California, so basically a bunch of nut-jobs. I picked this book up second-hand because I hadn't seen it before, so I know it's relatively scarce. While reading it it's impossible not to notice that it is a pro-Nazi work, so it's not surprising that Nazi sympathisers published it - a quick trip to their website store shows exactly what type of operation it is - and where you can find an "updated" edition of the work under review, which I note has an index - I wonder if there are any maps? Both are sorely lacking in the edition which I have read.
If you are a serious student of World War II, and in particular the Eastern Front, this book would be worth hunting out. If you can stand the pro-Nazi flavour, there is much good writing on what the life of the soldiery was like during nearly four years of hell.
Recommended, with reservations.
Check out my other reviews at http://aviewoverthebell.blogspot.com.au/
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews