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SS Wotan #5
Devil's Shield
This is the second in the fictional series The Dogs of War, by Leo Kessler. In the grey September of 1944, colonel von Dodenburg's SS battle group Wotan became the Fuhrer's Fire Brigade, the crack unit of the German Wehrmacht, to be thrown into any battle as a last desperate measure to redress the balance. As the Allied armies closed in on Germany's holy city of Aachen, even the most optimistic said that Hitler's war was lost. Only Colonel von Dodenburg's black uniformed troopers, with their dreaded silver death's head badge, were convinced that they could still save the day.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 1, 2009
Kuno is the best from the rest, do you copy? The problem is that our Kuno is officer SS. Oh, yes another Kuno´s adventures and massive American soldier killing in Aachen. Kuno von Dodenburg managed survive as well as his two sidekicks from SS and about 100 men from Wotan. Well, gore and partially bad taste of humor is motto of this book. It is like author was joking about things, which should not be joked about. He loved Kuno, everybody loves Kuno. Reader is happy that Kuno made it to another day.
The very charming, well you know what I am meaning, was the last senteces which were exchanged between our beloved Kuno and the commander of Aachen. "You know von Dodenburg, between us war criminals, you should get out as soon as possible or we will meet at the same trial."
yes that is called spirit. I think author has no shame at all.
The very charming, well you know what I am meaning, was the last senteces which were exchanged between our beloved Kuno and the commander of Aachen. "You know von Dodenburg, between us war criminals, you should get out as soon as possible or we will meet at the same trial."
yes that is called spirit. I think author has no shame at all.
February 16, 2020
Here we go again, achtung frontschwein! It is time for SS Wotan to stave off the Ami hordes and defend der Vaterland noch Aachen! If anyone can pull it off Don Vodenburger can!
Sorry but I have just finished reading another Kessler epic. Probably I read this as a teenager and am now revisiting these war novels I used to love to pass the time with. Great reading for train journeys and flights but do not expect too much veracity nor literate turns of phrase. Instead you get plenty of rude men in action dealing out blood and guts by the bucketful. Quite why these novels have never been made into comic books baffles me. They play out like that or maybe as a movie.
On a personal note I have actually been to Aachen. It was quite some years ago and yet looked every bit like WW2 had passed it by. The sad thing is that I had forgotten about this book when there for a few days for a conference otherwise I would have taken it along with me.
More than that I actually slept in the bed of von Dodenburg himself! At the Hotel Quellenhof! Well, maybe I exaggerate but I certainly did stay in the hotel and drink in the bar where half a century before stormtroopers had lifted their steins to toast der Fuehrer. I walked the streets never noticing the sewer covers where Wotan did their dirty deeds. Maybe the restaurant where we enjoyed Chinese food was in fact the brothel where they dilly-dallied between slugfests. Amazing.
Right, time to rewatch Scarface or Goldfinger and muse over swimming in the pool at the Hotel Fontainbleu... some great conference trips back then!
Sorry but I have just finished reading another Kessler epic. Probably I read this as a teenager and am now revisiting these war novels I used to love to pass the time with. Great reading for train journeys and flights but do not expect too much veracity nor literate turns of phrase. Instead you get plenty of rude men in action dealing out blood and guts by the bucketful. Quite why these novels have never been made into comic books baffles me. They play out like that or maybe as a movie.
On a personal note I have actually been to Aachen. It was quite some years ago and yet looked every bit like WW2 had passed it by. The sad thing is that I had forgotten about this book when there for a few days for a conference otherwise I would have taken it along with me.
More than that I actually slept in the bed of von Dodenburg himself! At the Hotel Quellenhof! Well, maybe I exaggerate but I certainly did stay in the hotel and drink in the bar where half a century before stormtroopers had lifted their steins to toast der Fuehrer. I walked the streets never noticing the sewer covers where Wotan did their dirty deeds. Maybe the restaurant where we enjoyed Chinese food was in fact the brothel where they dilly-dallied between slugfests. Amazing.
Right, time to rewatch Scarface or Goldfinger and muse over swimming in the pool at the Hotel Fontainbleu... some great conference trips back then!
October 2, 2019
3.5*
The battle for Aachen was bloody, ruthless and hopeless but the SS Wotan do there thing as always and make it a fun and chaotic adventure. I liked this a bit better than the previous book in the series (Forced March) as it had a lot more tense situations, brutal war stories and different story arcs. The same colourful characters are still at the centre of the story with the noticeable addition of SS General Donner a grim and brutal figurehead overseeing the defense.
Another fine addition to the Dogs of War.
The battle for Aachen was bloody, ruthless and hopeless but the SS Wotan do there thing as always and make it a fun and chaotic adventure. I liked this a bit better than the previous book in the series (Forced March) as it had a lot more tense situations, brutal war stories and different story arcs. The same colourful characters are still at the centre of the story with the noticeable addition of SS General Donner a grim and brutal figurehead overseeing the defense.
Another fine addition to the Dogs of War.
March 12, 2022
Брзо и експлозивно. Од гледна точка на другата страна, Америте, Томите (Англичаните) и Ивановците (претпоставувате!) не се добрите момци овој пат... Првите продирања на сојузниците на територијата на Германија и опсадата на нивниот свет град...
March 2, 2023
Memories
Again, another story which takes me back to my childhood, books about war, great characters, likeable, serious, funny, rude. This series has such drawing power to those of us who grew up in the 70s when books were our internet.
Again, another story which takes me back to my childhood, books about war, great characters, likeable, serious, funny, rude. This series has such drawing power to those of us who grew up in the 70s when books were our internet.
October 20, 2018
Great WW II series from the German point of view...
March 11, 2021
2 down 6 to go. The series is hotting up
June 7, 2025
Very interesting and something is always happening.
December 3, 2025
Don’t fucking read this book UNLESS you hate yourself and want to have a shitty fucking time. It took me almost a year to finish this hell spawn of a book, that’s a year I’ll never get back. Don’t read it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews