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Mortar Gunner on the Eastern Front. Volume II: Russia, Hungary, Lithuania, and the Battle for East Prussia
This second volume of a Nazi soldier's WWII diary continues the chronicle of his experiences on the Easter Front.
A member of the Hitler Youth before the outbreak of World War II, Hans Heinz Rehfeldt volunteered for the Grossdeutschland's panzer arm in 1940 and fought with them for nearly the entire war. He was decorated with the Iron Cross First and Second Class, the Eastern Front Medal, the Close Combat Clasp, and the Infantry Assault Badge. His diaries offer a historically significant chronicle of German military actions on the Eastern Front as well as a rare look inside the mind of a committed Nazi soldier.
This second volume of Rehfeldt's wartime diary covers his experience as a platoon commander in Romania, East Prussia and Lithuania during 1944. After being transferred by ship from Memel to K�nigsberg later that year, he took part in the battles for Ostprussen. Fleeing Russian imprisonment, he traveled west, where he fell into American captivity on May 3rd, 1945. In July, he was released and returned home.
A member of the Hitler Youth before the outbreak of World War II, Hans Heinz Rehfeldt volunteered for the Grossdeutschland's panzer arm in 1940 and fought with them for nearly the entire war. He was decorated with the Iron Cross First and Second Class, the Eastern Front Medal, the Close Combat Clasp, and the Infantry Assault Badge. His diaries offer a historically significant chronicle of German military actions on the Eastern Front as well as a rare look inside the mind of a committed Nazi soldier.
This second volume of Rehfeldt's wartime diary covers his experience as a platoon commander in Romania, East Prussia and Lithuania during 1944. After being transferred by ship from Memel to K�nigsberg later that year, he took part in the battles for Ostprussen. Fleeing Russian imprisonment, he traveled west, where he fell into American captivity on May 3rd, 1945. In July, he was released and returned home.
517 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 30, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 5, 2020
Hans Rehfeldt served on the Eastern Front during World War II, a soldier in the German Army’s elite Grossdeutschland Division. This unit earned its nickname “the Fire Brigade” (or the German idiom feuerwehr) for its employment to stop Soviet breakthroughs and its role as a reserve… on-call, so to speak, in case of emergencies.
This is the second book based on Rehfeldt’s wartime journals. This one covers the period from 1944 to his postwar return home. This is the same period that Grossdeutschland became a Panzergrenadier division, mechanized infantry.
Hans Rehfeldt mostly served with the Tross, or support troops, of his battalion. In addition to frontline services the Tross also included heavy weapons platoons, such as Corporal Rehfeldt’s mortar unit. Because he was an enlisted soldier, rather than a senior officer, his observations are very interesting and are sometimes at variance with the mental picture we often have of combat on the Eastern Front. For instance, as a mechanized unit the Grossdeutschland would be expected to have not just tank units equipped with the latest models but also armored personnel carriers for the Infantry and possibly APCs for support elements. In fact, Rehfeldt’s mortars had to rely upon captured transport, including “Russian Studebakers.” He noted that antitank training was conducted with Panzerschrecks, a weapon based upon the bazookas captured from the U.S. Army in North Africa. Rehfeldt often found himself dependent upon Hiwi volunteers (many of them of non-Russian Soviet nationalities) to get jobs done, like evacuating the wounded. The division did indeed have heavy assault guns and Tiger tanks… but Rehfeldt only saw them deployed in ones and twos. And Grossdeutschland was an elite unit… it doesn’t take much imagination to envision how standard units were equipped.
The elite status of Grossdeutschland came from its élan. Unlike the “numbered” divisions of the German Army, the Grossdeutschland had earned a cuff title and a cipher device for the shoulder straps of their uniforms, a distinction unusual in the WWII German Army. It was also an “all-German” unit that traced its origins to the Reichsheer regiment raised to protect Berlin during the turbulent 1920s.
Rehfeldt was sent to the veterinarian school but due to a bureaucratic error he was not permitted to stay and complete the course. As an unassigned soldier he should have been sent to whatever unit required replacements the most, or possibly to be a cadre in a new unit being formed. Instead he pointed out that his paybook included an annotation that he could only be assigned back to Grossdeutschland. For the remainder of his time he and his fellow NCOs utilized the heavy weapons of their regiment to support the infantry and to inflict serious casualties on the Russians… who never seemed to run out of men.
Corporal Rehfeldt collected some of the propaganda materials both sides put out during the war. It is interesting that leaflets and magazines of both sides promised safe conduct and a good life for “defectors” but he knew that such promises were not kept for Russian soldiers who surrendered (except maybe members of the Russian units raised to augment the German Army) and he doubted the promises made by the Russians with the help of German POWs and communists who had fled to Moscow when the Nazis came to power. Soldiers of both sides knew that at best they could expect harsh treatment. It is little wonder that Rehfeldt writes of being surrounded several times by the Russians in “pockets,” but outright surrender was never an option for the cornered Germans. The technical skill of the Germans and their discipline got them out of tight spots many times but sheer numbers, and the loss of air support, really began to take their toll.
Mortar Gunner’s soldiers-eye view of combat, without reference to the larger operations or strategy of the fighting, makes it an interesting read. Good pictures, some maps.
This is the second book based on Rehfeldt’s wartime journals. This one covers the period from 1944 to his postwar return home. This is the same period that Grossdeutschland became a Panzergrenadier division, mechanized infantry.
Hans Rehfeldt mostly served with the Tross, or support troops, of his battalion. In addition to frontline services the Tross also included heavy weapons platoons, such as Corporal Rehfeldt’s mortar unit. Because he was an enlisted soldier, rather than a senior officer, his observations are very interesting and are sometimes at variance with the mental picture we often have of combat on the Eastern Front. For instance, as a mechanized unit the Grossdeutschland would be expected to have not just tank units equipped with the latest models but also armored personnel carriers for the Infantry and possibly APCs for support elements. In fact, Rehfeldt’s mortars had to rely upon captured transport, including “Russian Studebakers.” He noted that antitank training was conducted with Panzerschrecks, a weapon based upon the bazookas captured from the U.S. Army in North Africa. Rehfeldt often found himself dependent upon Hiwi volunteers (many of them of non-Russian Soviet nationalities) to get jobs done, like evacuating the wounded. The division did indeed have heavy assault guns and Tiger tanks… but Rehfeldt only saw them deployed in ones and twos. And Grossdeutschland was an elite unit… it doesn’t take much imagination to envision how standard units were equipped.
The elite status of Grossdeutschland came from its élan. Unlike the “numbered” divisions of the German Army, the Grossdeutschland had earned a cuff title and a cipher device for the shoulder straps of their uniforms, a distinction unusual in the WWII German Army. It was also an “all-German” unit that traced its origins to the Reichsheer regiment raised to protect Berlin during the turbulent 1920s.
Rehfeldt was sent to the veterinarian school but due to a bureaucratic error he was not permitted to stay and complete the course. As an unassigned soldier he should have been sent to whatever unit required replacements the most, or possibly to be a cadre in a new unit being formed. Instead he pointed out that his paybook included an annotation that he could only be assigned back to Grossdeutschland. For the remainder of his time he and his fellow NCOs utilized the heavy weapons of their regiment to support the infantry and to inflict serious casualties on the Russians… who never seemed to run out of men.
Corporal Rehfeldt collected some of the propaganda materials both sides put out during the war. It is interesting that leaflets and magazines of both sides promised safe conduct and a good life for “defectors” but he knew that such promises were not kept for Russian soldiers who surrendered (except maybe members of the Russian units raised to augment the German Army) and he doubted the promises made by the Russians with the help of German POWs and communists who had fled to Moscow when the Nazis came to power. Soldiers of both sides knew that at best they could expect harsh treatment. It is little wonder that Rehfeldt writes of being surrounded several times by the Russians in “pockets,” but outright surrender was never an option for the cornered Germans. The technical skill of the Germans and their discipline got them out of tight spots many times but sheer numbers, and the loss of air support, really began to take their toll.
Mortar Gunner’s soldiers-eye view of combat, without reference to the larger operations or strategy of the fighting, makes it an interesting read. Good pictures, some maps.
February 14, 2022
Volume II of Mortar Gunner on the Eastern Front is an even more harrowing account of Hans Rehfeldt's combat experience on the eastern front during WWII than Volume I, probably because the Germans were in retreat mode in Volume II and the Russians had military superiority. If all Rehfeldt's first hand accounts are accurate it's a miracle that he survived the war. He was constantly under bombardment with explosive shells and mortars, both from the ground and air, and he survived several charges of Russian infantrymen. He was also responsible for killing countless Russian soldiers, either with his mortars or with his submachine gun. He truly had soldatenglück, which is German for soldier's luck, even though he was ultimately wounded at the end of the war and taken out of action.
Rehfeldt does a good job of giving the reader insight into what it is like to be in the middle of life or death combat situations. Some of his map references are a little confusing, and it would have been nice to have one good map of eastern Europe where he was fighting since he moved around a lot, but otherwise he has written a fascinating account of German and Russian military encounters. His descriptions of devastated German towns that he passed through on the way home at the end of the war are also very interesting. It's also revealing that the Germans preferred to surrender to the Americans and British rather than the Russians, who had one million German prisoners of war die under their incarceration.
If you saw a war movie and the lead character had all the close calls that Hans Rehfeldt experienced in combat you would probably leave the theater thinking that the movie was an over the top work of fiction. It's hard to imagine that the reality of war seen through the eyes of Rehfeldt is actually as bad as our worst portrayals of it.
Rehfeldt does a good job of giving the reader insight into what it is like to be in the middle of life or death combat situations. Some of his map references are a little confusing, and it would have been nice to have one good map of eastern Europe where he was fighting since he moved around a lot, but otherwise he has written a fascinating account of German and Russian military encounters. His descriptions of devastated German towns that he passed through on the way home at the end of the war are also very interesting. It's also revealing that the Germans preferred to surrender to the Americans and British rather than the Russians, who had one million German prisoners of war die under their incarceration.
If you saw a war movie and the lead character had all the close calls that Hans Rehfeldt experienced in combat you would probably leave the theater thinking that the movie was an over the top work of fiction. It's hard to imagine that the reality of war seen through the eyes of Rehfeldt is actually as bad as our worst portrayals of it.
October 31, 2021
This book, taken from the author's diaries during the last two years of WW2, is a remarkable and important piece of history. Hans Rehfeldt was part of the elite "Grossdeutschland" division of Hitler's army, which fought exclusively on the Eastern Front during WW2. In the first volume of his memoirs, he tackled the period 1941 - 1943, when Germany, despite setbacks and heavy losses, was still largely in control of the war. In Volume II, Rehfeldt discusses the conflict's final two years -- the period from the aftermath of the failed Kursk offensive of '43 to his surrender to the Allies and his brief internment as a prisoner of war in the summer of '45. It is a period of incessant fighting and slow but steady disintegration. A disintegration not only of the Eastern Front, but of his own division and of the Nazi state itself.
Rehfeldt was a much-decorated NCO in command of a small mortar unit, and saw much combat as the German army was forced back out of the USSR into Hungary in the summer of 1944. Later, his unit fought northward to the Baltic area (Lithuania), and from there made a fighting retreat onto German soil (East Prussia) before he was wounded a second time and endured a harrowing journey by ambulance, horse-drawn cart, transport ship and trail into the interior of Hitler's dying empire. Like all memoirs drawn from this period, "Mortar Gunner" is a tale of battle and suffering, but quite distinct from its earlier volume, it is a story of survival first and foremost. The author was a diligent and courageous soldier, but he was a soldier in an army which was being ground down like a plank of wood being shoved into a belt sander. The overwhelming power of the Red Army, backed by huge amounts of war material supplied by America, made every contest lopsided. The Germans had only their physical courage and tactical training to see them through one-sided battles in which they were bombarded by artillery, strafed by aircraft, and assailed by waves of tanks backed up by screaming hordes of infantrymen. This is really what distinguishes the second volume from the first. At no point do the Germans feel as if they can do any more than play for time: they await "miracle weapons" (presumably, atomic bombs) which Hitler never supplies, and sell their lives dearly, in the vain hope they can prevent the Red hordes from breaking over their homeland. "Has this really all been in vain?" is the agonized question the author asks himself over and over again as the nightmare unfolds before him.
I have read many firsthand accounts of the Eastern War, but this volume provides as clear and terrible a picture of the decline and fall of the German army as any I have encountered. The author makes no pretentions about understanding the broader picture or the politics or morality of the war: his perspective is that of an NCO in an elite unit, fighting impossible odds but determined to do his uttermost until the bitter end. This is a remarkable work, and quite distinct in tone from the previous volume. That which rises, falls, and this book bears eyewitness to just how terrible it is to be present when the fall occurs.
Rehfeldt was a much-decorated NCO in command of a small mortar unit, and saw much combat as the German army was forced back out of the USSR into Hungary in the summer of 1944. Later, his unit fought northward to the Baltic area (Lithuania), and from there made a fighting retreat onto German soil (East Prussia) before he was wounded a second time and endured a harrowing journey by ambulance, horse-drawn cart, transport ship and trail into the interior of Hitler's dying empire. Like all memoirs drawn from this period, "Mortar Gunner" is a tale of battle and suffering, but quite distinct from its earlier volume, it is a story of survival first and foremost. The author was a diligent and courageous soldier, but he was a soldier in an army which was being ground down like a plank of wood being shoved into a belt sander. The overwhelming power of the Red Army, backed by huge amounts of war material supplied by America, made every contest lopsided. The Germans had only their physical courage and tactical training to see them through one-sided battles in which they were bombarded by artillery, strafed by aircraft, and assailed by waves of tanks backed up by screaming hordes of infantrymen. This is really what distinguishes the second volume from the first. At no point do the Germans feel as if they can do any more than play for time: they await "miracle weapons" (presumably, atomic bombs) which Hitler never supplies, and sell their lives dearly, in the vain hope they can prevent the Red hordes from breaking over their homeland. "Has this really all been in vain?" is the agonized question the author asks himself over and over again as the nightmare unfolds before him.
I have read many firsthand accounts of the Eastern War, but this volume provides as clear and terrible a picture of the decline and fall of the German army as any I have encountered. The author makes no pretentions about understanding the broader picture or the politics or morality of the war: his perspective is that of an NCO in an elite unit, fighting impossible odds but determined to do his uttermost until the bitter end. This is a remarkable work, and quite distinct in tone from the previous volume. That which rises, falls, and this book bears eyewitness to just how terrible it is to be present when the fall occurs.
August 26, 2024
This second book in Hans Heinz Rehfeldt’s memoirs brings us to the losing part for the Germans in World War 2, and how the mindset of the German soldier and unit cohesion in the Grossdeutschland make them fight on, hoping for the non-existent Wunderwaffen (Wonderweapon) to turn the tide of the war in their favour.
I found the recurrent reference to the nuisance the “sewing machines” (night bomber planes) made, the Il-2 Sturmovik (Russian equivalent of the Stuka) creating panic and havoc, along with the the Black Pig (15.2 cm artillery) of particular interest. And also turncoat Germans showing up disguised as SS. Not to mention the many propaganda leaflets shown in the book (along with photos).
This book deals with the war and gore in discreet way, not delving on the misery, but not shying away from it either. The author doesn’t try to place the blame of the war, he seems to be a neutral observer. You also learn a thing or two about mortars.
These memoirs deserves to be read, both for the authenticity and also as a reminder of what war really is when you happen to be in the middle of one.
I found the recurrent reference to the nuisance the “sewing machines” (night bomber planes) made, the Il-2 Sturmovik (Russian equivalent of the Stuka) creating panic and havoc, along with the the Black Pig (15.2 cm artillery) of particular interest. And also turncoat Germans showing up disguised as SS. Not to mention the many propaganda leaflets shown in the book (along with photos).
This book deals with the war and gore in discreet way, not delving on the misery, but not shying away from it either. The author doesn’t try to place the blame of the war, he seems to be a neutral observer. You also learn a thing or two about mortars.
These memoirs deserves to be read, both for the authenticity and also as a reminder of what war really is when you happen to be in the middle of one.
March 23, 2024
Better than Forgotten Soldier
About 50 years ago in the 1970s, I read and enjoyed the "Forgotten Soldier". Rehfeldt is an even better author. Filled with detail. I'm amazed he was able to retain so much documentation over the approximately 4 years on the eastern front (and mostly against regulations). Just as amazing is he survived. It certainly helped he was in mortars instead of infantry even if that meant he was only a few hundred meters back from battle line/line of contact. Plus the weight of their equipment meant they usually had a waiting truck someplace to the rear. Still, as you read, almost no one he began with survived. It is also amazing how routinized the German army was able to maintain until early1944. Going on leave, going to training courses, going through unit rebuilds all while the Soviets were grinding down the Germans through shear numbers and in the last 2 years weight of materiel. Of interest is his many references to "organizing" to make his and his mates lives easier or more pleasant - common to probably all armies.
About 50 years ago in the 1970s, I read and enjoyed the "Forgotten Soldier". Rehfeldt is an even better author. Filled with detail. I'm amazed he was able to retain so much documentation over the approximately 4 years on the eastern front (and mostly against regulations). Just as amazing is he survived. It certainly helped he was in mortars instead of infantry even if that meant he was only a few hundred meters back from battle line/line of contact. Plus the weight of their equipment meant they usually had a waiting truck someplace to the rear. Still, as you read, almost no one he began with survived. It is also amazing how routinized the German army was able to maintain until early1944. Going on leave, going to training courses, going through unit rebuilds all while the Soviets were grinding down the Germans through shear numbers and in the last 2 years weight of materiel. Of interest is his many references to "organizing" to make his and his mates lives easier or more pleasant - common to probably all armies.
May 24, 2021
I finished reading the second volume of Dr. Hans Rehfeldt's autobiography, Mortar Gunner on the Eastern Front. Volume II: Russia, Hungary, Lithuania, and the Battle for East Prussia. As Dr. Hans' first book was a very interesting read. I have had the opportunity to read countless autobiographies on the Russian front and I am always surprised to find something new. Very well written and with a good mix between the human side and the events in which he lived. Luckily he survived the war and was able to share his experiences with future generations. I recommend reading.
December 30, 2024
This is a great memoir of fighting on the eastern front. It is a rare memoir as this division suffered very high casualties when it was often used as a "fire brigade" to counter breakthroughs.
As a mortar crew in a Grossdeutschland infantry battalion he gives a very detailed insight into the daily activities and hardships he faced over the full length of the war in the east. This includes fighting through the Russian winter counteroffensive in 1941 to the last battles in eastern Germany.
Highly recommend both volumes.
As a mortar crew in a Grossdeutschland infantry battalion he gives a very detailed insight into the daily activities and hardships he faced over the full length of the war in the east. This includes fighting through the Russian winter counteroffensive in 1941 to the last battles in eastern Germany.
Highly recommend both volumes.
November 17, 2021
Wow what a great book. Nonstop action. Only issue I had was with maps. The formerly east Prussian cities were apparently renamed after the war so it was hard to keep track of the locations. Could have used a little info on what he did after the war but that is nitpicking. Splendid book!
August 30, 2020
One good read.
Excellent book one of the best reads ever. Full of detail. It shows what luck you need to survive. One proud army one lost cause.
Excellent book one of the best reads ever. Full of detail. It shows what luck you need to survive. One proud army one lost cause.
October 2, 2020
Worth your time!
Great read! You need both Volume 1& 2. Lot's of great details and a spirited trip through the role of a mortar gunner in the Wehrmacht.
Great read! You need both Volume 1& 2. Lot's of great details and a spirited trip through the role of a mortar gunner in the Wehrmacht.
November 26, 2020
My Review
The was an excellent book covering the latter part of Hans experience until his repatriation. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about.his experience. It was very realistic.
The was an excellent book covering the latter part of Hans experience until his repatriation. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about.his experience. It was very realistic.
May 7, 2022
Great story
Very well-written and kept my interest from volume one through volume two. The author describes lots of close calls, but he survived.
Very well-written and kept my interest from volume one through volume two. The author describes lots of close calls, but he survived.
March 26, 2024
In the second volume the author continues his story from May 1944 to his capture by the Americans in May 1945.
May 12, 2024
enjoyed
What a hero this soldier was.. his memory of happening is impressive.highly reccomend this book to any historian.a must read
What a hero this soldier was.. his memory of happening is impressive.highly reccomend this book to any historian.a must read
December 16, 2024
great book
GOod book from a front line soldier. Interesting read for those that love personal accounts of the individual German soldier
GOod book from a front line soldier. Interesting read for those that love personal accounts of the individual German soldier
April 25, 2025
The luck of one soldier
One of the most detailed first hand accounts of the experience of a German soldier on the Eastern Front. A must read for those who are students of WW II.
One of the most detailed first hand accounts of the experience of a German soldier on the Eastern Front. A must read for those who are students of WW II.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews