Until the Eyes Shut: Memories of a machine gunner on the Eastern Front, 1943-45

by Andreas Hartinger

The veteran tells his grandson about his World War II experiences, without pathos, but with gripping, brutal honesty.

What awaits the reader:

“Deeply shocked and heartbroken, we continued on our way back. I had had enough. Enough of the killing. Enough of the dying. In the eyes of the Alsatian I saw a question I was also asking myself. When would this terrible war come to an end, the cannons fall silent, the armories shut down? When would we finally be able to return to life instead of crawling, slaying, and destroying?”

“He lived through the whole day and finally died the following night. During this time, he kept calling for help. Just before he died, he thought he saw his mother and calmed down a bit. I rested my hand on his shoulder. I did not want him to die alone. He finally left our world with his eyes wide open and his hands pressed over his intestines.”

“My baptism of fire was the most incisive event of my life. Nothing was ever going to be the same. My youthful carefreeness had vanished under the impact of dread and orchestrated mass destruction.”

Synopsis

The rulers’ mistakes are paid for with the blood of the people. This is shown in history both recent and ancient, time and time again. It was no different for an Austrian mountain farmer’s son who was thrown into the carnage of the Eastern Front. He was in the prime of his youth, and the German Reich was already close to losing the war.

In ripe old age, he remembers those dark hours that have haunted him throughout his life. Manning his machine gun in merciless struggles with a superior enemy, or fighting for survival in brutal close combat, reduced to basest instincts. He also remembers the rock-solid comradeship with his mountain troop, the unexpected gestures of humanity, and an insane destructiveness at a time when the world was out of joint.

This ruthless, honest, and touching real-life account of a simple frontline soldier serves as a reminder to stand up for peace at all times, and to despise war. Until the eyes shut …

About the author

Andreas Hartinger had a profound interest in contemporary history from a young age. During his professional assignments in various crises around the world, he has seen with his own eyes how war takes humanity hostage. He and his grandfather Hans Kahr wrote down the elder’s war memories together. It was painstaking work and it involved innumerable unsettling conversations. What started off as a family project is now available for the world to witness.

Genres: War, History, World War II, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Audiobook

177 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 9, 2019

Reviews

[Stavros Kanakaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning read both for the history buff ànd the casual reader interested in the gripping travails of a hapless young soldier caught in a whirlwind of a devastating war, escaping death numerous times and who finally comes home after several years in a Russian gulag as a prisoner of war. A story of survival and strong bonds with fellow soldiers. A German/Austrian band of brothers. Elegantly written, good pace. A page turner.

[Jason Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a simply stated memoir from a German soldier on the Eastern Front. It is an interesting perspective on the war. It also gives a very human recounting of events. Often historians glaze over "unimportant" battles where "nothing changed" in the grand scheme of things. But on an individual level, things changed drastically for those killed, their families, and those who survived.

[Andrew Downing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book! Must read piece of history.

I loved everything about this book. Absolutely epic journey. How a man can cheat death so many times and live to raise a family after is beyond me. Beyond words. Read it and think twice before you support any future conflict

[Ath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb

Very good memoir, honest with emotions. The illustration of comradeship is touching and the cruelty and ugliness of war fully revealed. Someone left the comment that this is like the Austrian Band of Brothers and I agree.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put it down, one of the few books that I have read in less than 24 hours. The brutality and sheer horror of what boys who have not lived had to go through for the good of old men who hid in offices. From the start you know it's going to be bad but you can't fathom what it must have been like. Glad he survived and got to tell his tale. Should be read by every politician before they decide war is a good option for their children.

[Nils · Rating 3 out of 5]

No literary merit here but a plain and simple record of a young Austrian farmer’s experience in the Wehrmacht on the Eastern front 1943-45. Which needless to say was pretty grim! Useful material for military history buffs.

[Mark Conway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

A great wartime memoir...
Well worth reading...you wont regret it. Up close action filled description of Eastern Front combat. Enjoy.

[Mary Grohs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth your time!

A very good read. The world must not forget what was sacrificed on all sides during World War two.Thanks Hans!

[Edward Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m glad I’m not a German soldier retreating to the fatherland with Russians close behind. Great read

[Barča · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4,5

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein Zitat Alan Rickman's aus dem Film Eye in the sky kommt mir am Ende in den Sinn. Es sagt alles über Hartingers Buch:
“Never tell a soldier, that he does not know the cost of war”.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meine Befürchtung zu Beginn des Buches war, dass es sich auf dem Niveau eines Landserhefts befinden könnte, indem es eine verblendete Version der Geschichte darstellen würde. Es hat sich nicht bewahrheitet. Stattdessen bekommt man einen zutiefst menschlichen Zeitzeugenbericht von der Ostfront, welcher immer den Bezug zum Innenleben des Erzählers findet. Teilweise etwas hölzern geschrieben, jedoch eine wertvolle und bewegende Geschichte, welche einen Eindruck vom Krieg bietet, den man in Filmen nicht findet.

[Dave Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read

These pieces of personal history are remarkably similar, regardless of the nationality of the author. I have found if nothin else I life, that war is hell for all of us.

[Campbell Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutal and harrowing

Eastern front story like many others, mountain boy survives the worst conditions and is just trying to keep him and his comrades alive.

[Robert Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping

An amazing account, well worth reading. Devoid of any political ideology, showing the life of a simple soldier suffering the horrific conditions of the Eastern front.

[Michael J. Mehltretter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

First hand accounts and the proper mixture of military fact and personal interactions with friends and feelings. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Jonathon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I have read in a long time.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography is based on notes taken by a German mountain division machine gunner on the eastern front. It mostly tells an account of the authors time on the eastern front from 1943 to after the war. It also provides a brief overview of the 3rd GDs movements during the war which I found interesting as I had never read any accounts of germanys mountain troops. In terms of a German autobiography it is middling and lacks enough detail to really bring you the reader to the battle field. As a WWII autobiography it is well deserving of 4 stars.

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book and the two parts that troubled me the most were when his Sargeant was informed by mail that his wife and children had died of suffocation in a collapsed building during the bombing and when his friend from school who he encountered in the field was troubled by having seen a young girl take a head shot from a communist sniper. He and his friend end up in a gulag after the war and manage to survive and return home.

[russell e. fritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving until my face smiles with understanding

Deserves more than five stars for the feeling conveyed throughout his traumatic fight and flight with and from the Russians

[Jose R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a breathtaking narrative. The pace moved right along providing just enough detail to grasp I the incomprehensible pain and suffering lived by the common Soldier.

[Kevin]

Great read. This made me feel like I was there.

Easily 5 stars

[William F. B. O'Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary war account brimming with humanity. A genuine treasure. My father fought on the other side in the war -- 10th Mountain Division -- and yet I found myself praying that Hans would make it home to his family farm. Powerful writing. Must read.

[Tam Khuat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lohnt sich auf jeden Fall diese kurze aber doch tragische Kriegsgeschichte zu lesen. Regt zum Nachdenken an & zeigt die schreckliche Zeit auch nochmal aus einer anderen Perspektive.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read insight

A good yet easy to read insight from the perspective of a private infantry soldier on the Eastern front, a must read.

[John Hohman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievable.

[Brendan Columbus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gruesome and visceral memoir of an Austrian machine gunner in WW2. Completely unromanticized look at the brutal eastern front. A first hand account of a LOT of killing.

[Brandon Pacheco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this! Incredible story and a unique perspective in WW2. The writing is beautiful and the pacing was perfect

[David Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, The storyline was gripping and extremely emotive. The experiences of these young men who quickly had to adapt to survive is evident on every page.

[David Bundschuh · Rating 5 out of 5]

ich kann dieses Buch nur empfehlen!
Wenn ich Hans heute begegnen würde, hätte ich großen Respekt vor Ihm und viele Fragen.

Wünschte mir es wäre länger gewesen.