What do you think?
Rate this book
Blood, Dust and Snow: Diaries of a Panzer Commander in Germany and on the Eastern Front, 1938-1943
"The infantry is only a few metres ahead of us when suddenly, on the left of our tank, a Russian stands up. The swine had pretended to be dead when our infantry came past him! That’s an old classic, pretending to be dead and then firing from the rear. But that isn’t a good idea when facing tank-men like us… floor the accelerator! Turn left and run over him!"
The war on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1945 was the bloodiest combat theatre in the bloodiest war in history. Oberleutnant Friedrich Wilhelm Sander experienced this bloodshed first-hand when serving with the 11th Panzer-Regiment. This regiment made up the core of the 6th Panzer-Division, one of Hitler’s top armoured formations, which was involved in most of the major campaigns on the Eastern Front; campaigns such as Operation Barbarossa and Operation Winter Storm.
Sander recorded his experience of these campaigns in astounding detail in some recently-discovered diaries covering the period from April 1938 to December 1943, translated here for the first time by historian Robin Schäfer. Written during the fighting, these diaries not only offer an honest assessment of the war on the Eastern Front, but also provide an insight into the mind of a young and highly politicised officer, and offer an intimate glimpse into the close-knit community of a German Panzer crew.
A brutally honest, immediate and unfiltered personal account, Sander’s translated diaries make for some uniquely fascinating reading about some of the most important campaigns of the Second World War. Supported by more than 100 photographs and maps from the period, Blood, Dust & Snow will be of great interest not only to readers studying the war on the Eastern Front, but also to any historian researching the Second World War.
The war on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1945 was the bloodiest combat theatre in the bloodiest war in history. Oberleutnant Friedrich Wilhelm Sander experienced this bloodshed first-hand when serving with the 11th Panzer-Regiment. This regiment made up the core of the 6th Panzer-Division, one of Hitler’s top armoured formations, which was involved in most of the major campaigns on the Eastern Front; campaigns such as Operation Barbarossa and Operation Winter Storm.
Sander recorded his experience of these campaigns in astounding detail in some recently-discovered diaries covering the period from April 1938 to December 1943, translated here for the first time by historian Robin Schäfer. Written during the fighting, these diaries not only offer an honest assessment of the war on the Eastern Front, but also provide an insight into the mind of a young and highly politicised officer, and offer an intimate glimpse into the close-knit community of a German Panzer crew.
A brutally honest, immediate and unfiltered personal account, Sander’s translated diaries make for some uniquely fascinating reading about some of the most important campaigns of the Second World War. Supported by more than 100 photographs and maps from the period, Blood, Dust & Snow will be of great interest not only to readers studying the war on the Eastern Front, but also to any historian researching the Second World War.
449 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 22, 2022
64 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 4, 2025
In the foreword, historian Roger Moorhouse says that what sets this WWII memoir apart is that the diarist is a keen observer and a gifted writer. And in his own foreword, the translator of these diaries, Robin Schäfer, says that the one outstanding aspect of this diarist's writings is that he doesn't write for an audience or has an agenda, has no mindset to record this for posterity or to tell his side but merely to write for himself and for catharsis.
Having read other memoirs by German combatants, I agree with Schäfer. It's not all that unusual for other WWII veteran authors to have a keen eye or be excellent writers, there's a few on both sides, so that the author of "Blood, Dust, and Snow" is observant and writes well isn't of any particular import to me. That he, so unlike others that fought for Germany, is clearly and openly a Nazi is.
Think of the memoirs of two famous panzermänner whose books you probably have heard of: Otto Carius and Hans von Luck. Both tankists are great and eagle-eyed writers, both were at the frontlines, and both make you feel and suffer with them through the horrid experience that was the Eastern Front. You could even argue that both are more interesting as individuals than the author of this diary, Carius was one of the highest-scoring panzer aces in history and von Luck had a life worthy of an action film. But, both write with an agenda, having survived the war and thus aware of having to publish under the shadow of Germany's defeat, navigating the murky waters of post-war denazification and the public opinion's horror at Germany's crimes. So Carius doesn't even mention the dirty laundry of the panzertruppe in his book, and instead complains about how Germans were treated; and von Luck, an aristocratic career officer with more of the gentlemanly Rommel about him, uses his book to appeal to the victors' sensibilities for reconciliation and consideration for those amongst them (he himself was anti-Nazi) that weren't ideologically-driven but did their duty for home and country.
That's not so for Friedrich Wilhelm Sander, the young lieutenant of the 11th Panzer Regiment that wrote the diary here translated and published by Schäfer. Enlisted a couple of years before the start of the war, Sander was a NSDAP card-carrying member and a convinced if not a fanatical one. He became an officer in the then newly-created tank regiment in time to participate in the invasion of Poland, then France, and finally the Soviet Union. His diaries, which do have missing pages but read quite smoothly, start in 1938 at the panzer training facility for his regiment, and end in late 1943 at another training facility for panzers in Bulgaria. There's symmetry in that, I'd say.
The part before Barbarossa isn't that interesting, but helps you get a feel for Sander's style and personality. You notice he's open about his emotions, has something of a temper, and a tendency to observe the most curious things you'd not expect him to note down, and has a certain sense of humour that is perhaps the most unexpected discovery. When was the last time you laughed out loud reading the war diary of a German? I don't think I have before, but I did whilst reading this. The anecdote of the Russian barber and Krakow cracked me up, and it wasn't the only time something in this book made me smile.
When the panzer divisions roll into the Soviet Union in 1941, the diary gets the most interesting. Sander doesn't hold back, his disregard for the rules of journaling on the front is amusing at times (he writes whilst on the turret of his tank), and spares no thought for what posterity would think. Perhaps it's this lack of expectations about publication what freed him to write what he really thought, because you can see he's doing this to get it off his chest. He's blunt and so casual about some horrific aspects of the war, you can see his lack of empathy and his Nazi-informed worldview without filters on; and that is why this diary is so unique.
Sander writes to casually about gunning down POWs because there's no time for them in the tanks' rush forward and forward, about the medics drugging the tired soldiers with amphetamines, about hanging "suspicious" civilians because they might be partisans. He also puts his racist ideology in full display when describing the poverty he sees in the Baltics and the Soviet Union, ascribing it to a moral failing on the part of those races. He makes no secret of his support for the Lebensraum doctrine of the Nazi Party when he says that good German farmers should go and take over the rich land of the Soviet Union because the locals are dirty and don't know proper farming & animal husbandry. He, being a young man, is prone to falling in love easily everywhere his troops go, but he scolds himself twice for "falling in love with a Russian." This boy doesn't notice that one of the girls is Ukrainian, but it wouldn't make a difference: it's still an "inferior" Slav, and he can't mingle with those people, the Nazi racial laws say so and Sander is mindful of them.
So, indeed, Sander is a convinced Nazi. He doesn't participate in the great massacres of the Eastern Front as his unit wasn't involved in them, but he is very aware of what he's fighting for, what Germany's objectives are. He even writes about reminding himself why he's fighting. But he isn't fanatical to the point of unquestioning, he does slip in criticism of his officers, rails against using the men as cannon fodder, he questions Goebbels' propaganda about the Russians and says he doesn't believe that, etc. And yet, you won't get a soul-searching admission that this war is wrong or that what they do to the Jews (who he witnesses being used as slave labour) is fundamentally wrong and abhorrent. No appeals to the mercy of the victors or the judgment of history, no "Good German" postwar persona. He wouldn't have seen himself as doing wrong, in one passage he comments on anti-Nazi sentiments by his fellow Germans and says drily that they are the problem.
In so many ways, Sander is another good example of Christopher Browning's "ordinary men." Average, unremarkable, a life story and a personality like you and I and our neighbour, but moulded by an extremist political ideology into being part of the oppressive forces of totalitarianism, indoctrinated into being a cog in the monstrous machinery. To me, it's been far more fascinating, and instructive too, to read about the war from someone without the pollution of hindsight.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Having read other memoirs by German combatants, I agree with Schäfer. It's not all that unusual for other WWII veteran authors to have a keen eye or be excellent writers, there's a few on both sides, so that the author of "Blood, Dust, and Snow" is observant and writes well isn't of any particular import to me. That he, so unlike others that fought for Germany, is clearly and openly a Nazi is.
Think of the memoirs of two famous panzermänner whose books you probably have heard of: Otto Carius and Hans von Luck. Both tankists are great and eagle-eyed writers, both were at the frontlines, and both make you feel and suffer with them through the horrid experience that was the Eastern Front. You could even argue that both are more interesting as individuals than the author of this diary, Carius was one of the highest-scoring panzer aces in history and von Luck had a life worthy of an action film. But, both write with an agenda, having survived the war and thus aware of having to publish under the shadow of Germany's defeat, navigating the murky waters of post-war denazification and the public opinion's horror at Germany's crimes. So Carius doesn't even mention the dirty laundry of the panzertruppe in his book, and instead complains about how Germans were treated; and von Luck, an aristocratic career officer with more of the gentlemanly Rommel about him, uses his book to appeal to the victors' sensibilities for reconciliation and consideration for those amongst them (he himself was anti-Nazi) that weren't ideologically-driven but did their duty for home and country.
That's not so for Friedrich Wilhelm Sander, the young lieutenant of the 11th Panzer Regiment that wrote the diary here translated and published by Schäfer. Enlisted a couple of years before the start of the war, Sander was a NSDAP card-carrying member and a convinced if not a fanatical one. He became an officer in the then newly-created tank regiment in time to participate in the invasion of Poland, then France, and finally the Soviet Union. His diaries, which do have missing pages but read quite smoothly, start in 1938 at the panzer training facility for his regiment, and end in late 1943 at another training facility for panzers in Bulgaria. There's symmetry in that, I'd say.
The part before Barbarossa isn't that interesting, but helps you get a feel for Sander's style and personality. You notice he's open about his emotions, has something of a temper, and a tendency to observe the most curious things you'd not expect him to note down, and has a certain sense of humour that is perhaps the most unexpected discovery. When was the last time you laughed out loud reading the war diary of a German? I don't think I have before, but I did whilst reading this. The anecdote of the Russian barber and Krakow cracked me up, and it wasn't the only time something in this book made me smile.
When the panzer divisions roll into the Soviet Union in 1941, the diary gets the most interesting. Sander doesn't hold back, his disregard for the rules of journaling on the front is amusing at times (he writes whilst on the turret of his tank), and spares no thought for what posterity would think. Perhaps it's this lack of expectations about publication what freed him to write what he really thought, because you can see he's doing this to get it off his chest. He's blunt and so casual about some horrific aspects of the war, you can see his lack of empathy and his Nazi-informed worldview without filters on; and that is why this diary is so unique.
Sander writes to casually about gunning down POWs because there's no time for them in the tanks' rush forward and forward, about the medics drugging the tired soldiers with amphetamines, about hanging "suspicious" civilians because they might be partisans. He also puts his racist ideology in full display when describing the poverty he sees in the Baltics and the Soviet Union, ascribing it to a moral failing on the part of those races. He makes no secret of his support for the Lebensraum doctrine of the Nazi Party when he says that good German farmers should go and take over the rich land of the Soviet Union because the locals are dirty and don't know proper farming & animal husbandry. He, being a young man, is prone to falling in love easily everywhere his troops go, but he scolds himself twice for "falling in love with a Russian." This boy doesn't notice that one of the girls is Ukrainian, but it wouldn't make a difference: it's still an "inferior" Slav, and he can't mingle with those people, the Nazi racial laws say so and Sander is mindful of them.
So, indeed, Sander is a convinced Nazi. He doesn't participate in the great massacres of the Eastern Front as his unit wasn't involved in them, but he is very aware of what he's fighting for, what Germany's objectives are. He even writes about reminding himself why he's fighting. But he isn't fanatical to the point of unquestioning, he does slip in criticism of his officers, rails against using the men as cannon fodder, he questions Goebbels' propaganda about the Russians and says he doesn't believe that, etc. And yet, you won't get a soul-searching admission that this war is wrong or that what they do to the Jews (who he witnesses being used as slave labour) is fundamentally wrong and abhorrent. No appeals to the mercy of the victors or the judgment of history, no "Good German" postwar persona. He wouldn't have seen himself as doing wrong, in one passage he comments on anti-Nazi sentiments by his fellow Germans and says drily that they are the problem.
In so many ways, Sander is another good example of Christopher Browning's "ordinary men." Average, unremarkable, a life story and a personality like you and I and our neighbour, but moulded by an extremist political ideology into being part of the oppressive forces of totalitarianism, indoctrinated into being a cog in the monstrous machinery. To me, it's been far more fascinating, and instructive too, to read about the war from someone without the pollution of hindsight.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
June 26, 2024
BLOOD, DUST AND SNOW: DIARIES OF A PANZER COMMANDER IN GERMANY AND ON THE EASTERN FRONT, 1938-1943 is a unique historical document in two regards. Firstly, its author, Friedrich Wilhelm Sander, was an Oberleutenant, who recorded his day-to-day observations without the intent of ever publishing them. Thus, he didn't try to sugarcoat the deficiencies of the German military machine or hide his racial prejudices (which he considered a norm, of course). For example, Sander openly dismissed any possible love affairs with Russian women on the basis that they belonged to a different race. As the war in Russia progressed, he started to question the logic behind it, yet he had never lost faith in Hitler's ideas.
Despite having not completed education due to his family's lack of finances, Sander writes with acuity and clarity. Though diaries haven't been combed or changed in any way to suit a modern reader, their language is one of clear delivery. Sander describes his relationships with comrades and people on the occupied territories; he notices the beauty of the surrounding nature and fantasizes how he could have used the fertile lands.
A knowledgeable person who read about the atrocities against Jews and commissars on the Soviet territories, of Nazis brutally killing children and women in Ukraine may be shocked to find the respect with which German soldiers treated some categories of the Soviet population. In his diary, Sander separates racially purer Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, and Finns from original Russians. These nations, only recently incorporated into the Soviet Union (and Finland was Germany's ally), acted friendly toward Germans, who, in turn, distributed food rations and kept locals' property intact.
I'd recommend the book to anybody who wants to see the other, down-to-earth (I almost said 'human'), side of a German rank-and-file. A little knowledge of German would be useful since military ranks and names of military units are not translated into English.
I received an advanced review copy through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Despite having not completed education due to his family's lack of finances, Sander writes with acuity and clarity. Though diaries haven't been combed or changed in any way to suit a modern reader, their language is one of clear delivery. Sander describes his relationships with comrades and people on the occupied territories; he notices the beauty of the surrounding nature and fantasizes how he could have used the fertile lands.
A knowledgeable person who read about the atrocities against Jews and commissars on the Soviet territories, of Nazis brutally killing children and women in Ukraine may be shocked to find the respect with which German soldiers treated some categories of the Soviet population. In his diary, Sander separates racially purer Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, and Finns from original Russians. These nations, only recently incorporated into the Soviet Union (and Finland was Germany's ally), acted friendly toward Germans, who, in turn, distributed food rations and kept locals' property intact.
I'd recommend the book to anybody who wants to see the other, down-to-earth (I almost said 'human'), side of a German rank-and-file. A little knowledge of German would be useful since military ranks and names of military units are not translated into English.
I received an advanced review copy through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 29, 2022
The best, most honest, most genuine German #WW2 'memoir' on the market. Forget about the agenda-written, rose-tinted, apologetic, filtered stuff that former soldiers of the German Army have written after the Second World War. Read Sander's dairies, which he kept with explicit detail between 1938 and 1943 - the real world of a junior Panzer officer of the Wehrmacht, who also was thorough national socialist. Hair raising combat experiences, terrific humour (!), blood curdling violence. Superb!
December 11, 2022
An intriguing look at the war in the eastern front during WW2. The use of diary entries to give a first hand insight into the thoughts and feelings really makes the book interesting and gives you a feeling of being there. A great read for the WW2 enthusiast
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
October 17, 2022
While providing a rare glimpse into the mind of a German Panzer commander in one of the bloodiest and most protracted conflicts, I found myself wondering what the original author of the diaries would of thought of them being published. Schafer did an excellent job translating the diary entries into English, in such a way that you feel as close to the action as it's possible to get without actually being there. You experience the biting cold, and all the hardships associated with the infamous Eastern Front. This is an excellent reading choice for those, like myself, who enjoy reading first hand accounts.
May 11, 2024
Friedrich Sander był żołnierzem niemieckim, dowódcą czołgu w 11.pułku pancernym.
Pierwsze wpisy w dzienniku są z 4.1938r.-poznajemy Sandera jeszcze przed wojną, podczas szkolenia wojskowego. Ostatnie wpisy zaś z 12.1943r.
Otrzymujemy więc dokładny obraz życia żołnierza na różnych etapach wojskowej kariery.
Porównując wpisy z początku i końca dziennika, ma się wrażenie jakby to pisały dwie różne osoby.
Widać jak wielkie piętno na Sanderze wywołała walka na froncie wschodnim, obserwowanie śmierci kolegów i stałe zagrożenie życia oraz zmaganie z trudami klimatu.
Z początku dumny z bycia żołnierzem i przepełniony ideologią, z czasem zaczął odrzucać ideę pięknego umierania za Ojczyznę i coraz częściej podważał idee wielkiej Rzeszy.
Dziennik wciągnął mnie, w chwili rozpoczęcia ataku na Rosję. To mnie najbardziej ciekawiło w tej książce-relacje codzienności żołnierza podczas walk.
Mamy tu dogłębne relacje Sandera z walk i rzeczywistości wojennej. Opisy pokazują m.in brutalność, niewygody, strach, nerwy, cierpienie, ciągłe zagrożenie i śmierć. Choć pokazują też radość i wzruszenia z drobnych rzeczy.
Czytałam ogrom wspomnień żołnierzy z wojny w Iraku czy Afganistanie i sięgając po tę książkę bardzo chciałam zobaczyć jak różne lub podobne są przeżycia z tych jakże różnych od siebie, a zarazem w pewnym sensie podobnych wojen.
Moim zdaniem wspomnienia są bardzo podobne...każdy konflikt wiąże się przede wszystkim z cierpieniem żołnierzy. Tutaj między całym przekonaniem żołnierza, do słuszności prowadzonego ataku i determinacją do walki są także wpisy ukazujace zmęczenie, wycieńczenie psychiczne i fizyczne, cierpienie ze straty kolegów oraz bezsilność wobec sił wroga..
Sander wręcz zaczyna nagle pisać, że "ma nadzieję, że w kolejne urodziny nie będzie już w wojsku"..
Polecam tę książkę osobom pasjonującym się militariami i II WŚ. Możemy tu poznać z pierwszych ust, od środka, jak wyglądały walki na froncie wschodnim, jak prezentowały się morale żołnierzy. Tego tak naprawdę nie dostaniemy w żadnym programie historycznym.
Ocena 5/5⛵
Pierwsze wpisy w dzienniku są z 4.1938r.-poznajemy Sandera jeszcze przed wojną, podczas szkolenia wojskowego. Ostatnie wpisy zaś z 12.1943r.
Otrzymujemy więc dokładny obraz życia żołnierza na różnych etapach wojskowej kariery.
Porównując wpisy z początku i końca dziennika, ma się wrażenie jakby to pisały dwie różne osoby.
Widać jak wielkie piętno na Sanderze wywołała walka na froncie wschodnim, obserwowanie śmierci kolegów i stałe zagrożenie życia oraz zmaganie z trudami klimatu.
Z początku dumny z bycia żołnierzem i przepełniony ideologią, z czasem zaczął odrzucać ideę pięknego umierania za Ojczyznę i coraz częściej podważał idee wielkiej Rzeszy.
Dziennik wciągnął mnie, w chwili rozpoczęcia ataku na Rosję. To mnie najbardziej ciekawiło w tej książce-relacje codzienności żołnierza podczas walk.
Mamy tu dogłębne relacje Sandera z walk i rzeczywistości wojennej. Opisy pokazują m.in brutalność, niewygody, strach, nerwy, cierpienie, ciągłe zagrożenie i śmierć. Choć pokazują też radość i wzruszenia z drobnych rzeczy.
Czytałam ogrom wspomnień żołnierzy z wojny w Iraku czy Afganistanie i sięgając po tę książkę bardzo chciałam zobaczyć jak różne lub podobne są przeżycia z tych jakże różnych od siebie, a zarazem w pewnym sensie podobnych wojen.
Moim zdaniem wspomnienia są bardzo podobne...każdy konflikt wiąże się przede wszystkim z cierpieniem żołnierzy. Tutaj między całym przekonaniem żołnierza, do słuszności prowadzonego ataku i determinacją do walki są także wpisy ukazujace zmęczenie, wycieńczenie psychiczne i fizyczne, cierpienie ze straty kolegów oraz bezsilność wobec sił wroga..
Sander wręcz zaczyna nagle pisać, że "ma nadzieję, że w kolejne urodziny nie będzie już w wojsku"..
Polecam tę książkę osobom pasjonującym się militariami i II WŚ. Możemy tu poznać z pierwszych ust, od środka, jak wyglądały walki na froncie wschodnim, jak prezentowały się morale żołnierzy. Tego tak naprawdę nie dostaniemy w żadnym programie historycznym.
Ocena 5/5⛵
April 14, 2023
Most interesting pages about romanians or gypsies as he calls them :)))
"We have entered a station. There are Romanians on the other side
of the platform. Our Landsers are taunting them and making
derogatory remarks. Some of them are shouting over in German,
which makes our guys fall silent. There are Volksdeutsche among
them who are enquiring where we are from and where we are going.
While they are standing there talking to us, the Romanian train
suddenly pulls out of the station, leaving the men behind. Their
reaction is unexpected: ‘Ah well, never mind!’ The Romanians are
wearing tall lambskin caps and in general look like Gypsies. Only
rarely does one encounter one who is washed and clean. There are
some Italian air force members here too. They leave a reasonably
good impression."
"There is a Romanian army in the northern part of the great bend of
the Danube and another here in the Kalmyk steppe. The Romanian
rankers get a monthly pay of 1 mark! Yes – one whole mark! Their
families and relatives at home get no support at all. The Romanian
superiors may beat and flog their men! The officers are supplied by
their own kitchen, as are the NCOs. The enlisted men get an inedible
gruel cooked up from what the officers and NCOs don’t want to eat.
But all that has improved somewhat now that they regularly receive
German rations.:
"The Romanians make use of all that chaos and withdraw across the
Don towards the rear. The Gypsies have the discipline of a herd of
pigs. Up until now the cooperation has been tolerable, but now they
have suddenly turned feral. Their two armies here in the east are
said to have suffered 200,000 casualties – all dead, not including the
wounded. The Russians drop flyers over their lines which tell them to
desert to the Russian side and that their rewards will be far higher if
they fight at the side of the English and the Russians. But they are
not defecting, they are just running away."
"We have entered a station. There are Romanians on the other side
of the platform. Our Landsers are taunting them and making
derogatory remarks. Some of them are shouting over in German,
which makes our guys fall silent. There are Volksdeutsche among
them who are enquiring where we are from and where we are going.
While they are standing there talking to us, the Romanian train
suddenly pulls out of the station, leaving the men behind. Their
reaction is unexpected: ‘Ah well, never mind!’ The Romanians are
wearing tall lambskin caps and in general look like Gypsies. Only
rarely does one encounter one who is washed and clean. There are
some Italian air force members here too. They leave a reasonably
good impression."
"There is a Romanian army in the northern part of the great bend of
the Danube and another here in the Kalmyk steppe. The Romanian
rankers get a monthly pay of 1 mark! Yes – one whole mark! Their
families and relatives at home get no support at all. The Romanian
superiors may beat and flog their men! The officers are supplied by
their own kitchen, as are the NCOs. The enlisted men get an inedible
gruel cooked up from what the officers and NCOs don’t want to eat.
But all that has improved somewhat now that they regularly receive
German rations.:
"The Romanians make use of all that chaos and withdraw across the
Don towards the rear. The Gypsies have the discipline of a herd of
pigs. Up until now the cooperation has been tolerable, but now they
have suddenly turned feral. Their two armies here in the east are
said to have suffered 200,000 casualties – all dead, not including the
wounded. The Russians drop flyers over their lines which tell them to
desert to the Russian side and that their rewards will be far higher if
they fight at the side of the English and the Russians. But they are
not defecting, they are just running away."
January 9, 2025
Blood, Dust and Snow: Diaries of a Panzer Commander in Germany and on the Eastern Front is one of the most extraordinary books that I have ever read. In contrast to so many war memoirs, Friedrich Sander recorded his thoughts, opinions, and observations as they happened, apparently with no thought of publication. He wrote as if trying to explain everything to himself. Late in the book, he provides a hint of his motivation: “Finding the words to describe what I have experienced during that time – is that even possible? I don’t know, but I will try – even if it’s just to give myself some clarity and to unburden my mind.” (p. 402) Throughout the entire diary he’s free with his criticisms of commanders and failed tactics, privately sharing judgements that would certainly have caused trouble had they been known to his superiors. None of this is to say that Sander was a whiner. He was clearly an exemplary soldier and a good leader. But he was above all a realist: “Everything I touched was slick with blood. His head had been caved in. Tell me again about dying a hero’s death! This war is the most horrible of things! There is nothing beautiful or grand about it, only the hard and cold necessity, the damned duty and obligation and the idea of a greater Reich and the security of our families at home which is standing behind everything.” (p. 276) Like all soldiers who experience brutal combat, Sander hated war and throughout his diary he articulates with great intelligence the conflict between morality and duty. I cannot recommend this book more highly.
November 29, 2022
Having read German military memoirs and related sources for about 30 years, I can honestly say that I have never read or seen anything like this before. The diaries of Friedrich Sander are not only beautifully written, they are brutally honest too. A breath of fresh air and a much needed addition to the historiography of the Second World War. Sander wrote without agenda, without motivation to hold anything back, clear his name or to "defend the honour of the Wehrmacht", like the vast majority of post-war soldier's memoirs, or the heavily edited 'pseudo-diaries' of post-war years do.
These are the day to day experiences of a junior Wehrmacht Panzer officer and national socialist (card carrying member of the NSDAP, member of the Allgemeine SS), who makes no attempt to hide his political Weltanschauung.
An amazing book - totally unique and a real page turner. The best 'Panzer-memoir' on the market.
These are the day to day experiences of a junior Wehrmacht Panzer officer and national socialist (card carrying member of the NSDAP, member of the Allgemeine SS), who makes no attempt to hide his political Weltanschauung.
An amazing book - totally unique and a real page turner. The best 'Panzer-memoir' on the market.
March 9, 2024
I struggled to rate this: as a story per se I found it to be tedious and not very grasping (3 stars), but as a newly unearthed diary from WW2 I found this very interesting (5 stars), as you get a unedited feel for how it must have been to be a soldier on the front, all ailments included.
That Sander is also driving lesser known and inferior tanks and have to deal with the heavy Russian tanks in inventive ways and are open about doubts about the war and frayed nerves, made me read on. The diary (or the parts that have been found) is very earnest, but has an interesting shift to become less bloody after he is getting married as he is planning to share it with his wife after the war is over (but probably never did when you read about how the diary was found).
That Sander is also driving lesser known and inferior tanks and have to deal with the heavy Russian tanks in inventive ways and are open about doubts about the war and frayed nerves, made me read on. The diary (or the parts that have been found) is very earnest, but has an interesting shift to become less bloody after he is getting married as he is planning to share it with his wife after the war is over (but probably never did when you read about how the diary was found).
February 5, 2023
Totally immersive.
Rob Schafer has done a fabulous job here, one which I’m sure the original author would be proud of.
Immersive from beginning to end. You have to keep reminding yourself that it’s a diary and not written by an established author.
This is up there as one of the best books I’ve read on WW2 and the first I’ve read from a purely German perspective and it will spur my to read more of that ilk.
Rob Schafer has done a fabulous job here, one which I’m sure the original author would be proud of.
Immersive from beginning to end. You have to keep reminding yourself that it’s a diary and not written by an established author.
This is up there as one of the best books I’ve read on WW2 and the first I’ve read from a purely German perspective and it will spur my to read more of that ilk.
September 30, 2023
Since he didn't intend his diary for publication, Sander is brutally honest. This allows the reader to both feel his humanity and humor as well as witness his Nazi ideology in operation and his callous brutality. This juxtaposition presents some of the core challenges of warfare. His way of speaking of Jews and Slavic people is rightfully offensive, but his bravery and care for his comrades is admirable. It is an interesting insight into the day-to-day life and tactics of German panzer units.
May 21, 2023
Really interesting to read a memoir written by someone who was an unapologetic, card carrying member of the Nazi party rather than a soldier "doing their duty" as in most other German WWII diaries/memoirs.
It is well written but I think the most captivating aspect of the book is definitely seeing how Sander's ideology affects his perceptions of different peoples.
Well written too.
It is well written but I think the most captivating aspect of the book is definitely seeing how Sander's ideology affects his perceptions of different peoples.
Well written too.
September 28, 2023
A long but action packed diary
For Eastern front aficionados this is a good book. To be clear there is little about overarching strategy. It is a micro view of training, combat and the emotions relating thereto. Sadly, the diary is not complete because several pages were ripped out and there is a volume (or two) missing. All in all a good read though.
For Eastern front aficionados this is a good book. To be clear there is little about overarching strategy. It is a micro view of training, combat and the emotions relating thereto. Sadly, the diary is not complete because several pages were ripped out and there is a volume (or two) missing. All in all a good read though.
January 13, 2023
Important account of the he'll in the east...
I can never get enough of memoirs and diaries of soldiers who saw the action, and lived long enough to tell about it... Robin Shafer has given us a gift.
I can never get enough of memoirs and diaries of soldiers who saw the action, and lived long enough to tell about it... Robin Shafer has given us a gift.
March 13, 2023
Fascinating detail
Intermittent excerpts from the diary of a Panzer commander on Eastern front, only parts of diary survived hence intermittent. Fascinating view into mindset of those whose teenage years were under Nazis.
Intermittent excerpts from the diary of a Panzer commander on Eastern front, only parts of diary survived hence intermittent. Fascinating view into mindset of those whose teenage years were under Nazis.
January 25, 2023
Different point of view
I enjoyed this book and the insight it gave into life in a German tank unit and its tank Commander.
I enjoyed this book and the insight it gave into life in a German tank unit and its tank Commander.
January 26, 2023
Authentic war record
He has a very easy style,great descriptions and also stream of consciousness ,one of the best war diaries I have read
He has a very easy style,great descriptions and also stream of consciousness ,one of the best war diaries I have read
February 27, 2023
Bit of a slow start but a very interesting read once it gets going. Sander does not seem to hold back in his negative opinions on the German war effort which is very interesting.
March 27, 2025
Great collection of diaries that go in depth into tactics, battles, and concerns about the ongoing war.
November 29, 2022
Arrived yesterday. Read in one go. Incredible book which will become one of the great WW2 classics. No doubt.
Read
December 3, 2022Arrived yesterday. Read in one go. Incredible book which will become one of the great WW2 classics. No doubt about it.
February 11, 2023
A visceral account of combat on the Eastern front. At times the descriptions are brutal, bloody and completely realistic but if they weren't we wouldn't understand the suffering as well as we might.
This is the first diary I have read and as you might expect, at times it doesn't flow. Combine that with missing pages and sections, and the narrative can fragment. That said, this book does not suffer as a result. In fact, it adds an air of authenticity.
You can sense and feel the challenging environment it was written in. You smell the cordite, the blood, the frozen and sodden earth. You hear the screams of terror, of pain, of suffering. The descriptions are detailed, graphic and create images in the mind of incredible clarity.
Given the diary starts pre-war, the pace is somewhat slow initially and that may put some readers off. Don't be deterred, as it picks up pace and grit quite quickly. Recommended
This is the first diary I have read and as you might expect, at times it doesn't flow. Combine that with missing pages and sections, and the narrative can fragment. That said, this book does not suffer as a result. In fact, it adds an air of authenticity.
You can sense and feel the challenging environment it was written in. You smell the cordite, the blood, the frozen and sodden earth. You hear the screams of terror, of pain, of suffering. The descriptions are detailed, graphic and create images in the mind of incredible clarity.
Given the diary starts pre-war, the pace is somewhat slow initially and that may put some readers off. Don't be deterred, as it picks up pace and grit quite quickly. Recommended
March 23, 2025
Interesting memoir of a panzer officer who participated in Barbarossa, the drive on Moscow, and in the following year's attack that tried to relieve 6th Army in Stalingrad. It's interesting both because this is a memoir of someone who (at the time) was a 'true believer' but you watch him struggle with that worldview as time goes on. It's useful also because it gives you a fairly clear-eyed view of the toll modern combat takes on the participants. Sander's memoir is also useful in popping the balloon of just how "invincible" the German Army was in the early days of the war. He and his men are launching Barbarossa in their "Skoda Super Sports" - Czech 35t light tanks the Wehrmacht quickly absorbed after Czechoslovakia was liquidated. Sander openly admits they're cramped and inferior to German and Russian models - yet the need was so great, the Army used them anyway.
The retreat after the Russian winter counter-offensive isn't skipped (though glossed over a bit) - Sander and his men become "Panzer zu FuB" when mechanical breakdowns and the steady grind of Russian attacks disable the last of the regiment's tanks. It probably also gets slightly less vivid/expansive coverage thanks to the pretty epic fighting retreat they had to undertake - no mean feat, and no time to make regular diary entries.
As noted, there is a break where Sander goes to school and another where he is wounded, but even with the abrupt gaps and endings it's an enjoyable read for those who like WW2 memoirs and Sander has some good powers of observations.
I should note the audiobook is read by someone affecting a German accent. Not bad and it kind of works, but is occasionally a little distracting.
The retreat after the Russian winter counter-offensive isn't skipped (though glossed over a bit) - Sander and his men become "Panzer zu FuB" when mechanical breakdowns and the steady grind of Russian attacks disable the last of the regiment's tanks. It probably also gets slightly less vivid/expansive coverage thanks to the pretty epic fighting retreat they had to undertake - no mean feat, and no time to make regular diary entries.
As noted, there is a break where Sander goes to school and another where he is wounded, but even with the abrupt gaps and endings it's an enjoyable read for those who like WW2 memoirs and Sander has some good powers of observations.
I should note the audiobook is read by someone affecting a German accent. Not bad and it kind of works, but is occasionally a little distracting.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews