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Two Soldiers, Two Lost Fronts: German War Diaries of the Stalingrad and North Africa Campaigns
On sand and snow for Hitler . . .
This book is built around two recently discovered war diaries—one by a member of the 23rd Panzer Division which served under Manstein in Russia, and the other by a member of Rommel’s AfrikaKorps. Together, along with detailed timelines and brief overviews, they comprise a fascinating “you are there” look at the German side of World War II. The stories are told primarily in the first person present tense, as events occurred, and without the benefit (or liability) of postwar reflection.
The assignment of keeping the first diary was given to a soldier in the 2nd Battalion, 201st Panzer Regiment by a commanding officers and the author never saw fit to include his own name. This diary covers the period from April 1942 to March 1943, the momentous year when the tide of battle turned in the East. It first details the unit’s combat in the great German victory at Kharkov, then the advance to the Caucasus, and finally the brutal winter of 1942–43.
The second diary’s author was a soldier named Rolf Krengel, and the diary was the original, handwritten copy. It starts with the beginning of the war and ends shortly after the occupation. Serving primarily in North Africa, Krengel recounts with keen insight and flashes of humor the day-to-day challenges of the AfrikaKorps. During one of the swirling battles in the desert, Krengel found himself sharing a tent with Rommel at a forward outpost.
Neither of the diarists was famous, nor of especially high rank, and no books have been written on their military careers. However, these are the brutally honest accounts written at the time by men of the Wehrmacht who participated in two of history’s most crucial campaigns.
DON A. GREGORY, is a Professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. WILHELM R. GEHLEN joined the French Foreign Legion and served in Indochina and North Africa. The authors previously collaborated on Mr. Gehlen’s childhood memoir, The Story of a Boy Defending Hitler’s Third Reich (Casemate 2008).
Table of Contents
Preface
PART TO STALINGRAD AND BACK
Introduction
1: Departure from Paris and Arrival in Charkov
2: The Battle for Charkov, 5–29 May 1942
3: Forward to the Oskol River, 31 May–22 July 1942
4: Toward the Don and Ssal, 23–30 July 1942
5: Advance to the Caucasus, 1 August–24 November 1942
6: Our Part at Stalingrad, 25 November–25 December 1942
7: Our Retreat from Stalingrad, 26 December–19 March 1942
Historical Timeline
Part TO NORTH AFRICA AND BACK
Introduction
1: Conscription and On to France (“Case Yellow”), 1939
2: My North Africa Campaign, 1941
3: Chase and Being Chased through the Desert, 1942
4: Home to Germany 1943
5: The End of the War, 1945
6: After the End
The Fall of Berlin and the Airlift
Historical Timeline
Appendix 1: Biography of Ludwig Bloos
Appendix 2: Obituary of Rolf Krengel
Bibliography and Sources
This book is built around two recently discovered war diaries—one by a member of the 23rd Panzer Division which served under Manstein in Russia, and the other by a member of Rommel’s AfrikaKorps. Together, along with detailed timelines and brief overviews, they comprise a fascinating “you are there” look at the German side of World War II. The stories are told primarily in the first person present tense, as events occurred, and without the benefit (or liability) of postwar reflection.
The assignment of keeping the first diary was given to a soldier in the 2nd Battalion, 201st Panzer Regiment by a commanding officers and the author never saw fit to include his own name. This diary covers the period from April 1942 to March 1943, the momentous year when the tide of battle turned in the East. It first details the unit’s combat in the great German victory at Kharkov, then the advance to the Caucasus, and finally the brutal winter of 1942–43.
The second diary’s author was a soldier named Rolf Krengel, and the diary was the original, handwritten copy. It starts with the beginning of the war and ends shortly after the occupation. Serving primarily in North Africa, Krengel recounts with keen insight and flashes of humor the day-to-day challenges of the AfrikaKorps. During one of the swirling battles in the desert, Krengel found himself sharing a tent with Rommel at a forward outpost.
Neither of the diarists was famous, nor of especially high rank, and no books have been written on their military careers. However, these are the brutally honest accounts written at the time by men of the Wehrmacht who participated in two of history’s most crucial campaigns.
DON A. GREGORY, is a Professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. WILHELM R. GEHLEN joined the French Foreign Legion and served in Indochina and North Africa. The authors previously collaborated on Mr. Gehlen’s childhood memoir, The Story of a Boy Defending Hitler’s Third Reich (Casemate 2008).
Table of Contents
Preface
PART TO STALINGRAD AND BACK
Introduction
1: Departure from Paris and Arrival in Charkov
2: The Battle for Charkov, 5–29 May 1942
3: Forward to the Oskol River, 31 May–22 July 1942
4: Toward the Don and Ssal, 23–30 July 1942
5: Advance to the Caucasus, 1 August–24 November 1942
6: Our Part at Stalingrad, 25 November–25 December 1942
7: Our Retreat from Stalingrad, 26 December–19 March 1942
Historical Timeline
Part TO NORTH AFRICA AND BACK
Introduction
1: Conscription and On to France (“Case Yellow”), 1939
2: My North Africa Campaign, 1941
3: Chase and Being Chased through the Desert, 1942
4: Home to Germany 1943
5: The End of the War, 1945
6: After the End
The Fall of Berlin and the Airlift
Historical Timeline
Appendix 1: Biography of Ludwig Bloos
Appendix 2: Obituary of Rolf Krengel
Bibliography and Sources
288 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 16, 2013
This was a very interesting book, it is the war diary of two german soldiers during the German push for the Russian oil fields and to the ultimate defeat in Stalingrad and the retreat west after it.And the second from a soldier in the Africa Corp. From the first day in Africa till the final retreat. I've read many memoirs but this is the first actual day to day account written at the moment of the event. Wonder to read I think anyone who reads it will also find it interesting!
October 31, 2011
The problem with this book is that I believed it to be a personal account when in fact it was written by a man who was keeping "official" record of what was happening (I speak mostly of the Stalingrad part). And so it reads like more of a list/report than a journal. There is little to no personal take on what is happening, soldiers are not mentioned by name unless they are in charge or important in some other capacity.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews