Two Soldiers, Two Lost Fronts: German War Diaries of the Stalingrad and North Africa Campaigns

by Don A. Gregory

Two war diaries that reveal “just what it was like, day by day, living in a Wehrmacht unit” (Internet Modeler).   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 Afrika Korps. Together, along with detailed timelines and brief overviews, they comprise a fascinating up-close 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 first diary, author unknown, covers 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 lethal 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 Afrika Korps. 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. These are simply the brutally honest accounts written at the time by men of the Wehrmacht who participated in two of history’s most crucial campaigns.

Genres: Military History, World War II

277 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2009

Reviews

[Patrick Belair · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[TimeyWimeyBooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.