Review of "Last Letters From Stalingrad," translated by Franz Schneider and Charles Gullans

 Review of

Last Letters From Stalingrad, translated by Franz Schneider and Charles Gullans

Five out of five stars

Harsh reality of a doomed army

 When the Soviet Red Army cut off the German 6th army in the bitter cold of the Russian winter, the German soldiers knew that their fate was sealed. Having fought over the destroyed city of Stalingrad for months in what was a senseless battle, the soldiers of the 6th army had little hope for their future. They also understood how powerful the Soviet Red Army was, so their despair was not only for themselves but for the future of Germany.

 This book is a collection of some of the last letters that soldiers of the trapped 6th army were able to send back to their loved ones. There is a great deal of the battlefield reality expressed in the words of these letters. The last two sentences of the second letter sums it up well.

“They tell us that our struggle is for Germany. But there are only a few here who believe that this meaningless sacrifice could be of any use to our country.”

This book contains some of the most humanizing expressions of the German soldiers in World War II. You do not read about the high war aims or racial and ethnic backdrop of the Second World War. These are the words of men that are worn down, yet still fight because it is their duty while knowing it is hopeless.

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