Thanks for the ping and Sajer's obit.
As much as I was aware of him I had no idea he was still alive.
- May he RIP ...
Posted on 01/06/2022 10:41:15 AM PST by srmanuel
Excuse the Vanity Post, I think some may be interested in a personal friend of mine who passed away recently, whose funeral is tomorrow.
My dear friend Hans Heine, was born in Danzig, Germany in 1928 and was drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1944 and immediately sent to the Eastern Front to fight against the Russians, he has obviously seen the worst of humanity.
In 1958 Hans, his wife and children immigrated to the USA and became citizens, he had a very successful business career and was a true friend, one of his sons joined the USAF and had over a 20 year career.
He would always meet us with a smile, glass of scotch, cigar and the most incredible stories about WW II you can imagine.
Tomorrow we attend his funeral and pay tribute to a great friend.
Sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. Would very much like to hear some of his wartime stories. He was a lucky man to have survived on the Eastern Front, and fortunate to have ended his days in America. Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine.
Anyone interested in reading a very good book on the campaign in Russia (written by a French national serving in the Wehrmacht) should pick up “The Forgotten Soldier” by Guy Sajer.
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I always appreciate book referrals. Thanks for sharing.
Lucky him, he escaped the Nazi hunters.......
I think the horrors of that campaign between the Germans and Soviets is almost unknown here in the US.
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Myself included, most people are surprised to learn that while American fatalities in Europe during WWII numbered around 500,000, the Russians lost around 13 million people. Not sure of the civilian/military breakdown re that number.
I read somewhere that at the time of the Normandy Invasion, 85% of the Wehrmacht was fighting on the Eastern Front.
It's not something John Ford would have put into his movies (clearly designed to boost American morale), but Russia bore the overwhelming brunt of the fight against the Axis.
Sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. Would very much like to hear some of his wartime stories. He was a lucky man to have survived on the Eastern Front, and fortunate to have ended his days in America. Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2IaFaJrmno
I’ve seen various numbers. Here’s one I’ve seen more than a few times. The Russians captured millions of German troops. After the war only 50,000 went back to Germany.
I’ve seen various numbers. Here’s one I’ve seen more than a few times. The Russians captured millions of German troops. After the war only 50,000 went back to Germany.
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Enslaved until death in the Gulag!
He was a just a regular low level Wehrmacht Infantry soldier, maybe corporal or private in the US Army, no need for Nazi Hunters to pursue someone like him.
Yes,I can accept that some...perhaps even more than a few...Germans who served in the military did so against their will. If you were a young private,or a young lieutenant,and refused to follow an order to shoot an innocent person *you* were shot...on the spot.
Hitler vs Stalin is a war which all decent people would wish that *both* sides could lose.But sadly only one did.
Hitler vs Stalin is a war which all decent people would wish that *both* sides could lose.But sadly only one did.
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Excellent point!
At the funeral today his two sons related the of their father losing his older brother being killed on the Eastern Front by stepping on a land mine
Otherwise, this is a fascinating book, and it is among many accounts of war which should be read in high schools.
Otherwise, this is a fascinating book, and it is among many accounts of war which should be read in high schools.
The site that oh8eleven links to states that Sajer was 16 when he volunteered to join the Wehrmacht in July of 1942; no DOB is provided in that article. (The article is discussing a debate about the veracity of Sajer's work.)
I couldn't take a side on this if I wanted to; this is the first time I am hearing that the book has been called into question.
Interestingly, Sajer died just a couple of days before his birthday last month.
("Sajer" was his mother's maiden name which he adopted for use during his military service, as his mother was German and it fit better with the names of the Germans he served with; his family name was "Mouminoux".)
ping
"The author states that he was an inhabitant of Alsace drafted into the German Wehrmacht at age 16, in 1942"
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