Former Enemy who turned True Friend Passed Away - German Wehrmach Soldier who fought Russians - Vanity

Watts Funeral Home ^ | 1/6/22 | Family

[fortes fortuna juvat]

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.

[fortes fortuna juvat]

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.

[Hot Tabasco]

Lucky him, he escaped the Nazi hunters.......

[fortes fortuna juvat]

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.

[Captain Walker]

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.

[fortes fortuna juvat]

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

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

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.

[fortes fortuna juvat]

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!

[srmanuel]

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.

[Gay State Conservative]

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.

[Gay State Conservative]

Hitler vs Stalin is a war which all decent people would wish that *both* sides could lose.But sadly only one did.

[fortes fortuna juvat]

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!

[srmanuel]

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

[Enterprise]

I just finished reading The Forgotten Soldier. One small thing has bothered me about it though. The birthdate for Sajer is listed as January 13, 1927. Then, it is written that he joined the Wehrmacht in 1942, at age 16. This is not possible because of simple math. He would not have turned 16 until January 13, 1943. Have you come across an explanation for this discrepancy?

Otherwise, this is a fascinating book, and it is among many accounts of war which should be read in high schools.

[Enterprise]

I just finished reading The Forgotten Soldier. One small thing has bothered me about it though. The birthdate for Sajer is listed as January 13, 1927. Then, it is written that he joined the Wehrmacht in 1942, at age 16. This is not possible because of simple math. He would not have turned 16 until January 13, 1943. Have you come across an explanation for this discrepancy?

Otherwise, this is a fascinating book, and it is among many accounts of war which should be read in high schools.

[oh8eleven]

Incredible book. But there are some who question Sajer's facts - Fact or Fiction

[Captain Walker]

It's been 20+ years since I've read this book and if you caught the DOB in the book itself, you've got a pretty sharp eye; this is the first time I am hearing of this.

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.

actualitte.com

("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".)

[Captain Walker]

ping

[Enterprise]

I couldn't help notice that! Just 2 days before his 95th birthday! I am not disparaging the author or his book. But the discrepancy between his DOB and his age when he was drafted into the Wehrmacht caught my eye.

Guy Mouminoux (13 January 1927 – 11 January 2022), known by the pseudonym Guy Sajer, was a French writer and cartoonist who is best known as the author of the Second World War memoir Le Soldat Oublié (1965, translated as The Forgotten Soldier), which recounts his experience serving in the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front from 1942 to 1945, in the elite Großdeutschland Division.

"The author states that he was an inhabitant of Alsace drafted into the German Wehrmacht at age 16, in 1942"

[oh8eleven]

Sajer died just a couple of days before his birthday last month

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 ...