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

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. On sand and snow for Hitler . . . This book is built around two recently discovered war diariesone by a member of the 23rd Panzer Division which served under Manstein in Russia, and the other by a member of Rommels 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 units combat in the great German victory at Kharkov, then the advance to the Caucasus, and finally the brutal winter of 194243. The second diarys 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 historys 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. Gehlens childhood memoir, The Story of a Boy Defending Hitlers 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, 529 May 1942 3: Forward to the Oskol River, 31 May22 July 1942 4: Toward the Don and Ssal, 2330 July 1942 5: Advance to the Caucasus, 1 August24 November 1942 6: Our Part at Stalingrad, 25 November25 December 1942 7: Our Retreat from Stalingrad, 26 December19 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 23d Panzer Division, which was enmeshed in the crucial turning point of World War II in Russia, and the other by an original member of Rommel's AfrikaKorps. Together, accompanied by 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 result is a rare inside look at how the German Wehrmacht's reach (and expertise) eventually exceeded its grasp"--Jacket