The Forgotten Soldier

By: Guy Sajer

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

When Guy Sajer joins the infantry full of ideals in the summer of 1942, the German army is enjoying unparalleled success in Russia. However, he quickly finds that for the foot soldier the glory of military success hides a much harsher reality of hunger, fatigue, and constant deprivation. Posted to the elite Grosse Deutschland division, with its sadistic instructors who shoot down those who fail to make the grade, he enters a violent and remorseless world where all youthful hope is gradually ground down, and all that matters is the brute will to survive. As the biting cold of the Russian winter sets in and the tide begins to turn against the Germans, life becomes an endless round of pounding artillery attacks and vicious combat against a relentless and merciless Red Army.

Sajer's perspective as a German foot soldier makes The Forgotten Soldier a unique war memoir, the book that the Christian Science Monitor said "may well be the book about World War II which has been so long awaited". A work of stunning force, this is an unforgettable reminder of the horrors of war.

©1967 Editions Robert Laffont; translation copyright 1971 by Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. (P)2017 Tantor

Great book ! Great narrator !

Excellent overall! Good to hear other side and from
a infantryman viewpoint . You won't be disappointed .

I was captivated.

I've read many books about war. Yet, this one really made me feel what I can only imagine are the real horrors of war. It broke my heart at times, and felt as if that young man could have been me. A classic; which I highly recommend. The narrator did a wonderful job.

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

I have never read anything written by a German soldier.
I’ve never even entertained the idea of wanting to know their version.
This book was truly an eye opener.
It is beautifully written and many more adjectives...
I finished listening to it and started from the beginning right away.
The narrator does the book full justice.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Their life sucked but they had it coming

They had a helluva rough go of it but considering what they inflicted on the Russians, they had it coming and then some.

Vantage point of the vanquished

For those avid consumers of World War II history, we more often read the perspective of the victorious rather than the vanquished. Sajer's story is quite the opposite. Much of the narrative takes place as the Russians gain momentum on the Eastern Front and turn the tide of the German invasion forcing a full scale retreat to Germany. The text deals very little with the political implications of Nazism or Bolshevism, but is simply a tale of one young man's survival amidst horrific conditions - the elements, sickness, and starvation.

I found the fresh perspective enlightening, and the pace of the story kept me engrossed to the end. Derek Perkins, despite the clearly British accent in a German-centric story, did a superb job with the narration often giving voice to the raw angst and fear captured in Sajer's text.

High praise for Sajer's work and solid recommendation for any World War II buff.