Blood, Dust and Snow

Diaries of a Panzer Commander in Germany and on the Eastern Front

By: Friedrich Sander, Robin Schafer - editor translator, Roger Moorhouse - foreword

Narrated by: Stephan Goldbach

The war on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1945 was the bloodiest combat theater in the bloodiest war in history. Oberleutnant Friedrich Wilhelm Sander experienced this bloodshed firsthand when serving with the 11th Panzer-Regiment. This regiment made up the core of the 6th Panzer-Division, one of Hitler's top armored formations, which was involved in most of the major campaigns on the Eastern Front; campaigns such as Operation Barbarossa and Operation Winter Storm.

Sander recorded his experience of these campaigns in astounding detail in some recently-discovered diaries covering the period from April 1938 to December 1943, translated here for the first time by historian Robin Schäfer. Written during the fighting, these diaries not only offer an honest assessment of the war on the Eastern Front, but also provide an insight into the mind of a young and highly politicized officer, and offer an intimate glimpse into the close-knit community of a German Panzer crew.

A brutally honest, immediate, and unfiltered personal account, Sander's translated diaries make for a uniquely fascinating account about some of the most important campaigns of the Second World War. Blood, Dust and Snow will be of great interest not only to listeners studying the war on the Eastern Front, but also to any historian researching the Second World War.

©2022 Robin Schäfer; Foreword copyright 2022 by Roger Moorhouse (P)2023 Tantor

Fantastic - Unique Account of Eastern Front

Couldn’t put this one down. It starts off a little slow, but takes right off in Chapter Two. Very unique unfiltered perspective of a German officer in the eastern front. Probably going to have to give this one another listen.

Excellent.

It's a little boring at first, but once he gets rolling it becomes a truly insightful and remarkable diary worth the attention of any student of history no matter what level.

Very good story

This German Officer is a good author and its too bad they were missing pages but on the hole it was very interesting

Candid and unfiltered

I really enjoyed this book, it is seemingly open and unfiltered. The author doesn’t hide his opinion, and why shouldn’t he, it’s his personal diary. I am eager to listen to our enemies thoughts and observations. It amazes me how different we are and at the same time…so similar. I do not sympathize with Nazi dogma, but the soldier is entirely relatable.

Good read.

Excellent Details

These memoirs of a pnazer commander are excellent in detail into the day-to-day life of a German soldier on the Eastern front. A good read!