The Forgotten Soldier

By: Guy Sajer

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Length: 21 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

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

A Beautifully Written Heartrending Tragedy

This is one of the most beautifully written, most vivid and horrific accounts of war I've read/listened to in a long time. It's absolutely amazing.
It was so amazing in fact, that I Googled it: and tho' I found that there were a few inaccuracies, it is true, it was lived. Guy Sajer himself says that it's not meant to be a strategic/chronological account but is instead meant as an emotional rendering of what he experienced.
And emotional it is. It starts with him as an optimistic young soldier fighting for the Germans even tho' he's half French (from what I Googled, it is suggested that he did it because he felt the Germans were Europe's best hope to save countries from Bolshevism), goes through testing as a member of an auxiliary unit, and then the greatest part of it is flat-out war and chaos.
There is smoke, fire, death all around him. Struggling innocents, struggling participants. I'd just finished listening to "Enemy at the Gates", about Stalingrad, and here in "The Forgotten Soldier" there was a greater accounting of it at the costs of Germany. But there is so much more: more battles, more to be won and lost, and so much hunger and privation.
I have never suffered so much alongside another person as I did with this book, it's so humane.
It's not just warfare that's soooo vividly portrayed; this is just a well, well-written book. Nature, comradeship, fear are written elegantly, with brilliant prose, and Derek Perkins delivers it flawlessly, humanely.
This is a credit well-spent, 21 1/2 hours I wouldn't trade for the world.

The most gripping story I’ve ever heard

I was brought to this book from Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History- The Ostfront podcast series. In trying to understand all facets of the WW2 situation, I thought it would be interesting to see the Nazi-Bolshevik war through the eyes of a German soldier; indeed this didn’t disappoint. Author Guy Sajer (pseudonym) paints a vivid picture of trying to not only survive, but fight a war, in the cold and barren Russian steppe, with little or no warm clothes, food, or shelter. I “came to” from listening to the battle descriptions, finding myself wide-eyed, heart racing, in jaw-clenching awe. You get a true sense of the extremes of the human condition, the vastness of the eastern front theater, the cruelty/honor of soldiers in war, the indescribable fear and intensity of firing a spandau, being shelled, and witnessing a tank battle or aerial bombing, all through Sajer’s deftly crafted language. It’s remarkable how little most of the soldiers were told about the rest of the war, and how apparently nil the Nazi or Bolshevik philosophies played any part in the common soldier’s plight. Amazing story, artfully translated, perfectly narrated. And now onto the book from a Russian soldier’s point of view!

Riveting and a wonderful read about Hell on Earth

Any additional comments?

This book is superbly written and is far and away the best story about a single soldier in a three year battle where literally Hell came to Earth. I can not recommend this book strongly enough. I can not think of anyone who would not want to read/listen to this, especially given how wonderfully the prose is crafted and how well it is performed. Do yourself a favor: buy it and listen to it and see for yourself.

Engrossing

This man's story is fascinating. Over time, you really begin to care deeply about what happens to him and Haus.

Great story.

Why hasn't it yet been made into a movie? The time seems right with the success of Dunkirk and 1917.

Wonderful!!!

A great account of one man's journey through an all most unbelievable time. Loved it.

Wow

What a story the horror of war and the plight of men on either side has really shown in this book how sad war can really be.

An Eye Opening Book

I had no idea what the experiences of the common German infantry soldier were on the Soviet front.

I have never listened to a book with more impact

it's not just a war story, the prose will make you feel the story on your heart.

Fantastic perspective from the losing side

What did you love best about The Forgotten Soldier?

It was a great story about a soldier from the losing side, an overly evil military force that had to be stopped. It's easy to forget that every military is made up of individual soldiers, not all of which believe in the true cause to which they are fighting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Forgotten Soldier?

The story of when Guy was forced to wait on the bank of a river for multiple days as the Russians shelled him and his comrades from afar. The stories of how soldiers tried to escape over the river and how many men were lost was horrible.

Any additional comments?

Great book, a very good story teller. It was cool to hear a different perspective of what life was like for a German soldier. They had it every bit as rough as those they were trying to destroy which generally leaves you unsympathetic to the German soldiers plight. This story reminds you that many soldiers were caught up in a war they didn't want to be in and were forced to fight for their own lives in possibly the most ferocious war the world has ever known. Guy was barely an adult when he was launched into the war, hence reading this book provided me with the ability to have sympathy for those caught up in the war on both sides. Obviously the German cause was still evil...this just gives a new perspective at the ground level.