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Fur Volk and Fuhrer
- The Memoir of a Veteran of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
- Narrated by: James Foster
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
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Fur Volk and Fuhrer
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Summary
Like many Germans, Berlin schoolboy Erwin Bartmann fell under the spell of the Zeitgeist cultivated by the Nazis. Convinced he was growing up in the best country in the world, he dreamt of joining the Leibstandarte, Hitler's elite Waffen SS unit. Tall, blond, blue-eyed, and just 17-years-old, Erwin fulfilled his dream on Mayday 1941, when he gave up his apprenticeship at the Glaser bakery in Memeler Strasse and walked into the Lichterfelde barracks in Berlin as a raw, volunteer recruit.
On arrival at the Eastern Front in late summer 1941, Erwin was assigned to a frontline communications squad and soon discovered that survival was a matter of luck - or the protection of a guardian angel. Good fortune finally deserted Erwin on 11 July 1943 when shrapnel sizzled through his lung during the epic Battle of Kursk-Prokhorovka. Following a period of recovery, and promotion to Unterscharführer, Erwin took up a post as machine-gun instructor with the Ausbildung und Ersatz Bataillon.
From the war on the southern sector of the Eastern Front to a bomb-shattered Berlin populated largely by old men and demoralized lonely women, this candid eyewitness account offers a unique and sometimes surprising perspective on the life of a young Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler volunteer.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Roo
- 19-11-17
WW2 The tragedy of the 20th Century
I like the story of an ordinary person caught up in world shattering events.
For the lower classes, whether your master be a facist or a communist, the outcome is just the same.........
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Deano 462
- 30-03-22
Excellent listen
I have read/listened to many books on the Second World War but you can’t get a more accurate picture than a first hand account of someone who was actually there. I struggled during the chapters when Erwin is on the Eastern front in regards to knowing what the date was on each chapter and keeping up with the characters. That said I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it went into great detail on what life was like for German soldiers as well as German civilians during the downfall of the Reich. I would have liked a bit more on Erwins life after the War. Need to find more books like this!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Émilie Doveau
- 02-06-24
Great to hear the other side
I simply can't imagine what life would have been like, but this goes someway to helping me understand.
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- Mitty
- 12-12-20
Really got the Character of the writer
I really enjoyed this book, took me through the period just before the second WW and up until the end. It was interesting to hear the views of Germans in that period and how their views changed. A couple of 'memories' felt like they had been added to paint the writer in a better light (regarding the treatment of Jewish germans) , but that was just my interpretation - well worth a listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Stephen Timms
- 26-12-21
Towser T
This is one of the most intriguing books to which I have listened. I have to take a partially sceptical view of the writer’s verbatim report, as I do not know much else about him. I think an author is entitled to a degree of sanitisation when writing about such a this, as many great generals see a war from their own perspective.
However, on the face of it, the narrative rings true and as an Englishman I have mainly read/listened to books from the side of the victors.
When you have read about the tactics and portrayals of wars from the top politicians and generals, it is refreshing to witness an account by an ordinary soldier. Herr Bartmann does not pull his punches and it is not for the squeamish. It depicts the randomness of war and shows how one may be killed by the first or last shot of a conflict; or survive by sheer chance for no good reason.
I could not stop listening and the narrator’s somewhat monotonic voice seems to fit well. It is not fiction and is of our time. I was born exactly five years to the day of VE Day and am still fascinated. I hope you will feel the same after you have read this account.
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- Richard Denis Chadwick
- 13-01-23
excellent first hand account
I wish there was more like it. I seem to be running out of stories like these to listen too. this makes me sad. also the pro nazi review in this review section clearly only knows what he's been told. history is written by Victor's. the real truth always comes out too late.
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- John C-H
- 19-06-23
Interesting and well written
Very interesting book, a good account from the other side and the true feeling of what it’s looking keen to be a soldier
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- Jim JAMES
- 07-05-17
Captivating
This was my first foray with an audio book. I enjoy seeing the Second World War from the German perspective. The content and delivery was excellent. I would recommend this book.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Wulfen
- 07-12-17
Excellent account
Excellent candid and honest account of SS LAH veteran, recommend to anyone with an interest in WW2 as such accounts are quite rare.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- john mcaleer
- 19-10-20
Enlightening read
Incredible first hand account , blowing apart the accepted truth of the SS . Sheds light on the different functions within the organisation , and the surprising humanity within . Interesting perspective on the changing attitudes within German society as defeat looms.
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