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This book came highly recommended by one of my friends while I was in Iraq. He had been to Germany for a few years and said With our Backs to Berlin was one of the best books detailing the German side of the War.
In the introduction, Tissier writes, "leafing through the material I have accumulated from over 20 years of studying the Second World War Berlin battlefield scene, much of it feed back from the German editions of my books. The Battle of Berlin and Zhukov at the Oder, I came across so many interesting, hitherto unpublished pieces that I decided to bring some of them together as a collection of short stories." The beginning starts off with German tankers as they are saved by Stukas. The lead plane knocked tanks out with one shot from its cannon. The pilot was Hans-Ulrich Rudel, who was credited for killing 500 tanks and damaging 800 in his career. The rest of the book is full of amazing stories. One chapter is nothing but a radio log from a surrounded German fortress. Another is on the Seelow Heights, where the Russian army lost over 30,000 troops taking the heights. The book finishes with a story about a Sergeant Major Rogmann. He commands a group of Hilter Youth after the band was disbanded at Hitler's bunker. Rogmann finds some rockets, which he put to good use against a column of Russian tanks. The story ends as the Germans try to break of Berlin. Rogmann escapes Russian patrols as he made his way home. His wife told a friend who told the Russians about Rogmann's homecoming, and he was jailed for a few years.
The reading was easy. This was one of those books that I couldn't put down until finished it. Anyone who loves WWII (and I know there are a butt load here at the forum) should read this book.
In the introduction, Tissier writes, "leafing through the material I have accumulated from over 20 years of studying the Second World War Berlin battlefield scene, much of it feed back from the German editions of my books. The Battle of Berlin and Zhukov at the Oder, I came across so many interesting, hitherto unpublished pieces that I decided to bring some of them together as a collection of short stories." The beginning starts off with German tankers as they are saved by Stukas. The lead plane knocked tanks out with one shot from its cannon. The pilot was Hans-Ulrich Rudel, who was credited for killing 500 tanks and damaging 800 in his career. The rest of the book is full of amazing stories. One chapter is nothing but a radio log from a surrounded German fortress. Another is on the Seelow Heights, where the Russian army lost over 30,000 troops taking the heights. The book finishes with a story about a Sergeant Major Rogmann. He commands a group of Hilter Youth after the band was disbanded at Hitler's bunker. Rogmann finds some rockets, which he put to good use against a column of Russian tanks. The story ends as the Germans try to break of Berlin. Rogmann escapes Russian patrols as he made his way home. His wife told a friend who told the Russians about Rogmann's homecoming, and he was jailed for a few years.
The reading was easy. This was one of those books that I couldn't put down until finished it. Anyone who loves WWII (and I know there are a butt load here at the forum) should read this book.
