Peter Neumann

Cover: Meh. It’s a lovely painting, but it’s flat. It doesn’t stand out nor attract attention.

So, the famous backlog I was about to clean? I didn’t. I had to put everything on hold for a long while, alas. Now, this is attempt #2 at it.

Jena 1800 is a good(ish) book. It starts with a bang—the French soldiers are on the prowl and the Prussian outposts are as good as gone—which sets the mood right away. War! Political instability! Uncertainty! The setting couldn’t be more promising. Being dropped into the thick of it right from the start is something I appreciate.

However, the enthusiasm dies down pretty soon. First of all, the story reads like a gossip mag at times; I didn’t pick up a book about philosophy and German idealism just to delve into people’s love life, you know? Read your, er, target audience a bit better… (meer)

I'm not sure this is real memoirs or not, but if it is, the tale is chilling, and these guys were very tough, and good soldiers. But their cynicism, that many of them expect to be rewarded with soft civilian jobs after the victory of the Reich is very daunting. I do see it is possible to extract that level of dedication from a body of fighting men, but it is hard to see how to do it without a heavy dose of ideological input. so do read it, but have some doubts as to whether the whole story is being laid out here.… (meer)

The back of the book made the contents sound much worse than they were.
It sounded like an in depth look at the Nazi Youth machine that turned wide eyed children into monsters fueled on hate. And it did touch on that in the first 30 pages that sounded more like contrite backwards propaganda than actual journal entries. The rest of the book is basically an account of the different battles and places that Neumann went to.
Maybe in 1958 it was exciting and ground breaking, but most of what it brings to light is now common knowledge about the SS and its actions.
Not a bad read, but unless you're into battle ground technicalities of the German-Russian front in WWII I wouldn't bother. Just read the back cover and let your imagination take you further.… (meer)