THE FORSAKEN ARMY

by Heinrich Gerlach ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 4, 1958

Like Lt. Breuer, the hero of the novel, the author, a schoolteacher in civilian life, served at Stalingrad as a member of the German Sixth Army--the hapless victims of Hitler's insane refusal to admit defeat. The alarms and excursions of war under impossible circumstances as experienced by all ranks from general to private are presented effectively and often movingly, and added depth is derived from the political re-education of the men disgusted with a leader and a party that could permit the futile sacrifice of 270,000 men. More interesting than many German novels of its kind, this-although nominally fiction- is not really a true novel since every incident and character is real and the true purpose of the book is propaganda. Another piece to fill in the jigsaw puzzle that was the German mentality in the thirties and forties, this is a sober book lacking the ferocious blood and iron scenes that embellish Willi Heinrich's novels of the German army.

Pub Date: Feb. 4, 1958

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1958

Categories: FICTION