Re: We Were Soldiers

I have a copy of that old Stalingrad book in paperback:

"Stalingrad", Theodor Plievier, Berkeley press, 1948. No ISBN.

The book is bleak, depressing throughout, but ends on what by comparison

to the rest of the book can be considered a hopeful note. It's also very

well written and rings true from what I have read elsewhere. It was a 
cathartic read and I can only hope that the author laid some of his 
personal demons to rest by writing the book.

A search at Barnes & Noble shows used copies available, as well as 
another novel entitled "Moscow". The prices are fairly reasonable, 
roughly $15 for paperback copies.

DAWGFACE47@webtv.net wrote:

>TALKING WITH OLD LANDSERS IN THE 60S (brothers, uncles, cousins,
fathers
>of girlfriends, as well as drinking buddies) was  an education.
>
>their war with the RUSSIANS was every bit as  horrible as the ALLIES
war
>against the JAPANESE.
>
>also the  guerilla war in GREECE and the BALKANS was apparently waged
>with the same	blood thirstyness by all 
>combatants.
>
>WILLI (?) SCMIDT (?)s CROSS OF IRON TRILOGY  followed very much what i
>heard	from these vets. also avery old  book called STALINGRAD written
>in the late 40s or early 50s  by a German vet).
>
>SVEN HASSO's  stories	sounded right at first, then started  off into
>the realms of weirdness.
>
>(some of this	could be to faulty memory or bad soldier info during the
>war-like his being  convinced he  fought  US MARINEs in Italy)
>
>BUT. . .
>
>since i have been to MY WAR , saw and	experienced things that most
>folks who are non-combatants would not believe or f could not believe,
>i look at any soldier's  account of his  war with an open mind .
>
>a combat soldier's view of events is not the same as an author or that
>of a general or staff officer with all of the info at hand.
>
>many times, a soldier never knows  WHY, is never  certain as to WHERE,
>or even WHEN, or WHAT THE RESULTs of a battle are outside of his own
>combat space and time.
>
>and this  space is limited; tunnel vision, my and my buds versus THEM,
>in  a	warped time frame.
>
>i met a few  unreformed NAZIs when i was in GERMANY, but most of the
>folks were -just folks! nothing more or less.
>
>some of the old  soldiers  wanted nothing to do with Americans ,
>probably based on war experiences just like some old American soldiers
>want nothing to do with Germans  long ater the  war.
>
>ditto for Japanese , Noeth Korens  and Chinese.
>
>and this is  how i feel toward NVA/VC and their government.
>
>LOL (grimly) i was not much in love  with the South Viet policians,
>civilian police, some of the  civies, and most of their  armed forces
>either.
>
>As well as some of my own!  
>
>STILL!
>
>DAWGIE 
>
>