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Sniper on the Eastern Front: The Memoirs of Sepp Allerberger, Knight's Cross
Josef “Sepp” Allerberger was the second most successful sniper of the German Wehrmacht and one of the few private soldiers to be honoured with the award of the Knight’s Cross.
An Austrian conscript, after qualifying as a machine gunner he was drafted to the southern sector of the Russian Front in July 1942. Wounded at Voroshilovsk, he experimented with a Russian sniper-rifle while convalescing and so impressed his superiors with his proficiency that he was returned to the front on his regiment’s only sniper specialist.
In this sometimes harrowing memoir, Allerberger provides an excellent introduction to the commitment in fieldcraft, discipline and routine required of the sniper, a man apart. There was no place for chivalry on the Russian Front. Away from the film cameras, no prisoner survived long after surrendering. Russian snipers had used the illegal explosive bullet since 1941, and Hitler eventually authorised its issue in 1944. The result was a battlefield of horror.
Allerberger was a cold-blooded killer, but few will find a place in their hearts for the soldiers of the Red Army against whom he fought.
An Austrian conscript, after qualifying as a machine gunner he was drafted to the southern sector of the Russian Front in July 1942. Wounded at Voroshilovsk, he experimented with a Russian sniper-rifle while convalescing and so impressed his superiors with his proficiency that he was returned to the front on his regiment’s only sniper specialist.
In this sometimes harrowing memoir, Allerberger provides an excellent introduction to the commitment in fieldcraft, discipline and routine required of the sniper, a man apart. There was no place for chivalry on the Russian Front. Away from the film cameras, no prisoner survived long after surrendering. Russian snipers had used the illegal explosive bullet since 1941, and Hitler eventually authorised its issue in 1944. The result was a battlefield of horror.
Allerberger was a cold-blooded killer, but few will find a place in their hearts for the soldiers of the Red Army against whom he fought.
196 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
April 21, 2010
Really enjoyed this book. Puts a human aspect to a Wehrmacht soldier rather than just the demon side we are all used to. What these young soldiers (axis and allies) contended with is unimaginable.
December 1, 2024
"This was a principle [of Killing or Being Killed] to which I remained true throughout. If I had an enemy in the crosswires of my telescopic sight and a finger on the trigger, his fate was sealed. In youthful pride at my success I used a pocket-knife to make notches in the stock of my rifle, a trial I kept while I had my Russian sniper-rifle, and not until the death of a fellow sniper in action a year later did I abandon this suicidal habit." pg 25
This was a detailed and graphic account of an Austrian conscript in the Gebirgsjäger nd deployed to the Eastern Front. There was much personal account of the mission, camaraderie, and the psychological aspects associated with war. The end offered the intrinsic of moral injury and post-traumtic combat stress response:
This was a detailed and graphic account of an Austrian conscript in the Gebirgsjäger nd deployed to the Eastern Front. There was much personal account of the mission, camaraderie, and the psychological aspects associated with war. The end offered the intrinsic of moral injury and post-traumtic combat stress response:
Was it right, what we did? Under the circumstances was there some alternative? These questions to which a private soldier in the German military can probably find an answer. The simple infantryman never had a choice. It was simply a matter of fight, or die. We were soldiers, and we did our duty, and that was all there was to it. pg 140This was engaging and i never lost interest while reading. I would recommend this to anyone interested in wartime personal accounts in and out of combat. Thanks!
February 17, 2013
Being the memoirs of a German sniper on the Eastern Front, I was expecting a general history of the war with personal accounts interjected. I got so much more. This book is chilling in Wacker's account of his work as a sniper. He killed hundreds of Russians, mostly through a careful methodology he developed in the field. Wacker does not shield you from what that looked like, nor from descriptions of his results. He gives the gory details.
I really did not get a good sense of history from this story, but I don't believe that was Wacker's intent. He wanted to show you the war through his eyes, treat you to the brutality and inhuman barbarism of the war, and document the stories of his comrades. I ended up sympathizing with him by the end. There are no winners in war. Wacker makes it clear he did his duty to the best of his ability, mostly to stay alive or to help his comrades survive. He paints the Russians as monstrous bugbears,even subhuman at times, while he does not dwell on the short comings of his own side. Given his experiences, I can at least understand why.
I valued this book for its insight into how historical events played out at the soldier-level. As Germany lost allies, they turned on former comrades in surprising ways. It was fascinating to see how Wacker extricated himself from the betrayal of the Romanians, then later escaped capture by the Americans to finally make it home at the end of the war. He had a lot of luck, but exploited it to his ultimate success.
I recommend this book for anyone interested in a personal view of the sniper's role in WW2, especially on the Eastern Front. Wacker gives his opinions and insight into what makes a good sniper and demonstrates how effective a professional sniper can be. However, if you are upset by gory imagery you may want to hold off on this book. He does not sanitize the war for his readers, leaving you to wonder how anyone came out of that experience with his humanity intact.
I really did not get a good sense of history from this story, but I don't believe that was Wacker's intent. He wanted to show you the war through his eyes, treat you to the brutality and inhuman barbarism of the war, and document the stories of his comrades. I ended up sympathizing with him by the end. There are no winners in war. Wacker makes it clear he did his duty to the best of his ability, mostly to stay alive or to help his comrades survive. He paints the Russians as monstrous bugbears,even subhuman at times, while he does not dwell on the short comings of his own side. Given his experiences, I can at least understand why.
I valued this book for its insight into how historical events played out at the soldier-level. As Germany lost allies, they turned on former comrades in surprising ways. It was fascinating to see how Wacker extricated himself from the betrayal of the Romanians, then later escaped capture by the Americans to finally make it home at the end of the war. He had a lot of luck, but exploited it to his ultimate success.
I recommend this book for anyone interested in a personal view of the sniper's role in WW2, especially on the Eastern Front. Wacker gives his opinions and insight into what makes a good sniper and demonstrates how effective a professional sniper can be. However, if you are upset by gory imagery you may want to hold off on this book. He does not sanitize the war for his readers, leaving you to wonder how anyone came out of that experience with his humanity intact.
May 23, 2019
This is probably the worst book I have ever read. It seems like a work of fiction given forward as fact and too much seem to have been taken from novels and movies. Do not waste your time reading this book!!
June 18, 2016
Some compelling battle narratives, but this book is seriously lacking on substance. It's also not a memoir, it's a story related to the author by the anonymous subject (Sepp Allerberger is a pseudonym). Not totally worthless, but I just could not shake a feeling questioning this book's authenticity. The narrative and the writing didn't really wow me, either. I don't know why this book gets so much attention.
December 3, 2012
Memoir? History? The author opens up on his gruesome experiences with the speed of a fast food burger. My only feeling is that the war on the Eastern front was so ghastly, so vile that the death and torture experienced by all it consumed becomes more 'unbelievably fantastic' and mythological the further history moves away from the era concerned. This book left me in a smog of the contradiction and curiosity. Allerberger's narrative is weak and confusing and peppered by gob-smacking reflections of the evil crimes committed by the enemy invaders breaching the Reich in 1945 in response to Germany's (1939-1945) civilised cultural exchange solution.
Curious but for the depth of subject matter at hand a real let down.
Curious but for the depth of subject matter at hand a real let down.
April 25, 2017
This is not your typical book on Eastern Front combat in World War II. Based on extensive interviews with the subject (who is given a different name by the author), the story is told from a third person perspective which gives it the feel of a novel at times. Some may claim the story is untrue because of this, but that shouldn't take away from the fact this is a very good, and at times very disturbing, book on one soldier's experiences fighting the Russians in World War II. There is plenty of combat and many incidents in which the incredible barbarity of the fighting between the Germans and the Russians comes through in a very shocking way. Some parts might be a bit much for those who are squeamish, but war is never pretty and the fighting on the Eastern Front was more a battle of annihilation than anything else. Definitely a fine addition to any collection of books on World War II.
January 10, 2016
Is there such a thing as an "ethical sniper?"
If Sepp Allerberger is to be believed . . . no - snipers can be categorized in only two ways, those who survived and those who didn't. Sniping is seen by some as somehow ungentlemanly, or unsportsmanlike.. War is not a sport, to be played by gentleman and contrary to what some people think, it doesn't come with rules and umpires. Sniping is a tool, a battlefield tactic - one chooses sniping just as one chooses artillery or air support, as a means of advancing or defending your position. Allerberger's story, recounted in such a simple, matter-of-fact way, makes that argument most eloquently.
If Sepp Allerberger is to be believed . . . no - snipers can be categorized in only two ways, those who survived and those who didn't. Sniping is seen by some as somehow ungentlemanly, or unsportsmanlike.. War is not a sport, to be played by gentleman and contrary to what some people think, it doesn't come with rules and umpires. Sniping is a tool, a battlefield tactic - one chooses sniping just as one chooses artillery or air support, as a means of advancing or defending your position. Allerberger's story, recounted in such a simple, matter-of-fact way, makes that argument most eloquently.
November 2, 2018
Chilling detail.
This book offers a chilling look at life on the eastern front, something on which little value was placed. From the author's perspective, It offers a more human look at the life of the average German soldier and makes a brute of the Russian soldier.
This book offers a chilling look at life on the eastern front, something on which little value was placed. From the author's perspective, It offers a more human look at the life of the average German soldier and makes a brute of the Russian soldier.
January 3, 2021
I've had this book since forever and decided to read and finish it till now.
The sniper role is one of the most romanticized, and glamorized roles of infantry soldiers among war aficionados. Which is understandable because they come in handy in difficult situations for the damage they can do to platoons with just a bunch of them and their rifles. However it's not a role apt for any person and Sepp Allerberger atests to that in this memoir.
This book was intended to be narrated as if it was a war novel in the direct POV of the soldier but in reality it's told more like Allerberger telling his journey during WWII himself, making it a bit difficult to get the hang of the story in the beginning however it becomes more gripping once you get accustomed to the literary style.
Allerberger doesn't shy away from describing from the very beginning how brutal and soul crushing was the encounter with the soviets in Russia and how those encounters as a machine gunner made him ditch that suicidal position and self teach how to be a sniper after he picked up a rifle from a dead sniper soviet. From there on his natural prowess and good luck made him survive the war physically unscathed but no less emotionally scarred by the experiences he went through in the thick of war.
Suffice to say, it's important to not take Sepp Allerberger's accounts for granted since he sells himself as a good catholic young man, arrogant at times, too badass in the final moments, who seldom acknowledges his comrades participation and helpful hand in lessen the Soviet's advance, and whose political views are completely neutral though calling out the mistakes the Wehrmacht made in favor of Hitler's command, and notes Soviet's strategy failings as well. In the end he only says he just did his duty and what he had to do to survive and doesn't stops to ponder about the atrocities his own kind did neither mentions what's his reaction when he discovered the whole concentration camps thing of the SS side (I believe he had to discover that at some point right?).
Overall it was a great read. Short but not easy, also very informative both in the general life of a Wehrmacht soldier and in the tactical work of a sniper.
The sniper role is one of the most romanticized, and glamorized roles of infantry soldiers among war aficionados. Which is understandable because they come in handy in difficult situations for the damage they can do to platoons with just a bunch of them and their rifles. However it's not a role apt for any person and Sepp Allerberger atests to that in this memoir.
This book was intended to be narrated as if it was a war novel in the direct POV of the soldier but in reality it's told more like Allerberger telling his journey during WWII himself, making it a bit difficult to get the hang of the story in the beginning however it becomes more gripping once you get accustomed to the literary style.
Allerberger doesn't shy away from describing from the very beginning how brutal and soul crushing was the encounter with the soviets in Russia and how those encounters as a machine gunner made him ditch that suicidal position and self teach how to be a sniper after he picked up a rifle from a dead sniper soviet. From there on his natural prowess and good luck made him survive the war physically unscathed but no less emotionally scarred by the experiences he went through in the thick of war.
Suffice to say, it's important to not take Sepp Allerberger's accounts for granted since he sells himself as a good catholic young man, arrogant at times, too badass in the final moments, who seldom acknowledges his comrades participation and helpful hand in lessen the Soviet's advance, and whose political views are completely neutral though calling out the mistakes the Wehrmacht made in favor of Hitler's command, and notes Soviet's strategy failings as well. In the end he only says he just did his duty and what he had to do to survive and doesn't stops to ponder about the atrocities his own kind did neither mentions what's his reaction when he discovered the whole concentration camps thing of the SS side (I believe he had to discover that at some point right?).
Overall it was a great read. Short but not easy, also very informative both in the general life of a Wehrmacht soldier and in the tactical work of a sniper.
July 1, 2017
El segundo libro que leo en inglés en el año! eso me emociona porque mi meta es llegar a 5 y casi siempre me quedó en 2 ó 3.
Y tal vez el tema no es algo que comunmente lea porque hay veces que te topas con libros así que la verdad no tienen nada que ofrecer y a mi me ha pasado que mejor los dejó para después o los evito. Pero en el caso de éste fue algo curioso porque no pensaba leerlo hasta después y de repente y como es raro que pueda dormir como la gente decente lo empecé a leer a eso de las 12am y cuando vi ya lo había terminado, porque además es muy corto :)
Claro que no es para todo tipo de lectores o más bien, creo que es para determinados momentos y no es que te cambie la vida o algo así, pero tampoco es una lectura que pasa de largo, es interesante y además no es color de rosa. Es cruda y se va a los detalles de lo que pasaba en esos momentos, no sólo en el ambiente de lo que es una guerra, sino en la mente de "Sepp" y de cómo a su corta edad tiene que madurar y enfrentar situaciones así de complejas y difíciles.
Puede que el hecho de que esté en inglés + el tema haga que piensen en "qué flojera" pero les digo que no es el caso, es una lectura rápida, lo leí en menos de 4 horas y me quedé como en shock en algunos momentos, pero en sí es una historia que vale la pena y que contiene temas interesantes que te dejan pensando y que sin duda generan controversia.
Y tal vez el tema no es algo que comunmente lea porque hay veces que te topas con libros así que la verdad no tienen nada que ofrecer y a mi me ha pasado que mejor los dejó para después o los evito. Pero en el caso de éste fue algo curioso porque no pensaba leerlo hasta después y de repente y como es raro que pueda dormir como la gente decente lo empecé a leer a eso de las 12am y cuando vi ya lo había terminado, porque además es muy corto :)
Claro que no es para todo tipo de lectores o más bien, creo que es para determinados momentos y no es que te cambie la vida o algo así, pero tampoco es una lectura que pasa de largo, es interesante y además no es color de rosa. Es cruda y se va a los detalles de lo que pasaba en esos momentos, no sólo en el ambiente de lo que es una guerra, sino en la mente de "Sepp" y de cómo a su corta edad tiene que madurar y enfrentar situaciones así de complejas y difíciles.
Puede que el hecho de que esté en inglés + el tema haga que piensen en "qué flojera" pero les digo que no es el caso, es una lectura rápida, lo leí en menos de 4 horas y me quedé como en shock en algunos momentos, pero en sí es una historia que vale la pena y que contiene temas interesantes que te dejan pensando y que sin duda generan controversia.
August 1, 2024
Има нещо характерно във всички книги, написани от хора, преживели истинска война. За разлика от екшън филмите и военните романи, разказите на истинските ветерани никога не са изпълнени с геройски преживелици, смели атаки и свръхчовешки бойни умения. Напротив - преживелите войната говорят за нея смирено, внимателно и наблягат винаги на невероятния си късмет, на войнското другарство, на преживяната мизерия и ужас, които представляват бойните действия.
Настоящата книга уж е написана от немски снайперист, преживял Втората световна вой��а и представлява личната му автобиография. Само че тя прилича по-скоро на мокрите фантазии на някой, който никога не е виждал война. Няма нито един ветеран от войните, който да разказва как куршумът му пръсва главата на вражеския войник и се разъхвърчават мозък и парчета от кости.
Картинно описани бойни сцени и жестокости се редуват с като излезли от историческа книга разкази за бойните действия с глобален поглед, който може да се получи само с последващ анализ на събитията, а не от първо лице. Всичко това за мен сочи, че това е една фалшива книга, написана от фалшив автор с цел максимална публичност и печелене на пари.
Настоящата книга уж е написана от немски снайперист, преживял Втората световна вой��а и представлява личната му автобиография. Само че тя прилича по-скоро на мокрите фантазии на някой, който никога не е виждал война. Няма нито един ветеран от войните, който да разказва как куршумът му пръсва главата на вражеския войник и се разъхвърчават мозък и парчета от кости.
Картинно описани бойни сцени и жестокости се редуват с като излезли от историческа книга разкази за бойните действия с глобален поглед, който може да се получи само с последващ анализ на събитията, а не от първо лице. Всичко това за мен сочи, че това е една фалшива книга, написана от фалшив автор с цел максимална публичност и печелене на пари.
December 27, 2013
Josef Sepp Allerberger was an Austrian conscripted into the German Army. Unfortunately, he was assigned as a machine gunner and soon realized that, on the Eastern front, machine gunners were targeted by the Russians. Fortunately, he was a decent shot with a rifle and quickly became a German sniper.
Allerberger scored the second highest number of "confirmed" kills by any German Sniper with 257. Only those kills witnessed by an officer or an NCO were counted.
The story is about his retreat from the Russian front, fleeing the Soviet advance. How he and his unit fought to stay alive although sorely out manned by the enemy. Eventually, the war ended and he did make it home safely.
This is the first book I've read from a Germans point of view. It was well written and enjoyable.
Allerberger scored the second highest number of "confirmed" kills by any German Sniper with 257. Only those kills witnessed by an officer or an NCO were counted.
The story is about his retreat from the Russian front, fleeing the Soviet advance. How he and his unit fought to stay alive although sorely out manned by the enemy. Eventually, the war ended and he did make it home safely.
This is the first book I've read from a Germans point of view. It was well written and enjoyable.
July 5, 2015
Details the accounts of the second most successful Wehrmacht sniper Josef Sepp Allerberger, credited with 257 kills he saw some of the fiercest fighting of the war. Not quite sure about this one, its entertaining for sure, but maybe at the expense of the book being exaggerated and with sensationalized accounts. Reads like a Sven Hassel novel at times. Its also clear the author has a very low opinion of the Red Army,( i suppose total war eastern front style will do that to you) barely 10 pages in and there are Russian troops slow roasting their own comrades on a spit. Despite this there are great moments and insights into sniping, camo techniques, explosive bullets, heads popping like melons and all that good stuff. A quick entertaining read
February 18, 2021
Two words: "war porn". If you love reading about heads being blown to pieces by bullets, and the bones of enemy soldiers cracking under the wheels of tanks, you'll read this one with drool dripping from the side of your mouth. Anyone looking for insight into the experience of combat from a regular soldier's perspective should look elsewhere. You also get no context on the war as a whole - at times, the author almost tries to make it seem like the Germans were the poor ol' fellas trying to defend their homeland, when in fact it was the nazis themselves who invaded Russia and started the war, murdering hundreds of thousands of people along the way.
April 26, 2019
The only sniper story I've read so far that seemed truthfully told
December 7, 2022
Incredibly disturbing telling of war crimes. One of the best (perhaps unintentionally) anti war novels I’ve ever read.
May 17, 2018
The book follows Sepp Allerberger, an Austrian sniper, as he retreats with his unit, GJR 144 from the Eastern Front in WWII. No details are spared. The book is gory, full of maimed bodies, rape, intestines, cannibalism and the overall horror of the deadliest war the world has seen. Still, the narrative is full of poetic embellishment, sometimes ridiculous, but often beautiful, if that word can be used in such a violent context.
I have my doubts about the the veracity of the book, though. Not because some of the events looked like taken from the worst torture films, as reality was probably worst. Not because the narrative makes the Russians look like beasts and the Germans as some sort of victims of circumstance, who even try to help local populations; this I can believe, as Sepp was a victim of the propaganda of his time, so you have to understand the book as his own reality. The issue is that some recollections don't make sense: in one scene, for example, Russians are about to murder innocent Germans. None of them speaks Russian, but somehow full sentences in Russian are quoted. The author says he filled the gaps, so if he filled this one, how much more he was padding? In either case, truth or not, the story is great.
I have my doubts about the the veracity of the book, though. Not because some of the events looked like taken from the worst torture films, as reality was probably worst. Not because the narrative makes the Russians look like beasts and the Germans as some sort of victims of circumstance, who even try to help local populations; this I can believe, as Sepp was a victim of the propaganda of his time, so you have to understand the book as his own reality. The issue is that some recollections don't make sense: in one scene, for example, Russians are about to murder innocent Germans. None of them speaks Russian, but somehow full sentences in Russian are quoted. The author says he filled the gaps, so if he filled this one, how much more he was padding? In either case, truth or not, the story is great.
March 31, 2019
What is it about snipers? What’s the mistique - if any? It isn’t the extraordinary marksmanship, although that is admirable, but rather their skill at melting into a landscape and remaining unseen that impresses me. Not only that; they also need nerves of ice and an unquestioning belief in the rightness of what they do. Which means they are not like the rest of us. Still, this first-person account by a Wehrmacht sniper on the Eastern Front showed not a monster, but someone who, just like his Russian counterparts, tried to do the right thing for his countrymen. A riveting account.
August 4, 2021
..brutalno, dokumentarno, točno možeš zamisliti autora kako sjedi sa protagonistom i hvata bilješke iz njegove priče..inače.. ništa posebno, prijevod šteka..ne "teče".. 4 zbog toga što sam slab na "ratne priče" bilo koje vrste...
June 17, 2025
A no-holds-barred, apolitical account of the brutal eastern front as seen and felt by the individual soldier
June 5, 2017
Josef “Sepp” Allerberger was the one of the deadliest and most successful snipers of the German front and a private soldier to be gifted with the award of the Knight’s Cross. In this sometimes terribly descriptive and vivid memoir, Allerberger provides a detailed description of the commitment in field displays, discipline and the day to day life of the sniper, along with the affects of war. Away from the cameras, prisoners got executed quickly after surrendering. Russian snipers used the explosive bullet and Hitler eventually authorized the breed of bullet in 1944. The result was a bloody warfare with blood and more significant death tolls. All in all the book was filled with many vivid details that truly explained the true nature of war. I wouldn't say the book is a must read but a good story to follow if you get the chance.
November 2, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. A very easy read and couldn't put it down. Packed full of interesting accounts(if not a little boastful at times) and well written in the form of memoirs.
I read Red sniper on the eastern front first and this was a brilliant comparison from the German perspective. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested WW2 books.
I read Red sniper on the eastern front first and this was a brilliant comparison from the German perspective. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested WW2 books.
December 2, 2021
The author makes a great attempt at merging the wartime memories of Sepp Allerberger with the historical facts at the time, but it never quite succeeds for me. So rather than being a war history with anecdotes weaved into the text, it is a series of anecdotes with some context to try to bring it together.
The anecdotes are a wonderful read but the book as a whole is slightly disappointing.
The anecdotes are a wonderful read but the book as a whole is slightly disappointing.
December 19, 2011
This book was a great account of a German sniper operating on the Eastern Front during World War II. It shows the conflict as a horrid and dirty war. I had to hold back on a 4 star rating as some parts of this book showed the author's arrogance and this for me detracted from the story.
February 6, 2017
One of the better books I've read. Interesting, informative, horrifying and thought provoking. It makes you realise that the Russians were equally as sick and awful as the Nazis and there were severe losses and sacrifices by both sides. I'd recommend this book
March 26, 2019
Vivid scenes of the desperate retreat of the German divisions from the vengeful Soviet armies. Interesting to see the situation first hand from a boots on the ground, regular (if talented) soldier.
February 18, 2019
Детайлна, шокираща и пряма.
Тази и подобни книги трябва да се изучават в училище, за да видят децата колко безмилостна и ужасна може да бъде една война.
Тази и подобни книги трябва да се изучават в училище, за да видят децата колко безмилостна и ужасна може да бъде една война.
November 12, 2023
The book reads like a Quentin Tarantino script but written while Tarantino was drunk and on acid.
The Soviets are portrayed as a barbarian horde, engaging in literal cannibalism, who only achieve success because they have 30 to 1 and 50 to 1 numerical superiority over the amazing otherwise all-conquering heroic Germans.
In July 1943 the Red Army fielded 6.9 million personnel on the Eastern Front to the German's 3.69 million, a far cry from the author's insistence that the Soviets attacked with an advantage of 30 to 1 and 50 to 1. Even assuming the Soviets at times achieved local superiority at the focal points of their offensives of 5 to 1, it is a world away from the 50 to 1 the author claims.
Most of the author's claims defy common sense, defy the primary sources of serious WW2 historians, and defy belief.
It is simply another book in a line long of self-serving WW2 German memoirs, in theme of the losers coming up with explanations for why and how they lost, "we were outnumbered 50 to 1 by barbarians from the steppe who would never slow down no matter how many losses we inflicted on them," along with a whitewashing of Axis/German atrocities, and a portrayal of the Soviets as absolute subhumans (in this book the author describes the Soviets as actual cannibals and claims they were eating young enlisted personnel from their own side).
As a general rule, all German WW2 memoirs should be approached with some level of skepticism, as they are all written with an agenda. This book makes little effort to hide the agenda. Additionally, the book reads like a poorly slapped together Punisher comic book where the almighty hero mows down legions of cardboard cut-out enemy characters who exist only to be cut down and add to the hero's fame and glory.
The book is a painful read and it is not easy to get through because it is written so poorly, it is disjointed, and it paints an image of a comic book in your mind.
Did anything in his memoir actually happen? He claims to be a Knights Cross winner and the second most successful German sniper of the entire war, but he won't divulge his real name, citing concerns about how the German public would treat him, 60 years after the war ended. What more do you need to know?
The Soviets are portrayed as a barbarian horde, engaging in literal cannibalism, who only achieve success because they have 30 to 1 and 50 to 1 numerical superiority over the amazing otherwise all-conquering heroic Germans.
In July 1943 the Red Army fielded 6.9 million personnel on the Eastern Front to the German's 3.69 million, a far cry from the author's insistence that the Soviets attacked with an advantage of 30 to 1 and 50 to 1. Even assuming the Soviets at times achieved local superiority at the focal points of their offensives of 5 to 1, it is a world away from the 50 to 1 the author claims.
Most of the author's claims defy common sense, defy the primary sources of serious WW2 historians, and defy belief.
It is simply another book in a line long of self-serving WW2 German memoirs, in theme of the losers coming up with explanations for why and how they lost, "we were outnumbered 50 to 1 by barbarians from the steppe who would never slow down no matter how many losses we inflicted on them," along with a whitewashing of Axis/German atrocities, and a portrayal of the Soviets as absolute subhumans (in this book the author describes the Soviets as actual cannibals and claims they were eating young enlisted personnel from their own side).
As a general rule, all German WW2 memoirs should be approached with some level of skepticism, as they are all written with an agenda. This book makes little effort to hide the agenda. Additionally, the book reads like a poorly slapped together Punisher comic book where the almighty hero mows down legions of cardboard cut-out enemy characters who exist only to be cut down and add to the hero's fame and glory.
The book is a painful read and it is not easy to get through because it is written so poorly, it is disjointed, and it paints an image of a comic book in your mind.
Did anything in his memoir actually happen? He claims to be a Knights Cross winner and the second most successful German sniper of the entire war, but he won't divulge his real name, citing concerns about how the German public would treat him, 60 years after the war ended. What more do you need to know?
January 30, 2018
A very interesting memoir of an Austrian sniper Sepp Allerberger, who was conscripted to serve in the Wehrmacht and soon became one of its few distinguished snipers. Even though I was already familiar with many aspects of the Germans’ service on the Eastern front, this particular account definitely presents an invaluable research source if one wants to learn particularly about the snipers. I knew that the German army (just like any other allied or axis army) never employed as many snipers as the Red Army - which had the whole companies consisting of sharpshooters - and the rarity of such a memoir makes it even more important for anyone interested in that side of history.
The writing is vivid and descriptive, and it was easy for me to visualize everything happening to Allerberger: his first kill, his encounters with the enemy, his camouflage techniques, his relationship with his comrades, battle scenes and atrocities committed. The only thing that got slightly annoying by the end was how the Red Army was portrayed as a horde of savages and the German Army as noble defenders of their land and freedom. Yes, there were definitely the most gruesome war crimes committed on both sides, but his position of an innocent party was slightly hypocritical, to say the least. And by the way, most atrocities were committed by the partisans, not Red Army soldiers who even treated wounded Germans at the end of the war, placing them with their own wounded in the same tent. Different war memoirs told from the German point of view, even stress the same point - that it was always the partisans who tortured the captured and the wounded, not the soldiers (look up Sajer and Bidermann for example). So, that part was slightly inaccurate.
The technicalities concerning the sniper’s craft were masterfully presented: easy to visualize and explained in accessible terms. Allerberger’s experience in the sniper’s school and his attitude toward wearing distinguishing markings or awards on his uniform were also a very nice addition to this highly compelling memoir. Overall, it was a great read which I would highly recommend.
The writing is vivid and descriptive, and it was easy for me to visualize everything happening to Allerberger: his first kill, his encounters with the enemy, his camouflage techniques, his relationship with his comrades, battle scenes and atrocities committed. The only thing that got slightly annoying by the end was how the Red Army was portrayed as a horde of savages and the German Army as noble defenders of their land and freedom. Yes, there were definitely the most gruesome war crimes committed on both sides, but his position of an innocent party was slightly hypocritical, to say the least. And by the way, most atrocities were committed by the partisans, not Red Army soldiers who even treated wounded Germans at the end of the war, placing them with their own wounded in the same tent. Different war memoirs told from the German point of view, even stress the same point - that it was always the partisans who tortured the captured and the wounded, not the soldiers (look up Sajer and Bidermann for example). So, that part was slightly inaccurate.
The technicalities concerning the sniper’s craft were masterfully presented: easy to visualize and explained in accessible terms. Allerberger’s experience in the sniper’s school and his attitude toward wearing distinguishing markings or awards on his uniform were also a very nice addition to this highly compelling memoir. Overall, it was a great read which I would highly recommend.
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