Blood Red Snow: The Memoirs of a German Soldier on the Eastern Front - Hardcover

Koschorrek, Gunter K.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1853675083 ISBN 13: 9781853675089

Publisher: Greenhill Books, 2002

Synopsis

Gunther Koschorrek wrote his illicit diary on any scraps of paper he could lay his hands on. As keeping a diary was strictly forbidden, he sewed the pages into the lining of his thick winter coat and deposited them with his mother on infrequent trips home on leave. The diary went missing and it was when he was reunited with his daughter in America some forty years later that it came to light and became Blood Red Snow. The author was a keen recruit at initial training and his excitement at the first encounter with the enemy in the Russian Steppe is obvious. The horror and confusion of fighting in the streets of Stalingrad are brought to life by his descriptions of the others in his unit; their differing manners and techniques for dealing with the squalor and death. He is also posted to Romania and Italy, assignments he remembers fondly compared to his time on the Eastern Front. This harrowing book takes the reader to the front line and paints a very human picture of what life was like under relentless Russian attacks in freezing conditions. As Koschorrek says in his introduction, the book stands as a memorial to the huge numbers on both sides who did not survive and is, over five decades later, the fulfillment of a responsibility he feels to honour the memory of those who perished.

About this title

Review:

"'Harrowing' - Sunday Express; 'For anyone seeking to understand the experiences of the ordinary German soldier during World War II, Blood Red Snow provides an excellent starting point' - Military Illustrated"

About the Author:

Gunther K. Koschorrek was a machine-gunner on the Russian front in WWII. He lives in Germany, having retired from his job as managing director of a sales company.

About this edition

• Publisher: Greenhill Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1853675083
• ISBN 13: 9781853675089
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288