The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer

World War II - Multimedia WWII Books
#22

I first read it in high school then once again a few months back. I do believe he did make certain parts up such has speeches that seem to drag on for a half a page which I doubt anyone could remember unless they wrote it word for word at the time of hearing it but I do believe his story is solid because he does not betray him self to be a hero or someone that should of been given and knights cross in fact he spends allot of time betraying others to be hero’s like Linsen and The Veteran. I did grow tired of reading about his food complaints when in other books unless a unit had been surrounded I rarely read about a shortage of food this was one of the strong points of the German army along with a regular mail exchange.

The only other book I can promote that comes close to this one is “Twilight of the Gods” by Thorolf Hillblad. Action wise its a better book and you wont want to put it down. He does not spend the whole book bashing the Nazi party and Hitler like alot of books but lets you live out he last days of world war two through the eyes of a Swedish volunteer in the Waffen SS leading all the way up to the battle of Berlin.

#23

I first read it in high school then once again a few months back. I do believe he did make certain parts up such has speeches that seem to drag on for a half a page which I doubt anyone could remember unless they wrote it word for word at the time of hearing it but I do believe his story is solid because he does not betray him self to be a hero or someone that should of been given and knights cross in fact he spends allot of time betraying others to be hero’s like Linsen and The Veteran. I did grow tired of reading about his food complaints when in other books unless a unit had been surrounded I rarely read about a shortage of food this was one of the strong points of the German army along with a regular mail exchange.

The only other book I can promote that comes close to this one is “Twilight of the Gods” by Thorolf Hillblad. Action wise its a better book and you wont want to put it down. He does not spend the whole book bashing the Nazi party and Hitler like alot of books but lets you live out he last days of world war two through the eyes of a Swedish volunteer in the Waffen SS leading all the way up to the battle of Berlin.

#24

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and hope that it is authentic.

#25

i also read it in high school, and just re-read it recently. excellent book. i doubt its made up. as mentioned, he sure didnt glorify his actions, in fact at times he made himself sound as if he weer too scared to act. not something somebody would usually make up and “brag” about.

#26

I read a battered old copy of this book some years ago. If authenticity is questioned, then I’d say this is the finest, most convincing work of fiction I have read.
Go on a two week peace time exercise and you’ll have no idea what your mates in the second troop are up to - other than via a fertile rumour mill; so confusing the details is to be expected when you’re on the biggest two-way range ever witnessed.
My wife is from South Russia, so the trek to see the outlaws is via Rostov-na-Donu - it’s easy to appriciate Monsoir Sager’s awe of the sheer scale of the place. For sure the endless swathes of sunflowers are far less intimidating than endless swathes of T-34s and conscripts in itchy woolen uniforms…
Anyone wanting to split hairs over the details of The Forgotten Soldier ought to jam it and just read the book.

Antony Beevor’s book ‘Berlin; The Downfall 1945’ is well worth a read too - more of a bigger picture, there are still enough snapshots to appriciate the individual’s perspective.

#27

Well, I guess the book is a work of fiction since they didn’t “push the commies back” but were pushed back into defeat themselves…

#28

Oh yes! A wonderful world of mass murder and scoff-law scum in power…

#29

I think the world would have been much better if today is no racist extremists like you.

#30

Please tell me your not serious about that statement. Please also tell me why YOU think YOU arent a Troll?

I am genuinely interested in your style of posting and your repeated stating of this phrase - ‘I’m NO Nazi’…

I am now going to read every one of your posts since you joined as you have definitaly caught my interest here.

#31

Which, my dear young boy of profoundly insensitive generative organs (crudely referred to by our American friends as ‘numb nuts’ ), presumably was going to be achieved by Nazi wars of aggression on other nations; murdering people in them when the Nazis could spare time from wiping out the Jews and others at home; a party run by paedophiles like Julius Streicher who liked a bit of boy bum; etc, etc, etc, which somehow was all going to produce peace on earth?

The biggest flaw in your quoted statement is ‘I think’.

You don’t.

Nor do people like you.

That is the whole problem with morons who are impressed by Nazi regalia and pomp and ceremony, and who are too stupid and too ignorant to understand why the Nazis didn’t last.

There is, however, a regrettable problem unique to you. What little subtlety was shown by your earlier trolls has disappeared.

You are making yourself too easy a target. If this continues, everyone will ignore you, as no doubt they do in real life, and then where will you be?

#32

It is, mate, it is.

The Waffen SS that tighten stevey’s undies were wiped out by your lot, with a tiny bit of help from the other Allies during their brief and largely unimportant advance from Normandy to Berlin and a few brief bombing forays into occupied territory and Germany, along with trivial events like the Battle of Britain and something or other that happened in North Africa. :wink: :smiley:

Tools like stevey are just living in a dream world of being Waffen SS officers and strutting around the planet being bullies, just like the real ones who probably ordered stevey’s grandpa (if he really had a German soldier grandpa) around on the Ostfront and got their asses kicked by ‘slav scum’ while trying to wipe them out.

Notice how stevey’s posts always deal with what could have been if his lot hadn’t lost, not with what really happened?

It’s the same as the photos of the sheilas he had in his profile.

They’re all fantasies.

The difference is that stevey has more chance of shagging one of the models who used to be in his stick book profile than he does of ever becoming an SS officer. Not least because the SS has been gone for over sixty years, although stevey might have to wait about the same time before one of his stick models would begin to consider him, by which time she’ll be nudging ninety and the only use stevey will have for Viagra will be the huge quantity the nurses in the ancient’s home feed him every night to stop him rolling out of bed. :smiley:

#33

All this is true:)
But…
You are forgetting about Australia mate.
That feeded the whole giant American Army in Pacific.The hungry Yankees can’t fight- we know it for sure:):smiley:
If not Heroical Australian home front - Americans would never kick out the Japs from Asia.

It’s the same as the photos of the sheilas he had in his profile.

They’re all fantasies.

The difference is that stevey has more chance of shagging one of the models who used to be in his stick book profile than he does of ever becoming an SS officer. Not least because the SS has been gone for over sixty years, although stevey might have to wait about the same time before one of his stick models would begin to consider him, by which time she’ll be nudging ninety and the only use stevey will have for Viagra will be the huge quantity the nurses in the ancient’s home feed him every night to stop him rolling out of bed. :smiley:

:mrgreen:
Of course.
Well i think he posts here between masturbations on his “models girlfriend”. You know how it is going when you are 16:)( although he is hardly more then 13, if keep in mind the sense of his posts)
He just can’t find the other board for to place here his “models”
Poor child, he can’t to OWN a real girl.Just dreams to be a “Cool waffen SS”:slight_smile:

#34

Is this his “model girlfriend?”

#35

“She” is a very Handsome “woman”:rolleyes:

#36

Back to topic i think,
a movie of the forgotten soldier has been confirmed:
Verhoeven attached to direct The Forgotten Soldier
Mike Goodridge in Los Angeles
21 Jul 2008 06:00

Paul Verhoeven, whose last film Black Book was one of his most acclaimed in years, has become attached to another World War II story The Forgotten Soldier based on the memoir by Guy Sajer.

The story follows Sajer’s harrowing experiences as a teenager as a French recruit in the German army on the eastern front during the war.

Michael Frost Beckner, whose writing credits include Spy Game, has written the screenplay for the project and will produce alongside his brother John Beckner and Verhoeven. The producers plan to shoot in 2009 on location in eastern Europe.

Financing and worldwide distribution is being arranged by LA-based executive producer Thomas Augsberger of Eden Rock Media.

The novel is a French classic and was recently cited as one of prime minister Nicholas Sarkozy’s favourite books. Sajer, who is still alive, has never optioned the rights to the book despite strong interest, but is said to have been won over by Verhoeven.

Verhoeven has been attached to several other projects since Black Book including The Thomas Crown Affair 2 for MGM, a film of Pete Dexter’s novel The Paperboy which Jan De Bont is to produce, Tsarist crime romp The Winter Queen aka Azazel which has Milla Jovovich attached to star and a Dutch-language adaptation of Jan Siebelink’s biography Kneeling On A Bed Of Violets.

Michael Frost Beckner is represented by Endeavor.

Link:http://www.screendaily.com/ScreenDailyArticle.aspx?intStoryID=39936&strSearch=the%20forgotten%20soldier&strCallingPage=ScreenDailySearchSite.aspx

#37

OH man,I loved this book,fact or fiction,I have no idea,but it was a great read. I especially found the story of the young soldiet Forsch,who after escaping bombings and other attacks on his retreat,he get’s hung for stealing a couple of bottles.:shock:
There where many other parts which I found fascinating. Captain Weisridau came across as a very strong and excellent leader,as well as the veteran. Even Hal’s was able to incorporate a few laughs here and there.

#38

here stands some text about the book

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forgotten_Soldier

#39

I’ve read this book twice and it is exceptionally good.

#40

I too have this book in my Library and consider it a “keeper” despite the controversy…it really is a powerful piece of writing!

But lately I’ve harboured a lingering suspicion that while Mr. Sajer “may” have in fact spent time on the Eastern Front he did it, not as a member of the Grossdeutschland Division but with Das Reich, an SS Division (2nd Panzer) that did its heaviest fighting in Russia, and was known to contain a large number of young Alsatian “volunteers”.

Yes, Waffen-SS cufftitles were always worn on the LEFT sleeve, as opposed to the cufftitles of “Regular Army” Elite Units, which were always worn on the RIGHT. (American troops, reputedly showing no mercy to any German soldier wearing one of these embroidered “cuff bands”, were either unaware of the significance of the placement, or simply didn’t care.) But this not my only reason for suspecting that Mr. Sajer was indeed a member of a Waffen SS Division.

There is the matter of that brutal “training regimen”. The Waffen SS always placed an extremely high value on physical fitness and endurance: Mr. Sajer himself alludes to this. Contrast his description of the ordeals he was forced to undergo before being awarded that covetted (and highly problematic) cufftitle with the training given to Siegfried Knapp in “Soldat”.

In addition, the speeches given by “von Wesreidau” seem very to contain very strange utterances (like the folly of believing “all men are equal”, or the urgency of Germany’s mission “to change the face of the world”) for an Officer representating what is supposed to be a completely “apolitical” organization --ie, the Regular German Army. As SS Doctrine, though, it’s right on the mark.

So,–if Mr Sager really WAS a member of a Waffen SS Unit, why all the obfuscation, and the reluctance to be interviewed? Could it have been because Das Reich, regardless of its composition, was responsible for the massacre of an an entire Alsatian village? And had Mr. Sajer identified himself as being any part of it (even a lowly “panzergrenadier”) any sympathy he might have hoped to garner for himself and his colleagues would have evaporated faster than snow on an izba’s clay stove.

#41

I still haven’t read it yet but I was able to snatch a copy by paying a shitload of money - for a German paperback version.

Could it have been because Das Reich, regardless of its composition, was responsible for the massacre of an an entire Alsatian village? And had Mr. Sajer identified himself as being any part of it (even a lowly “panzergrenadier”) any sympathy he might have hoped to garner for himself and his colleagues would have evaporated faster than snow on an isba’s clay stove.

Err, I guess you’re referring to Oradour-sur-Glane which is located in the Limousin region, not in the Alsace.
But right, two-thirds of the men trialed for Oradour were Alsatians.