Blood and soil : the memoir of a Third Reich Brandenburger / Sepp de Giampietro, Lawrence Paterson, Eva Burke.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Giampietro, Sepp de, 1920- author.

Paterson, Lawrence, author.

Contributor:

Burke, Eva, translator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Giampietro, Sepp de, 1920-.

Giampietro, Sepp de.

World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, German.

World War, 1939-1945.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (261 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

South Yorkshire, England : Greenhill Books, [2019]

Summary:

Available for the first time in English, a memoir of a member of the World War II Brandenburg German special forces unit. The Brandenburgers were Hitler's Special Forces, a band of mainly foreign German nationals who used disguise and fluency in other languages to complete daring missions into enemy territory. Overshadowed by stories of their Allied equivalents, their history has largely been ignored, making this memoir all the more extraordinary. First published in German in 1984, de Giampietro's highly-personal and eloquent memoir is a vivid account of his experiences. He delves into the reality of life in the unit from everyday concerns and politics to training and involvement in Brandenburg missions. He details the often foolhardy missions undertaken under the command of Theodor von Hippel, including the June 1941 seizure of the Duna bridges in Dunaburg and the attempted capture of the bridge at Bataisk where half of his unit was killed. Given the very perilous nature of their missions, very few of these specially-trained soldiers survived World War II. Much knowledge of the unit has been lost forever, making this is a unique insight into a slice of German wartime history. Widely regarded as the predecessor of today's special forces units, this fascinating account brings to life the Brandenburger Division and its part in history in vivid and compelling detail.

Contents:

Intro

Title

Copyright

Contents

Introduction

Dedication

Translator's Preface

Foreword

1 Sterzing, 1938

2 The Big Disappointment

3 Deutschland, Deutschland über Alles

Berlin

4 The Beginning Was so Innocuous

The Pfeifermühle, Allgäu

5 Zur Besonderen Verwendung

Bad Vöslau

6 The Balkan Campaign

Via Romania to Greece

7 The Vale of Tempe, Early Spring 1941

Salonica to Evangelimos

8 Athens, Spring 1941

9 The Invasion of Russia, Summer 1941

East Prussia

Josvainiai, Lithuania

Kedainiai, Lithuania

Dünaburg, Latvia

10 Bad Vöslau and Oberjoch im Allgäu, Early 1942

11 Russia, Summer 1942

Rostov to Bataisk

The Kuban Steppe: Kerch to Sussatski

At the Caucasus

12 The End of the War, Early 1943 to Spring 1944

Ohrdruf and Greece to Munich

13 The Return

Afterword

Translator's Notes

Plate section.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-78438-344-9

1-78438-342-2