GERMAN INFANTRYMAN AT WAR 1939-1945

General history of the average Landser, the German Tommy, who fought through Blitzkrieg, in the Western Desert, and in the horrific frozen wastes of Russia against the most implacable of foes. Most of the photographs in this book come from private collections and previously unpublished. Many come from Feldwebel Gerhard Sandmann who joined the German Army at Northeim in September 1939 and fought from 9 May 1940, through Belgium, The Netherlands and France; he was then involved in the capture of the Channel Islands, saw service on the Eastern Front, was wounded, and convalesced in Berlin before seeing service in the occupation forces in The Netherlands. He was captured by the US Army in Belgium in 1944. This book uses reminiscences and battle accounts from individual soldiers such as Gerhard Sandmann and official wartime reports to evoke what World War II was like at the sharp end.