Feldgrau Author: Stephan Hamilton

Discussion, background, reviews, and critical analysis of works by Feldgrau.net members who are published authors.
Annelie
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Post by Annelie »

Okay, just pre-ordered with amazon.

Now hurry up and get cracking :D
with the time you have left to make some changes,
can't wait to read this. :wink:

Thanks
Annelie
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panzermahn
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Re: Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945

Post by panzermahn »

Hi Stephan,

Just a quick question. Would your book covers on the subject of Axis foreign volunteers during the Battle of Berlin? There were French, Spanish, Latvian, Walloon, Danish, Norwegians, Swedes and other different nationalities defending Berlin.

Thanks and best of luck in your book
Panzermahn
Stephan H.
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Re: Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945

Post by Stephan H. »

Panzermahn,

Yes, I do discuss these units to varying degrees. Generally speaking, most foreign troops did not want to fight in Berlin. The notable exceptions were the French SS that came in with Krukenberg right before the Soviets sealed off the western approaches, and the Spanish Volunteers in the Waffen-SS. Most others ended up in Berlin by chance. The Latvains were actually trying to flee West but were swept up into Berlin by the Soviet advance. Another interesting story is how "Nordland" ended up in Berlin. Zeigler, the divisional commander, ordered his unit to break ranks with the LVI Panzer Korps and flee West-this is not something widely known-but his unit was caught in Berlin.

Another interesting point is that Heinrici, commander of Heersgruppe Weischel, did not want any foreign fighters in his ranks during the final defense of Germany. He felt Geramny should be defended by Germans so he ordered Vlasov's Russians south, and told other foreign contingents to hand over their weapons to German reinforcements heading to the Oder Front.

In the end, many foreign fighters put up the stiffest resistance in Berlin, and this was not lost on Hitler, who conveyed his displeasure about this fact during one of his final daily briefs.

Stephan
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Richard Hargreaves
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Re: Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945

Post by Richard Hargreaves »

Hi Stephan,

I have a couple of books on the fighting for Frankfurt am Oder. Are they any use to your future research?
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Re: Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945

Post by panzermahn »

Hi Stephan,

Thank you for your reply. Yes, you're actually correct. Most of the Axis legionnaires were actually caught up in Berlin with the exception of the French and the Spaniards. Regarding the Spaniards, there was a group of 10 Spanish SS legionnaires that were headed by SS-Untersturmfuehrer 'Richard" (I used a pseudonym because this guy is still living today - please PM me if you need more information) that managed to escape Berlin just before the cordon was closed in Berlin around 20th/21st April.


I had two original books from the 1960s about Berlin. One is Erich Kuby's Die Rusen im Berlin and the other one is Ruth-Andreas Friedrich's Schauplatz Berlin. Please PM me if you think these books would be useful for your research.

Thanks
Panzermahn
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Re: Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945

Post by Stephan H. »

Richard - thanks for the post and I appreciate the use of the books. What are the titles of the books and what aspects of the battle do they cover? My understanding is that there was not much significant fighting in Franfurt-an-der-Oder. The Soviets bypassed the city to the north, and the Germans evacuated it to join the 9.Armee's breakout West. You have picqued my curiosity.

Panzermahn - PM on the way.

Stephan
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Re: Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945

Post by Stephan H. »

Alright - I figured out how to post images and I have posted four samples of the type of tactical images that are in the book. I posted them in the proper thread area: viewtopic.php?f=33&t=28922&p=202970#p202970

Check them out and let me know what you think.

Stephan
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Richard Hargreaves
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Re: Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945

Post by Richard Hargreaves »

Hi Stephan,

Two books: the first Das letzte Aufgebot des Teufels: Dramatischer Einsatz des Volkssturmbataillons 7/10 Franken edited by a Hanns Baron Freytag von Loringhoven is crammed with first-hand accounts of the fighting for Frankfurt am Oder in 1945. There are not too many histories of Volkssturm units...

The other is Werner Stang (ed) Brandenburg im Jahr 1945, and in particular Wolfgag Buwert, 'Festung Frankfurt (Oder) eine Stadt am Kriegsende', pp.38-83. It's based on BA-MA files, personal diaries, contemporary newspapers and memoirs. Really is a first-rate article.
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panzermahn
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Re: Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945

Post by panzermahn »

Stephan H. wrote:Panzermahn,

Yes, I do discuss these units to varying degrees. Generally speaking, most foreign troops did not want to fight in Berlin. The notable exceptions were the French SS that came in with Krukenberg right before the Soviets sealed off the western approaches, and the Spanish Volunteers in the Waffen-SS. Most others ended up in Berlin by chance. The Latvains were actually trying to flee West but were swept up into Berlin by the Soviet advance. Another interesting story is how "Nordland" ended up in Berlin. Zeigler, the divisional commander, ordered his unit to break ranks with the LVI Panzer Korps and flee West-this is not something widely known-but his unit was caught in Berlin.

Another interesting point is that Heinrici, commander of Heersgruppe Weischel, did not want any foreign fighters in his ranks during the final defense of Germany. He felt Geramny should be defended by Germans so he ordered Vlasov's Russians south, and told other foreign contingents to hand over their weapons to German reinforcements heading to the Oder Front.

In the end, many foreign fighters put up the stiffest resistance in Berlin, and this was not lost on Hitler, who conveyed his displeasure about this fact during one of his final daily briefs.

Stephan
Hi Stephan

Cornelius Ryan's The Last Battle (1966) also mentioned that Heinrici send the Nederland SS down to the south to join the V SS Mountain Corps.

Panzermahn
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Re: Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945

Post by Uncle Joe »

Any update on the publication date? Any page samples (=layout)?
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Re: Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945

Post by Stephan H. »

Uncle Joe,

Click the link I posted above. Another thread was started about the book and I provided examples of a number of aerial imagery where I plotted tactical movement, as well as some info on the publication date.

Thanks for the interest,
Stephan
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Re: Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945

Post by sid guttridge »

Hi Stephan,

I have two beefs about a lot of military history books:

1) Poor maps, that make the course of events difficult to follow.

2) Lack of input from "the other side of the hill" to provide a rounded picture.

How well is your text backed by sequential maps and do you use Soviet personal and public sources as comprehensively as German ones?

Cheers,

Sid.
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Re: Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945

Post by Uncle Joe »

Stephan, I need samples of the page layout, i.e. how the text is laid out (font size, type etc).
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Re: Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945

Post by Stephan H. »

Uncle Joe,

Sorry I can't help you with the layout as this is in the hands of my editor at Helion and I have not seen any samples yet. All I do know is that the book will be a 9x12 size.

Sid,

Thanks for the post.

Maps:
Did you see the maps I posted on the link above? The book is essentially broken down into three parts: Prelude, Battle , and Aftermath. The section titled "Battle" is broken down into each day of fighting from 16 April through 2 May. Each of those days has at least one overview map showing the operational unit movements, but most days have at least 1 or more additional maps rendered on period military maps for the Seelow Heights, or period aerial imagery for the fighting in Berlin. The maps are designed to follow along with the text so that when you read about the actions of KG Dirkenson's counterattack down a particular street you can follow the action on the map. Almost every section of Berlin has its own detailed map and I have taken extreme pains to use all available sources to piece together both German and Russian unit movements. I spent years deconflicting published accounts and interviews to provide the best available picture of the battle.

Sources:
I think the book offers both a German and Russian perspective, though I obtained far more bredth of resources on the German side than the Russian. Much of that had to do with time and resources. The book contains some very good information about how the Soviets prepared for and conducted the assault on the Seelow Heights, as well as some interesting perspectives about their overall tactical/operational performance in the city fighting phase. After I submiteed the final manuscript to Helion I obtained from the Ukraine a massive book published in 1949 for internal consumption by the Soviet Government of hundreds of Russian soldier interviews and stories from the Battle of Berlin. Unfortunately there was simply no time to attempt to translate, deconflict, and incorporate these accounts. Maybe in a later edition. . .

One aspect the book includes that was never published before is both the official and unofficial account of the first US Army Officer to visit Berlin, just several days after the city's capitulation. I think his experiences and what he witnesses in Berlin is revealing about the state of the Soviet Army at the time and the intensity of fighting in Berlin. So besides getting the German/Soviet perspective you also get the neutral :D party view.

Stephan
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Frederick L Clemens
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Re: Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin, April 1945

Post by Frederick L Clemens »

Stephan,

That is exciting to hear about the 1949 book you got from the Ukraine. It sounds like it would be good even as a stand-alone translation.

I think Sid may be demanding a bit too much from you relative to what other people have published on the battle. I think it is clear already that you have gone far beyond what has previously been done. No single book on a battle is ever going to be definitive. Just consider the Battle of Waterloo and how many times people have taken a crack at doing a single volume account on that battle. Now, take the Battle of Berlin and you will see that the scale is tremendously larger - just like the Battle of the Bulge, Berlin was a campaign which consisted of many battles.

Another factor that makes doing an accurate account of Berlin is the deliberate attempt by the Soviets to shape history in a way that makes it very tough for a historian. On the German side, you have reliable internal documents and a plethora of first-person accounts whose content is based on the individual's reliability. On the Soviet side, you don't know for sure what you have because almost every source is likely to have been put through the manipulation machine in one form or another - not to mention the absolute burial by the Soviets of the documents they captured from the Germans during the battle.

So, I think Stephan's book is going to be a great leap forward as it is and that's good enough.
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