Customer Reviews:
 History by one who created it - Hubert Meyer, COS 12th SS HJ June 24, 2001
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
War is best recounted by those who experienced its highs and lows; historians cannot do justice unless they experience the pain, the suffering, the humour and the pleasure. Hubert Meyer is just such a man. He was, as chief of staff of the division, at the core of the action; this account of the history of the 12th SS Panzer Regiment "Hitler Jugend" seeks not to glorify war, for in truth there is no glory in war. Neither does this account seek to justify the Waffen-SS; many others have tried. What this historical account does is paint a picture, a picture of a formation of the German armed forces perhaps unique in history, a formation of 17-19 year olds bound by youthful naivety in pursuit of a flawed cause. But politics aside it is above all an account of boys becoming men, of tragedy, of pain, of comradeship and of suffering, of joy in living and of fear of dying. It is a compilation of the collective memories of those who were there, those who survived and an epithaph for those who died. Poorly written and translated, as a work of literature it is weak, as a work of art it is supreme. This is war as it really is - boring, exciting, frightening, surrealistic, wasteful and yet the height of human endeavour. Historians interpret, politicians eulogise, soldiers recount the truth; Hubert Meyer was a soldier and this book does just that. Many have tried to represent the history of this infamous division of the Waffen-SS, few of those cost as much as this book, which is expensive. But then you get what you pay for. Do you want the truth or the hindsight?
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