Summary of Hans Wijers's Eastern Front Combat

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

#1 I wanted to explain how the Stalingrad cauldron ended, and how thousands of men were killed, frozen, starved, or devoured by lice. I did not see one soldier who gave his life out of enthusiasm for Führer and country, but all of them fought for their lives until the last.

#2 On November 22, the Battle of the Don began. The 9th Company was pulled out of Stalingrad to be refreshed ninety kilometers to the west in the rear areas. The big losses of men and materiel made this necessary.

#3 We were told that the Russians had assembled heavy forces, including armor, in the Kalmuck steppe and were about to threaten our left flank. Our objective for the next day was Kalach on the Don, about eighty kilometers away.

#4 The company commander’s tank was assigned the task of securing the southern edge of the town. They found that their location was very insufficient for radio communications, and they had to move position. Every thirty minutes, the platoon commanders had to report in on their position and situation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Apr 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669384762

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Insights on Hans Wijers's Eastern Front Combat

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

I wanted to explain how the Stalingrad cauldron ended, and how thousands of men were killed, frozen, starved, or devoured by lice. I did not see one soldier who gave his life out of enthusiasm for Führer and country, but all of them fought for their lives until the last.

#2

On November 22, the Battle of the Don began. The 9th Company was pulled out of Stalingrad to be refreshed ninety kilometers to the west in the rear areas. The big losses of men and materiel made this necessary.

#3

We were told that the Russians had assembled heavy forces, including armor, in the Kalmuck steppe and were about to threaten our left flank. Our objective for the next day was Kalach on the Don, about eighty kilometers away.

#4

The company commander’s tank was assigned the task of securing the southern edge of the town. They found that their location was very insufficient for radio communications, and they had to move position. Every thirty minutes, the platoon commanders had to report in on their position and situation.

#5

The battle of encirclement had barely begun when the Red Army launched a massive attack. The Russians had planned to turn the tide and stop us forever. We had to leave Kalach, a small steppe city on the Don, to the enemy.

#6

The German army was encircled at Stalingrad, and the only hope for the encircled men was for Paulus to hold the cauldron at all costs, as the Caucasus army would be cut off otherwise.

#7

The German Army was trying to plug the gap left by the Romanian Army, which had been overrun and beaten back by the Red Army. They shoved in German troops, including the company with six tanks.

#8

We reached the main line of resistance in the afternoon, and were shocked to find that the Russians had beaten us to it by a few hours. We were in a small ravine so that our tank had cover but a bad field of fire. Our company commander contacted the staff of our resident infantry to prepare a common attack.

#9

The drive was far from simple. We saw a small village in front of us in a valley, and we went towards it. We saw flames rising up from the rear of the house, and two military police guards. We thought we could get something there, so we destroyed the house.

#10

The