Devil's Guard

This incredible tale of combat was written by George Robert Elford and was based (according to the author) on first-hand interviews with "Hans Josef Wagemueller" (an alias, he refused to give his real name for obvious reasons), a former SS "partisan-jaeger" (guerrilla hunter) who miraculously survived the horrors of the Eastern front in World War II. He led a large group of German SS troops through Russian lines trying to reach Western Europe after he learned of the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. Many didn't make it, and most of those that did escape from the Soviets joined the French Foreign Legion along with Hans. The French were fighting a bloody war in Indochina and were so desperate for troops they didn't really care if their new recruits had been in the SS. Hans spent the next five years fighting against the fiercely determined Communist guerrillas, and he quickly learned to be just as cruel and heartless as his enemies. He rose through the ranks and became a respected (and feared) combat commander, using bold tactics that confused his enemies. There are plenty of vivid descriptions of his many missions, battles, bloody ambushes, etc, but somehow after reading this book I still thought that "Hans" did have a conscience. He was simply hardened by years of killing. There is still a lot of debate about the authenticity of this book. Even if the story is totally fiction, it remains the best book on warfare I've EVER READ. Until this book gets republished (who knows when that'll be), you're gonna have a hard time finding a copy at a reasonable price. I was lucky enough to spot a PB edition for only 25 cents (yeah, eat your heart out!) at an antique mall and I quickly bought it. This book should be required reading for every history buff, and it should be used as a training manual for U.S. Special Forces! Highly recommended.

Excellent expose of real history! I read (and still have) the first two books (Devil's Guard I and II) but just found out there was a third. I know a former U.S. army veteran whose father served in the German army during WWII. He knew nothing about these books BUT he did know about the events disclosed in this series. His father had friends (former German Army soldiers) who did serve with the French Foreign Legion in Vietnam...and they did know about the Legion of the Damned. One reviewer stated that the author (Elford) was sympathetic to the Nazi's. He should read the forward to the first book. Elford is relating Hans Josef Wagemuller's story. He is not uplifting or downplaying the role of the former Nazi's actions under the French in Vietnam. Wagemuller (not his real name) is the one telling HIS own story. I would dearly love to find the third volume...to add to my twenty year old collection.

I first read this book as a teenager and found it an educating experience ! My father is a WW2 veteran, who served with the Irish Guards and who encountered Waffen SS units in Normandy and subsequently later, and who maintains respect for their fighting capabilities. It was he who purchased the book at an airport on the way to Germany on a holiday to see my relations. My mother is German and her father served with an Alpine-jaeger regiment in Russia. You can see why I find this book fascinating! Unfortunately the original copy was lost (I suspect by myself) but while travelling a few years ago I found a copy by accident in a bookshop in Lindos town on the island of Rhodes. I managed to purchase it for the princeley sum of 20p. However, my next port of call was Israel and I regret that I left my copy on board the ferry before arrival. I continue my search for another copy, and having now realised how many of you find it as interesting as I do, and while extremely envious of those who currently own a copy I am gratified in knowing that there are few - if any - of you who will make the mistake I made and part with a truly worthy account of no-holds-barred anti-guerilla warfare. Perhaps those who do have a copy can contact the original publishers in the hope of a re-print and what about a movie - would that be something or what ! I also wonder how aspects of the war in Vietnam might have developed had the U.S accepted the talents of Wagemuller ? Bottom line - fact or fiction, this book rocks !!!

This book was recommended to me by a friend who was finishing up film school. This is the first-hand account of an experienced combat officer who lead an all-German battalion of the renowned French Foreign Legion. The details and descriptions are blunt, but nevertheless necessary in conveying the harsh realities of fighting an unconventional war against communist guerrillas. Hans Wagemuller is the alias for the book's main character and story teller. This is done to protect his identity and those of his comrades. Wagemuller was a former SS officer who fought on the Eastern Front. Before the reader of this review balks at reading this, bear in mind that Wagemuller describes himself and his colleagues as fiercely anti-communist, rather than haters of Jews and Catholics. He was not one of the members of the SS who guarded camps and exterminated defenseless civilians, but what is referred to as a kopfjaegar - a headhunter - one who hunts terrorists and unconventional combatants. Wagemuller offered his insights and experience to the U.S. military, but never received a reply. Ironically, Wagemuller simpathizes with the draft dodgers because of the way the U.S. prosecuted the war. This book, I believe, is better suited to the person who has an interest in Vietnam, and who believes that the war could have been won had it been prosecuted differently.