The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche

In a powerful way the book reminds us: Countries / governments go to war. But individuals suffer, bleed, and die. The presidents, leaders and fuehrers sit safely at home while the soldiers die. The story is an eternal one, to be re-played until there will be a war and nobody shows up. The book is vividly written, lives take shape before your eyes, great character development. This book should be read together with "All Quiet on the Western Front." By the way, the German title is "Das geduldige Fleisch" = "The Patient Flesh."

I only recently heard of this book, and a relative sent me his well-worn copy. I read it in less than 48 hours since it is hard to lay down. I know it makes one empathize with German soldiers fighting Russians, but it helps that the committed Nazi officers are also portrayed as evil and that one realizes that the non-officers in the book are simply trying to stay alive and hate the war. This is a compelling and engrossing book, and I ate it up.

I have read this in German and in English - the translation is excellent, unlike many others which soften or "civilize" war stories. This is no "All Quiet on the Western Front", where recent ex-school boys are the principals. Most of the enlisted men are grown men, and have less fervor than the youth in Remarque's WW I novel. The ruthless "take very few prisoners" attitudes of Germans and of Russians add realism, pessimism, and terror to this story, as do the weight of years of WW I and WW II experience of Brandt, Fetscher, and Major Vogel in particular. As a former infantry enlisted man and officer, I see the reality of Steiner trusting only Senior Regimental Sergeant Major Fetscher among all of the rest. Unless one has knowledge of the history of the World War II Eastern Front and of the geography of southwestern Russia (the Black Sea area of Tuapse, the Kuban, and the Crimea), having a good map at hand and some reading (such as Seaton's book) will help in appreciating the distances and terrains involved.A terrifying look at grown men in fear, who doubt and yet hope. Both Heinrich and Remarque personally lived through the worlds of their books; their books are real.

This is one of Heinrich's numerous novels with the same characters. It was ,I think, originally called "The Willing Flesh" before Sam Peckinpah made a movie of it. It must be mentioned that the soldiers in the book, who were the main characters, were part of the Wehrmacht (the main German army) and in fact hated Nazis and SS. The content was very similar to the famous book "The Forgotten Soldier". Willi Heinrich manages to show German soldiers with some decency and an instinct for survival on the Eastern Front as a prime motive in a losing war. Steiner is a disobedient but brave soldier in this book and always seems to escape the most difficult situations. The story is well told with enough detail to entertain both lovers and haters of war books. The movie (excellent) only covers part of the book but shows some of the harsh realities only comparable to some of the more recent WWII films.

Heinrich's anti-hero, sgt. Steiner leads his platoon through Soviet line to the relative safety of the German lines in the Kerch penninsula. The novel shows the Russo-German conflict for what it was - brutal, heartless, and desperate. Not only do Steiner and his men have to fight the identifiable enemy but they must fight against the enemy within their own ranks. Glory-seeking officers, die-hard Nazis, and the malaise that envelopes all when exposed to the brutal horrors of combat at its most most primitive. Telling is the section where Steiner is sent back to "civilization." Heinrich's book is a must for those who enjoy historical fiction and military fiction. It enlightens a part of the war about which most Americans know little.