An extraordinary book, which has captured the attention of all of europe new york times legion of the damned is an incredible picture of totalitarianism, of stupefying injustice. He published his first book, legion of the damned, in 1953. Born in 1917 in fredensborg, denmark, sven hassel joined the merchant navy at the age of 14. And the fact that its about a group of german soldiers fighting a war they dont care for makes for an interesting take on wwii, and i remember enjoying them enough at the time to read most of them. In 1943, this motley tank crew is sent on a suicide mission behind enemy lines to destroy a soviet train thats carrying fuel for the red army. Sven hassel, who has died aged 95, wrote 14 massively popular novels about life in the wartime german army. One of the first things one notices about the sven hassel series is that the 27 th penal panzer regiment seem to have fought on all the european fronts and in several places at once. Being interested in the 2nd ww, i looked forward to reading this book.
The book describes their escape from the stalingrad siege under the leadership of a fanatical. Having read a couple of sven hassel books in my teens, i came across them and decided to get the series complete. Sven hassel was a world war ii novelist, who completed a series of fourteen books, that tell the battles of a penal regiment on the eastern front. The complete series has to this day been published in. Even my grandfather, who fought in wwii enjoyed these books. First started to read them as a year old way back in 1979.
He served throughout world war ii on all fronts except north africa. This is a book of horrors, and should be left alone by those prone to nightmares. War story of the 27th panzers, hitlers heavyduty combat regiment composed of prisoners. March battalion cassell military paperbacks book 4. Sven hassel is currently considered a single author. Sven hassel was the pen name of the danishborn borge willy redsted pedersen 19 april. Sven hassel official site official sven hassel site. Sven hassel books list of books by author sven hassel. The thunder of the guns could be heard in rome, 170 miles away. Sven hassel born in 1917 in fredensborg, denmark, sven hassel joined the merchant navy at the age of 14. Sven hassel monte cassino 2007 the battle over monte casino was one of the bloodiest. Gestapo by sven hassel and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles. Having survived the horrors of the eastern front, the 27th penal regiment are posted to italy. Sven hassels iconic novel about the battle for monte cassino.
He did his compulsory years military service in the danish forces in 1936 and then, facing unemployment, joined the german army. So, is it possible to read the books in any sort of chronological order. View mobile site jokeypsych endgamehonest galaxyquest. The novels are based on his own experiences in the german army.
Ss general 2007 do you know haow hard it is to find these books. Sven hassels descriptions of the atrocities committed by both sides are the most horrible indictments of war i have ever read. Sven hassel was a pen name that borge willy pedersen used to write novels set in the second world war. Legion of the damned series by sven hassel goodreads. Sven hassel has 46 books on goodreads with 29023 ratings. The definitive ebook collection of sven hassels iconic, violent war novels. Sven hassels stories are really a long series of anecdotes and there is no correct chronology, but weve tried. Hassels books are not seen as a reliable source by historians, i find it very difficult to believe that a member of a penal unit who left school at age 14 becomes a lieutenant becoming an officer in the german military has always required abitur. To get in touch with us, please send us a message in the form below and well get back to you as soon as possible. Written in the first person, ssgeneral is based on the adventures of a group of german penal battalion soldiers in the battle of stalingrad. The commissar had the biggest secret of the russian war. In later years, sven was legally able to acquire the name hassel, but due to the popularity of his books the name continued with a z in the abovementioned 3. Author sven hassels complete list of books and series in order, with the latest releases, covers, descriptions and availability.
If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. The only shame about all of his books is that they are not in historical order and the characters get a bit confusing as they are out of time sync. Suivez sven hassel et explorez sa bibliographie sur sa page dauteur sven hassel sur. From the fight for survival against the ferocious red army and the icy, shellravaged wastes of the vicious russian winter, to the bloodiest battles on the eastern front, sven hassels gripping novels are based on his own experiences in the german army. One of the first things one notices about the sven hassel series is that the 27th penal panzer regiment seem to have fought on all the european.
Comrades of war by hassel, sven, 1917publication date 1963 topics world war, 19391945. Explore books by sven hassel with our selection at. Alan silitoe stationed on the russian front and now equipped with armoured vehicles, sven hassel and his comrades. Ssgeneralen is a novel by the danish writer sven hassel. Listen to thousands of best sellers and new releases on your iphone, ipad, or android. He is graphic, at times brilliantly so, but never brutal or bitter. His books have a realism underscored by a deep humanity which is missing from so many war books. The sven hassel collection includes all 14 books in sven hassels series and exclusive extra material. Sven hassel, whose factbased tales of second world warfare have sold millions, has created another horrific war novel, this time set on the deadly russian front. Anyway sven hassel books arent a great read but theyre not an awful read, either. List of characters in the novels by sven hassel sven. His books have been outofprint in the english language for many years now, but sven hassel did have his time in the 60s and 70s when he was a worldwide bestseller and his books were traded in every school playground on the planet as important research material for the game of war. Read about a factual based but fictional aspect from a german soldiers perspective.
Hitler has ordered that every position must be held to the last, and every lost position recaptured by counterattack. Unfortunately, there are several things wrong with it. Sven hassels iconic war novel about the russian front. By the time the dane died in 2012 at the age of 95, he was one of the most popular and most prolific authors to come out of denmark. One of the first things one notices about the sven hassel series is that the 27th penal panzer regiment seem to have fought on all the european fronts and in several places at once. Sven hassel for sale in uk 49 secondhand sven hassels.
In the novels by sven hassel we are met by a wide range of characters, all of whom have an extensive background described in the novels. He joined the danish merchant marine when he was 20, and a year later moved to germany. Sven hassel is a major brand in fiction with global book sales since first publication of legion of the damned in 1953 of 53 million copies, of which 15 million are in the english language. Said they were the only books of this kind he could read about wartime. Sven hassel site sven hassel was a world war ii novelist, who completed a series of fourteen books, that tell the battles of a penal regiment on the eastern front. Browse audiobooks written by sven hassel sorted by best. Danish writer sven hassel was born in fredericksborg, denmark, in 1917. The books can be read in any order as they do not follow each other. March battalion legion of the damned series book 4 ebook. List of novels by sven hassel sven hassel wiki fandom. See the historical chronology article here, or try reading the books in their order of publication here. Autobiography legion of the damned, wheels of terror, comrades of war, march battalion, assignment gestapo, monte cassino, liquidate paris, ss general. The author erik haaest claimed that the criminal record of borge willy redsted pedersen shows that he was the aforementioned borge petersen.
Chronology one of the first things one notices about the sven hassel series is that the 27 th penal panzer regiment seem to have fought on all the european fronts and in several places at once. See all books authored by sven hassel, including the legion of the damned, and reign of hell, and more on. It was first published in 1960 and has been translated in many languages. Used to buy one on the market 2nd hand on a saturday then return it the next week and buy another. The sven hassel collection by sven hassel nook book. Although he is arguably one of the most sold danish authors, at most second to hans christian andersen, danish public libraries, as of 2012, did not stock his books. March battalion cassell military paperbacks by sven hassel.
He eventually wound up in the german armyits not clear if he was drafted or if he enlisted, even though he was not a german citizenand served in a tank unit in 1939 during the german. Hassel was a protected family name in denmark, and so his publishers changed it to hazel in denmark, norway and iceland elsewhere it remained hassel. Sven hassel was a huge seller in the uk in corgi paperback editions in the 1960s and 1970s. Cant tell you the order wendywitch, but sven hassel is absolutely brilliant. Books by sven hassel author of legion of the damned. Fascinating and sven hassel manages to draw you in and keep you addicted. The novels written by sven hassel about his time in the german army during wwii. Used books may not include companion materials, some shelf wear, may contain highlightingnotes, may not include cdrom or access codes.
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