Author Claus Neuber published the book “Marching from Defeat: Surviving the Collapse of the German Army in the Soviet Union, 1944” in 2020 (July). This is the author's only publication.

I categorize this novel as “PG”. This is the story of German Second Lieutenant Claus Neuber.

Neuber's assignment is to the 1st Battery of Artillery Regiment 18. It is part of the 18th Panzergrenadier Division, 4th Army on the Eastern Front. They were part of the Army Group Center stationed on the front line east of Minsk, Belarus.

In June of 1944, the Russians began a large offensive to drive the Germans out of Russia. The Russian attack forces the German army to retreat. Neuber's position is overrun. This story is the account of his almost three months of travel from near Minsk back to the German lines. This is an adaptation of a report he wrote shortly after his long journey ended in 1944. Events were fresh in his mind when he wrote the report.

The German retreat was far from orderly. Before too much time has passed Neuber found himself a Russian prisoner. He managed to escape and make his way back to German lines.

I enjoyed the 8.5 hours I spent reading this 272-page historical account from WWII. I have not read many accounts of the war from the German side. This was an interesting story told in the first person. Neuber went through a lot to make it back home to Germany. The book paints a very good picture of the chaos following the Russian attack. I like the chosen cover art. I give this book a 5 out of 5.

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Here is a German lieutenant’s account of their catastrophe when the Russians destroyed the Army Group Centre in the summer of 1944. Deceptive movements had the Germans believing an attack would come elsewhere and they were totally unprepared. Claus Neuber spent over two months as a fugitive trying to evade Russians and get back to Germany. He endured hunger and illness from bad water, cold and heat, wounds and painfully abused feet. Briefly captured, he escaped, and never saw his colleagues again.
So much propaganda exists about what the Germans did during WWII, what the Russians did. How much is accurate? Does anyone really know? The German soldiers were astonished at Russian cruelty to captured Germans. “Shooting prisoners went against the German soldier’s sense of honour.” What about the stories of cruelty to Russian POWs?
What is true is the awful experience Neuber endured, and the overpowering desire for freedom that kept him on the run.

True accounts from German soldiers of World War 2 are not numerous. Their story isnt told as often IMO as the Soviet soldier or the Allied combatant. Therefore this is a remarkable and horrifying description of what war is really like. Mr Neuber has a story that is detailed . His war time job was in communications and directing artillery as well as observation of Soviet movements on his area or front of White Russia.
His story was given to his commanders as he was one of the few who made it out of his sector. The soviets overwhelming strength pushed past his post and his comrades were faced with either die, be captured and probably die in captivity, or try to push through the Russian lines and make it back to German positions. His descriptions of Russian soldiers cruelty toward captured German troops truly is shocking. I have rarely read about Soviet attrocities but obviously they existed, as this man saw them or knew of others that did. That said the help of the People who were only hard working peasants caught in a horrible struggle between two ideologies made me smile . This book goes over a little heard of story. That of the Eastern front as the war was coming to an end. One of the most well written yet easy to read story of a man that tried to get back home after being given up on. To think he. ran through Soviet as well as German minefields to his freedom left him with one conclusion Maybe an angel had guided him. After reading this I agree.

272 pages

5 stars

Claus Neuber was an artillery lieutenant with Army Group Center on the Eastern Front in Russia.

The story is a good one though and I felt for Mr. Neuber as he struggled to survive on the Eastern front. As Erich Maria Remarque might have said, “All is quiet on the Eastern front,” - for a while. The bunkers the men have built are quite comfortable and they feel safe. The only problem they have at that moment is that they are terribly low on ammunition.

Suddenly, Neuber's request for leave has been canceled. Their vehicles have been given to another group. Hitler decrees that support, including reinforcements, must go to the West to fight the Allies instead of to the Eastern front. That leaves them with insufficient supplies. 2,500,000 Red Army soldiers face just 450,000 Germans.

The Russians attack with devastating German losses and Neuber and his team are ordered to retreat. The Luftwaffe has abandoned them. The Russians are, of course, chasing the retreating Germans drastically reducing their numbers. Although the fleeing survivors had moments of despair, they never completely lost hope that friendly troops might find and rescue them.

Lieutenant Neuber was captured by the Red Army and imprisoned in a camp. He was determined to escape, and escape he did. His several week journey back to the German lines makes for fascinating and harrowing reading.

This book is very well written. I imagine some of this must be a factor of Tony Le Tissier's beautiful translation. I experienced everything Lieutenant Neuber did. I felt as though I was there in the battles, his incarceration and his escape. I walked beside him as he experienced these things. Wonderful book and I recommend it for anyone with an interest in WWII history or stories of personal journey. Mr. Neuber's book clearly illustrates the absolute horror of war. It doesn't matter to which country the soldier belongs.

I want to thank NetGalley and Pen & Sword/Pen & Sword Military for forwarding to me a copy of this very intrancing book for me to read, enjoy and review.