The book was written by Wilhelm Bender, a Medic in the German Infantry and Artillery from 1939 to the end of the war. This tells the story of his war experiences on the Eastern front and the use of the Raupenschlepper tracked support vehicle.

The book is really about everyday life and issues being a soldier in the regular German army in the Eastern Front, from the days Germany was winning battles to the long road to total defeat of the German war machine.

The personal collection of photos Wilhelm uses in the book are excellent and help show the conditions and day to day life of these soldiers during the whole war. They are all very different from the normal war book and all are like a behind the scenes of the war. They show a very intimate view of Wilhelm’s involvement in the war.

I must admit I was amazed at the content of the photos. Rather than describing the history and campaigns, the book shows the men and conditions which it does very well. So now I am on the hunt for a Model kit of the Raupenschlepper to do a diorama based on a picture within this book.

I highly recommend this book!

Thanks go to Casemate Publishing and Peko Publishing for providing this book and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it.