Description
Book SynopsisSven Hassel's iconic war novel about the Russian Front.
'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 is graphic, at times brilliantly so, but never brutal or bitter. He is, too, a first-rate storyteller' - WASHINGTON POST
Convicted of deserting the German army, Sven Hassel is sent to a penal regiment on the Russian Front. He and his comrades are regarded as expendable, cannon fodder in the battle against the implacable Red Army. Outnumbered and outgunned, they fight their way across the frozen steppe...
This iconic anti-war novel is a testament to the atrocities suffered by the lone soldier in the fight for survival.
Sven Hassel's unflinching narrative is based on his own experiences in the German Army. He began writing his first novel, LEGION OF THE DAMNED in a prisoner of war camp at the end of the Second World War.
Trade ReviewAn extraordinary book, which has captured the attention of all of Europe - NEW YORK TIMES
In essence this is an expose of the absurdity of war, and a moving plea for peace. As such, it takes its rank with far milder books, such as ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT - NEWSDAY
Hassel's books of war are the most powerful I have ever read
The story shudders from page to page while the devoted friends live precariously from year to year, until only the one survivor is left to write this book. And a gripping book it is - CHICAGO SUNDAY TRIBUNE
