The Devil's Guard

[StevenPeece]

Has anybody read the Devil's Guard.  It came out in the early 80's and was about a German SS Storm trooper.

An excellent read I thought, that had me gripped from start to finish.


Regards



Steve

 

[043]

Is that the one where they went to Vietnam after WW2?

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Has anybody read the Devil's Guard.  It came out in the early 80's and was about a German SS Storm trooper.

An excellent read I thought, that had me gripped from start to finish.


If its the one about the SS troopers joining the French Foreign Legion and fighting in Vietnam, than yes, I have read it. However, it came out in the early '70s, not the '80s. I remember because I was in the army cadets when I read it. Like you said, a very good read and very graphic. Its supposed to be a true story, but I there is some controversy that it's actually fiction. The following Wikipedia entry has information on the book:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Guard

Here is the URL to Amazon.com if you want to buy (however, note the price they are asking before hitting the buy button!!):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0440120144/qid=1148660284/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-3446405-8524016?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Opps, made a mistake when I was trying to insert the quotation, Sorry about that.

 

[Long in the tooth]

Actually the name of the book is the Devil's Brigade.  It covered German WW2 vets who enlisted with the FFL and were sent to French Indo China as part of Mech Group 100.  I believe they suffered over 80% attrition in a three month period, something the US should have been paying more attention to.  Cheers

 

[StevenPeece]

No, the book I was referring to is definately, The Devils Guard.


Steve

 

[Michael Dorosh]

My dad read it; I remember the cover vividly sitting on our shelf as a kid. It's probably somewhere in his basement. Sounds like one more to add to the list...

 

[Danjanou]

The book is Devils Guard by George Robert Elford and supposedly is the reminices of one Hans Josef Wagemueller a former Waffen SS Partisanjaeger who joins theForeign Legion in French Indo China after the end of the Second World War and eventually commands a battalion of former SS types.

I own a copy and it is a good read. The first time I read it as a teenager I believed it was real, now I have my doubts. There is a lot of controvery around it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Guard

Fact or fiction it has been published quite a lot over the years.

Some confusion also surrounds the fact that there are at least two other novels out there with the same name including an Executioner series one by Don Pendelton. Elford also appears to have written a couple of “sequels.”

Looking at some of the prices they want I’m thinking of taking better care of my thirty year old copy.

 

[Long in the tooth]

I'm corrected, thanks for the info.  Still a good read.

 

[baboon6]

Sven Hassel-esque war porn. Utterly unbelieveable. I don't have time to elaborate now but I will later.

 

[Danjanou]

Sven Hassel-esque war porn. Utterly unbelieveable. I don't have time to elaborate now but I will later.

Yeah that woul be a good comparison. Good beach reads but up their with the poor man's Tom Clancy clones. Neither is something I'd be citing or putting in the bibliography for a research paper, I'd rather be caught using the Wilkipedia as a reliable reference ;D

 

[StevenPeece]

The book is Devils Guard by George Robert Elford and supposedly is the reminices of one Hans Josef Wagemueller a former Waffen SS Partisanjaeger who joins the lgion in French Indo China after the end of the Second World War and eventually commands a battalion of former SS types.

I own a copy and it is a good read. The first time I read it as a teenager I believed it was real, now I have my doubts. There is a lot of controvery around it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Guard

Fact or fiction it has been published quite a lot over the years.

Some confusion also surrounds the fact that there are at least two other novels out there with the same name including an Executioner series one by Don Pendelton. Elford also appears to have written a couple of “sequels.”

Looking at some of the prices they want I’m thinking of taking better care of my thirty year old copy.

Its the middle one I recall reading in the very early 80's.  I also had a favourite film called A Cross Of Iron.  It was great.  Has anybody else seen this.  It is quite old now and starred James Coburn.

Regards

Steve

 

[vonGarvin]

Its the middle one I recall reading in the very early 80's.  I also had a favourite film called A Cross Of Iron.  It was great.  Has anybody else seen this.  It is quite old now and starred James Coburn.

Of course I saw it!   My cat's name was Steiner ;D
Also starred James Mason, Maximillian Schell, and others.  Filmed in Yugoslavia in the 70's.  I believe that the Serbs played the Russians, and the Croats played the Germans, and that they used live ammo
(just kidding, naturally)

Cheers

 

[baboon6]

Of course I saw it!   My cat's name was Steiner ;D
Also starred James Mason, Maximillian Schell, and others.  Filmed in Yugoslavia in the 70's.  I believe that the Serbs played the Russians, and the Croats played the Germans, and that they used live ammo
(just kidding, naturally)

Cheers

"Alright. I accept. I will show you how a Prussian officer can fight!"

"And I will show you where the Iron Crosses grow."

classic!