It's interesting to me as to why there are so many war autobiographies published by former German Wehrmacht and SS soldiers but almost nothing by Allied troops. Most Allied autobiographies seem to be by ex-RAF pilots. As a result, we know a great deal about the German experiences of WW2 and comparatively very little of Allied personal war experiences. (I stand to be corrected if a reader can direct to a great number of Allied autobiographies).I think this imbalance is a great shame since our Allied forces must have fought just as courageously as the Germans and their war accounts will just be as interesting to us. In recent years, the success of TV shows like Band of Brothers have resulted in a few US airborne autobiographies which have been most welcomed.
Still, I would love to read more autobiographies by British airborne, British commandos, Allied tank crews etc.
Perhaps the reason there have been so many more German autobiographies is because of the great interest we have in the German war experiences; this may lead to publishers encouraging more ex-German troops to publish their accounts. As well, perhaps the Germans feel the need to defend their war records (especially former SS troops who wish to distance themselves from SS atrocities) or apologize in some way for their roles in WW2.
It is most encouraging to read recent books like Panzer Gunner, an autobiography from a former German panzer gunner in his senior years, finally sharing his war experiences. It is great to be reading fresh material even so many decades after the end of WW2.
I only hope that our senior war veterans, whether British, Canadian, American, Polish, French, Russian etc., will be encouraged to publish their war experiences before God calls them away from this earth. Their war experiences are a legacy that would be greatly treasured by us who are fortunate enough to be spared the horrors of that tragic history.
As well, I think they would be doing their deceased fellow soldiers a great service to ensure that the Allied sacrifices are also remembered and appreciated.
Colin
Combat Films and Books
Combat-Blog
