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In the book Die Soldatische Tat (Soldierly Acts), author Erhard Wittek assembled stories written by German Army soldiers fighting on the East Front during the winter of 1941 / 1942. The book was published in 1943 in cooperation with the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH or Supreme Command of the Army).

In the foreword, the author states it is not an overview of military operations but rather battle experiences and observations by soldiers about their well-armed enemy, the terrain, danger, the heat, cold, dust and mud, ice and snow. The foreword ends with the note that the fighters who shared their experiences remain anonymous, except for Knight’s Cross recipients!

The first few stories date back to the last days before the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. These are followed by the first encounters with the enemy and their tanks, the approach to Minsk, crossing the Dnjestr and Dnjepr rivers, a day in a field hospital, the fight for the Baltic states, radio troops, storming a Soviet bunker, 500 Soviet prisoners taken by fourteen Reiter, experiences from the fierce fighting on the Crimean Peninsula, Leningrad, and winter battles.

Interspersed in the text of Die Soldatische Tat there are glossy pages with photos of East Front soldiers in action (“the War against Bolshevism”), Nazi tanks, Soviet POWs, a wounded Leutnant who kept on fighting, artillery pieces, battle damage and replacement bridges, winter camouflage, a tired looking Ritterkreuzträger der Infanterie next to a tank, heavily armed soldiers during a smoke break, etc. These are not photos used repeatedly in Third Reich books on Operation Barbarossa - we had never seen most of them before!

Author and World War I veteran Erhard Wittek also assembled a similar book with experiences of soldiers who had participated in the Wehrmacht invasion on the west in 1940. Using the pseudonym Fritz Steuben he wrote dozens of other books, many depicting American Indians (particularly the life of the Shawnee chief Tecumseh).

This 78 year old 5-3/4 x 9-5/8 inch, 352-page hardcover example of Die Soldatische Tat - Der Kampf im Osten 1941/42 was printed by Im Deutschen Verlag in Berlin. This company also produced Wittek’s Westfeldzug 1940 book, which is advertised in the back.

Complete and in very nice used condition. A previous owner re-taped the spine with bright blue book tape.