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Feldpost: The War Letters of Friedrich Reiner Niemann Kindle Edition

by Denis Havel (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 42 ratings
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** This electronic edition includes 32 black-and-white photographs **

Feldpost: The Wartime Letters of Friedrich Reiner Niemann documents the life and front line experiences of a German soldier from the 6th Infantry Division from 1941-1945. Niemann, a well-educated youth from a Westphalia family, was sent to the Russian front four times. He wrote his final two letters home from Poland on January 12, 1945 before he disappeared during the Soviet Vistula-Oder Offensive. In his extensive correspondence, Niemann describes the fighting at Rzhev, Russia, 1942-1943, and his survival of the destruction of his division during the Soviet summer offensive in 1944. His is a rare view of battles that annihilated entire German divisions and armies. After World War Two, the Niemann family preserved Reiner's letters and photographs and shipped them to New Orleans when Reiner's sister, Liselotte Andersson, had emigrated. Neglected in an attic for over fifty years, the documents surfaced only after Hurricane Katrina flooded the family house. Andersson's daughter-in-law, author Whitney Stewart, discovered the letters in 2012, and contacted Denis Havel to translate them. Together, Havel and Stewart uncovered historical details that enabled them to follow Reiner's trail and tell his story.

** This electronic edition includes 32 black-and-white photographs **
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  1. Print length
    378 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    June 16, 2016
  5. File size
    5714 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Denis Havel's excellent translation and editing is accompanied by very useful contextual material, placing the events into a meaningful framework." World War II Today

From the Author

Listen to an account of how the letters were discovered on WWNO's The Reading Life :
wwno.org/post/reading-life-whitney-stewart-and-raymond-boudreau

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01H75AO6K
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fonthill Media (June 16, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 16, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5714 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 378 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 42 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Whitney Stewart

    Whitney Stewart

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    Whitney Stewart is the author of award-winning nonfiction for young readers—from tots to teens.

    She weaves dreams, visions, and travels into books. And she'll go far for a story—across oceans, under water, into caves, and up mountains. She’s trekked in the Himalaya with Sir Edmund Hillary, interviewed the 14th Dalai Lama in India, and sat with Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma. She's followed clues across former battlefields in Poland to learn the fate of her husband's uncle who went missing on the Russian Front of WWII. She's happiest when on a quest.

    When not writing or traveling, Whitney teaches mindfulness to children and young adults.

    Check out her website or invite her to speak at your school or library:

    http://whitneystewart.com/

    Or follow Whitney on Instagram @whitneystewart2

    See more on the author's page
  2. Denis Havel

    Denis Havel

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Denis Havel graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a degree in psychology and has taught at high school and college level. An independent historian, Havel has studied German history, language and literature, and the Prussian-German military. He is currently active in German-American organisations, notably the Germania Mannerchor, which preserve German language and traditions.

    With respect to his book Feldpost, Havel commented, “When asked if I would translate the considerable number of letters of a German soldier—a young man who had disappeared without a trace near the end of the war—I did not hesitate to accept the task. Though a complete stranger to me, he was after all, a lost uncle, a lost brother, a lost son. One does not often have the opportunity to provide such a service to a family seeking closure of a sort. However, I was not long into this task, before both the task and I were transformed. As I was turning German words into English words, Reiner was no more a distant stranger in a distant world. I was now in his world, and he was writing directly to me—and he was alive again. Still young, still hopeful, still so vibrant, and now through his letters he always will be.”

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
42 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the writing style well-written and interesting. They also say it's an interesting account of the life of a German soldier and his family during WWII.

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Writing styleHistory
6 customers mention "Writing style"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style well-written, easy to follow along, and nice.

"...It is very well written and historically correct. It is so well written, it will take you to every event of Reiner's life through WWII and many many..." Read more

"...Maybe because of the personal connection – or maybe just the good writing. I feel I know Reiner through his letters...." Read more

"...The book is easy to read and the summaries of the historical context by the author/translator are some of the best I have ever read...." Read more

"Nice book. Sad. Straight narration is offered with a minimum of editorial commentary...." Read more

4 customers mention "History"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the history in the book very interesting.

"Feldpost provides an informative and tragic account of the emptiness, desolation, and loss of war, from "the dark side," the real life..." Read more

"A very interesting account of the life of a German soldier and his family during WWII...." Read more

"Good read easy to follow along with, some pictures. Book is interesting because it captures his experience from letters to his family,sister and..." Read more

"I felt part of the Reiner family. An interesting and poignant story of war and family. Just one of tens of millions affected." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Letters Found In An Attic After Hurricane Katrina Flooded New Orleans
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
I bought this very interesting book because the guy who translated all the letters from Friedrich is from my small home town. He often walks past our shop on nice days. He seems to be a very quiet person who mostly keeps to himself. Just an ordinary guy going about an ordinary life. When I found out he was the person who translated these letters and it was made into a book, I just had to have it. I hope to introduce myself the next time I see him. If you buy this book you will not be disappointed. It is very well written and historically correct. It is so well written, it will take you to every event of Reiner's life through WWII and many many historical things you probably didn't know. You will feel like you are a time traveler swept off your feet. It will give you a true knowledge of the time and how controlling Hitler's ideals were and how it was funneled through the troops to make them do what he wanted. You will experience the dreams and hopes of a German young man who had no idea how evil his fuhrer was. Only serving his country as you or I would also be proud to do. You will feel the love of family and friends, the hunger, the cold, the abandonment, the sorrow and the pain. It is a journey you will cherish to understand. You really can't put a dollar amount on this book. It is worth every penny!
10 people found this helpful
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Timothy D. Stone
4.0 out of 5 stars were normal human beings caught in a terrible, evil struggle
Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2016
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Feldpost provides an informative and tragic account of the emptiness, desolation, and loss of war, from "the dark side," the real life perspective of a German soldier's letters home during WW II. Granted, we can wonder why the young soldier didn't desert the Nazi army, but how many of us would risk death, as deserters did? Or we might ask why his letters didn't excoriate The Third Reich, though if he did harbor an animosity for the Nazis, such views would have been censored from his letters, if he hadn't censored them himself, and would have triggered punishment, potentially execution if the censors had seen them. We do know that his father refused to join the Nazi party, and seems to have paid for it professionally. In contrast to current prevailing theories, that many men felt a closer bond to comrades-in-arms than within the relative alienation of civilian society, from the Eastern front, Niemann pined for his family, both for the strong sense of community he derived from it and contributed to. We can only feel his pain when he learns of the death of his brother in the War. Deep down, it's hard to dismiss the reality, that many German soldiers, too, were normal human beings caught in a terrible, evil struggle, and not all, by any means, were war criminals. And that, as these letters imply, represents one of the maddening conundrums of life.
13 people found this helpful
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AC
5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2017
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I ordered this book because I know Whitney Stewart and her family. I finished reading Feldpost about a week ago and still find myself a bit haunted by it. Maybe because of the personal connection – or maybe just the good writing. I feel I know Reiner through his letters. He was so young, and so lost from his norm, and so trying to not sound that way. But you could feel that progression from optimism to stoicism in his letters. We never get the German perspective in what we read about WWII, and it’s valuable. Young soldiers everywhere are alike – except that being German in that war must have brought with it personal conflict that was almost impossible to resolve. My father and mother often talked about those war years – him overseas, her at home. But I can only read about how it felt to be German and most directly impacted, especially for those who were cultured, thinking people. Thanks to both authors for being just the right people to take that serendipitous discovery of moldy letters and make it something of value to share. Some books stay with you for forever, and this will be one of those for me.
6 people found this helpful
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Richard S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable book about a remarkable soldier
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2017
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A very interesting account of the life of a German soldier and his family during WWII. Having spent three years living in Germany as an American soldier during the Cold War, I have always been interested in what life was like during the Nazi regime. The book is easy to read and the summaries of the historical context by the author/translator are some of the best I have ever read. A well done book. Friedrich's family should be very proud.
4 people found this helpful
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Bob Russell
5.0 out of 5 stars Almost a Classic
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2017
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Nice book. Sad. Straight narration is offered with a minimum of editorial commentary. This young man wrote and wrote to family members, no matter how rough his life on the Easter Front became. He upheld the values he had been taught and never gave up hope for a brighter future, where he could become the sort of enterprising civilian after the war that he had dreamed of. Yet he was fated to end up in a different spot, which only became clear many years later. His family honored him through keeping his letters tucked away for one descendant to find and publish them. Doubtless there were many other soldiers who were not so expressive or so honored, who nonetheless were likewise wasted.
4 people found this helpful
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Scott Bailey
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read easy to follow along with
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2017
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Good read easy to follow along with, some pictures. Book is interesting because it captures his experience from letters to his family,sister and brother. Book also gives an overall situation on the front and his unit participation in the eastern front conflict from a third person perspective.
7 people found this helpful
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Non O
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2019
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Amazing account of what life was like for a German soldier during WWII on the Eastern front told in actual letters written home.
One person found this helpful
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Thomas E. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent historical work
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2017
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I felt part of the Reiner family. An interesting and poignant story of war and family. Just one of tens of millions affected.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

AirViceMarshalGandhi
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2017
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Very unusual book and very well done. Often the commentary around primary sources is lazy or poorly done, but not in this book. Contextual information about the military situation is as good as in the best works on the subject.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars ,
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 13, 2019
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