• D DAY Through German Eyes

  • The Hidden Story of June 6th 1944
  • By: Holger Eckhertz
  • Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
  • Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,398 ratings)

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D DAY Through German Eyes  By  cover art

D DAY Through German Eyes

By: Holger Eckhertz
Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
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Publisher's summary

This is the hidden side of D-Day which has fascinated readers/listeners around the world.

Almost all accounts of D-Day are told from the Allied perspective, with the emphasis on how German resistance was overcome on June 6, 1944. But what was it like to be a German soldier in the bunkers and gun emplacements of the Normandy coast, facing the onslaught of the mightiest seaborne invasion in history? What motivated the German defenders, what were their thought processes - and how did they fight from one strong point to another, among the dunes and fields, on that first cataclysmic day? What were their experiences on facing the tanks, the flamethrowers and the devastating air superiority of the Allies?

This book sheds fascinating light on these questions, bringing together statements made by German survivors after the war, when time had allowed them to reflect on their state of mind, their actions and their choices of June 6. We see a perspective of D-Day which deserves to be added to the historical record, in which ordinary German troops struggled to make sense of the onslaught that was facing them, and emerged stunned at the weaponry and sheer determination of the Allied soldiers. We see, too, how the Germans fought in the great coastal bunkers, perceived as impregnable fortresses, but in reality often becoming tombs for their crews. Above all, we now have the unheard human voices of the individual German soldiers - the men who are so often portrayed as a faceless mass.

©2015 Holger Eckhertz (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about D DAY Through German Eyes

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A work of fiction

Only after listening to this did I learn that it is from Sprech Media , well known for other works that are considered fabrications and thus fiction. Various aspects of this book seemed contrived and I started to question its authenticity. Google Sprech Media and learn the facts.

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84 people found this helpful

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fake

just feels made up. like they read wikipedia and made up a character who is always in the thick of it. the more I listened the more it did not ring true. returned.

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57 people found this helpful

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Ludicrous accent

I would rather listen to the German version of this book, if it is to be found on Audible. I can't even begin to understand why it was thought useful to have the interviewee speak with such a contrived German accent. Absolutely ludicrous, especially since many German words were not pronounced accurately. Painful to listen to. I don't think I'll be able to continue listening past the first interview.

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24 people found this helpful

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The Other Side of Men, Steel, and Fire

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I got "D DAY Through German Eyes." But I suppose I didn't expect to feel so much.
It's structured in an interview format, done during 1955, with mostly narrative. After the first man interviewed, I had to wonder to myself, "Is it okay to find these men to be valiant? Does that make me a traitor?"
What? Too soon?
But then the book goes on and I found myself totally flipping the other way: When the Germans weren't surviving the agony of fear, the incredible flames of phosphorous bombs, seeing beloved comrades ripped to shreds from shrapnel... they were killing US! And some of these guys were true believers, thinking that they were staving off an invasion from the Allies, that the Allies just wanted more, more, more, and were willing to murder for it.
What do you make of your emotions for the over 6 hours of this book? It's a rollercoaster with some of the most graphic accounts of war and slaughter, both sides, that I have ever encountered, and I read A LOT of military history. At x1.25 speed, it was breathtaking, heartrending, so very sad.
I felt respect for both sides... most of the time. Mostly, I felt sick. But that's a GOOD thing because this book is reality like you've never heard it. As long as you get over the thick German accent, which you will, but it's unnerving at first, you'll wind up thinking about this book for a long time.
Me? I wound up thinking about rows and rows of white crosses, of bodies, from both sides, rotting within the earth...

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It’s FAKE.

This entire book is a fake. The stories are made up. How disappointing.
Look it up before buying.

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D-Day through fictional eyes

This is likely an entertaining fiction. I cannot find corroborating evidence for his stories or anything about the author.

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19 people found this helpful

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A set of honest and frank accounts

A set of honest and frank accounts that allow you to draw your own conclusions on the motives of individuals and politics of the time. Essential reading.

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9 people found this helpful

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Great perspective!!

just when I thought I've been through every single book on ww2 and couldn't learn anything else, I run into this book not expecting much and was completely wrapped up in it all the way to the end. it's a fantastic perspective on d day, if your a history buff, you need this book!!

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8 people found this helpful

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Absolutely fascinating

What a brilliant concept: a narrated series of interviews with former German soldiers who fought at D-Day. Their accounts are vivid and horrific but hearing these first-person accounts really brings the events to life. I highly recommend.

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8 people found this helpful

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Surprised

I was happily surprised when I got this book. It is a clever idea to interview the German soldiers that manned the defenses on D day. I was intrigued by the mind set they had. Some of these soldiers were wondering why we where so mad at them, and fought so hatefully. After all the German troops were just protecting the united Europe.
During the ten years that went by, the static troops that held those posts learned what the 3rd riche was really all about and it finally made sense!

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