Wolfgang Faust

This is a personal memoir of a German tank commander toward the end of World War II. Some reviews claim this is a work of fiction. I am in no position to make that call. What I can say is that whatever this is Wolfgang Faust does an excellent job of keeping the reader engaged.

The basic facts of the story are verifiable. There was a German army of 80,000 men that was surrounded by units of the Russian army. There was no love lost between the Germans and the Russians. Germans army units had committed atrocities during their invasion of Russia. The Russians actively sought revenge for those atrocities.

Evidence for calling this fiction comes from the lack of details. The names of German units are not listed. The names of tank crew members are stated. Specific names of towns are missing. Names people that a memoir should have are missing. I believe if he had seen officers killed by enlisted men he would have at least remembered the names and ranks of the officers. Finally the ending of the book reads like a work of fiction. Some of the lack of detail could be attributed to the author's memory or his desire to protect individuals. In any case whether this is a work fiction or non fiction it is well written.

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