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Twilight of the Gods
- A Swedish Waffen-SS Volunteer's Experiences with the 11th SS-Panzergrenadier Division Nordland, Eastern Front 1944-45
- Narrated by: Bruce Mann
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
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Twilight of the Gods
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Summary
Twilight of the Gods was originally written in Swedish, and published in Buenos Aires shortly after the end of WWII. Erik Wallin, a Swedish soldier who volunteered for service with the Waffen-SS, participated in the climactic battles on the Eastern Front during late 1944 and 1945, later telling his story to this book's editor, Thorolf Hillblad.
Wallin served with the Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion, 11th SS-Panzergrenadier Division Nordland, a unit composed mainly of non-German volunteers, including Danes, Norwegians, and Swedes. The division enjoyed a high reputation for its combat capability, and was always at the focal points of the fighting on the Eastern Front in the last year of the war. During this period it saw combat in the Baltic, in Pomerania, on the Oder, and finally in defense of Berlin, where it was destroyed.
Erik Wallin served with his unit in all of these locations, and provides the listener with a fascinating glimpse into these final battles. The book is written with a "no holds barred" approach which will captivate, excite, and maybe even shock the listener - his recollections do not evade the brutality of fighting against the advancing Red Army. Twilight of the Gods is destined to become a classic memoir of the Second World War.
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What listeners say about Twilight of the Gods
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 25-11-20
interesting view into the mind of a fascist zealot
The interesting thing here was the insight into what drove these zealots on. Alas very much echoed in the white supremacist movement currently, lots very selective views of history. Very much at odds with several other views from German veterans who either had nothing to do with the politics and could see the writing on the wall once America became involved.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- john brenchley
- 01-06-21
Fact or fiction
I’m not convinced this is all fact ? It may well be but the story is exciting and interesting anyway .
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ethan
- 30-11-23
Interesting perspective
Wish he elaborated in what actually drew him to SS in the first place. It seems his views are almost ignorant to the abundance of horrors the Germans caused on civilians as well.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-06-20
Addictive
I had withdrawal symptoms when I finished. Excellent inside story of the horrendous war in the East and the trauma suffered by soldiers and civilians caught up in battle.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adam
- 17-08-23
Very interesting
Interesting story with both personal experience and the fall of Berlin. Horrendous civilian casualties and destruction.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alistair Fraser
- 22-05-20
Excellent!!!
Fabulous book, this is the second time I've listened to it and enjoyed it thoroughly. I wish Audible would do more like it. Highly recommended!!!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matt.G.
- 27-08-20
Short but a good book.
A good book that gets you into the action. The narrator get excited when the action requires him too which adds to the experience.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mariush
- 07-05-23
Fall of pseudo Gods
There is a lot of Goebbels's propaganda in this book as the author is obviously biased by serving in SS unit and his brain was soaked through by Nazi ideology and unipolar perception of the World. He gladly ignores all killings and extermination done by SS.
I didn't give this book the lowest possible rate because some parts, where the author describes fighting on the front and escaping after the end of hostilities are really interesting.
Unfortunately, the narrator didn't help at rating this audiobook higher.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Richard Denis Chadwick
- 13-01-23
excellent book.
this is the kind of book that really gets me. the german point of view. the truth. history is written by Victor's. memoirs are the real deal not the historians that only know the allied point of view. this is a fantastic book and added to the collection to re listen to at a later date.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 19-06-20
A fully truthful recollection
of what happened in dark end days of world war 2. no hints of chosenite influence
An excellent account of an elite Waffen SS unit, made up of Nordic volunteers, in the dying months of World War 2. It took us into the mindset of foreign volunteers and why they signed up; namely to fight the Bolsheviks.
It dispels myths that all Waffen SS fighters were inhumane monsters. Instead it paints a picture of an elite fighting force that repeatedly came to the rescue of Wehrmacht units.
There aren't very many books written by SS soldiers from World War II, and there definitely aren't many by foreign volunteers in the SS. Erik Wallin was a Swedish volunteer in the SS Nordland Division and saw extensive combat on the Eastern Front.
This book doesn't cover his entire combat career, but starts with New Year's 1945 and goes through the brutal end of the war. The combat descriptions in the book range from pretty graphic to fairly mundane, but the unbridled brutality of war comes through very clearly.
Even when faced with the overwhelming colossus of the Red Army, Wallin and his fellow SS soldiers seem to maintain a fairly high morale and belief that final victory is still a possibility. This is a pretty quick read , but I certainly wish there was a bit more in some parts as some battles are described in a fair amount of detail while others get much smaller mentions.
Some reviewers are angered by Wallin's failure to mention war crimes committed by his side and to praise National Socialism. That seems silly, to me; no one volunteers to fight in a war they believe is evil, so it should be expected that the author would support his side. The 'alleged crimes' are documented in countless texts, the value here is the look inside the mind of a committed, though seemingly not ideologically crazed, Waffen SS soldier
It ends with an amazing account of what it was like to be under siege in the hell of Berlin as it was being pounded by Soviet artillery. An account well worth the read.
A great addition to anyone's library if they're interested in the Eastern Front.
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10 people found this helpful