This book takes the form of a long letter from a German grandfather to his English grandson about the time he spend serving in the German army during World War 2. Toward the end of the War when the soldiers knew they were going to lose this book shows the dawning realisation of the wrongs perpetrated throughout his time in service by the German army.

A poignant and at times horrific look at what soldiers feel during wartime and the way this impacts the rest of their lives.

I struggled to get into this book. It was an interesting read in that this is told from the German perspective of war but as much as I wanted to enjoy this book it left me disappointed.

We Germans is (loosely) a letter from a grandfather to his grandson about his time served in the war.

I love historical fiction and have read a fair few based during WWII, but none from a German point of view in the Eastern Front.

A devastatingly beautiful read which leaves you questioning all your thoughts and opinions of German soldiers.

This is a gem of a book and quite unique in its presentation of a WWII memoir. I have not read anything similar. It brought a very personal tale to life and was in some parts sad and in others very disturbing. I would highly recommend this book.

When an English man asks his German grandfather what it was like to fight in the war, he is ignored. When his Grandfather dies, a letter is found that answers his question.

What drew me to this title is the idea that this story is told from the German perspective, something that is rare in WWII fiction.

I loved the overall premise of the book but in the end, it didn't really resonate as being specifically from the German soldier's perspective, it could be a war story from any side, which was a slight let down. It would have been interesting to hear the thoughts and feelings of the soldiers, knowing they were on the losing side. I also found the grandson's narrative woven throughout more of a distraction than anything.

Overall I completed this in one afternoon and enjoyed the story, even if it wasn't necessarily as expected.

This a deep and thought provoking story. Told through the story of a letter sent from the eastern front of the second world war. It is gripping and definitely struck a chord. Would reccomend.

Horror, bravery and darkness. Three bold worlds to describe this brilliantly written ' letter'. It was such a pleasure to read and for this reason I took my time to read and absorb the written words of We Germans. Thankyou Netgalley for letting me read this interesting book.

When a young man asks his German grandfather to tell him about his experiences during WW2 and as a PoW in a Russian gulag, he is met with a frosty response. Following the grandfather's death, a letter is found addressed to his grandson. This letter described a bizarre few days that occurred towards the end of WW2.

The format of this book was very different from any other books that I have written. The whole of the book is a long letter from grandfather to grandson however there are small interjections throughout from the grandson to give additional context or provide translations.

I found this book thoroughly gripping from start to finish as we go on the most unusual journey with our narrator. The questions of shame, guilt, and responsibility are constants for both the reader and narrator throughout. The conclusion of the story sees these questions brought into focus as the narrator questions the actions of him and his fellow soldiers.

The focus of this book is very narrow reviewing just a couple of days on the Eastern Front towards the end of WW2. These are German soldiers and they are likely in Poland at the time that the events are taking place however this is a band of hungry soldiers hunting for food.

There are sections of this book that are difficult to read but it is a worthwhile read and very beautifully done.

This is a truly original read. It's comprised of a long letter, from a German grandfather to his British grandson, recounting his final days as a Wehrmacht soldier retreating from the Red Army. Not only does he acknowledge Germany's impending defeat, but he also states that it deserves to, ultimately, lose. By retelling the horrors he and his fellow soldiers witnessed over those fateful days, he attempts to understand his role in Nazi Germany's evil legacy. It's a fascinating insight into guilt, morality and shame, but also - most enlighteningly - passive responsibility. It is absorbing, confessional, authentic and intensely human - both light and immensely dark. It's a fantastic, singular memoir, which raises incredibly difficult questions, many of which we still struggle with to this day.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher John Murray Press for the ARC.

The Description for this book is so spot-on that I repeat it here:
When a young British man asks his German grandfather what it was like to fight on the wrong side of the war, the question is initially met with irritation and silence. But after the old man's death, a long letter to his grandson is found among his things.
That letter is this book. In it, he relates the experiences of an unlikely few days on the Eastern Front - at a moment when he knows not only that Germany is going to lose the war, but that it deserves to. He writes about his everyday experience amid horror, confusion and great bravery, and he asks himself what responsibility he bears for the circumstances he found himself in. As he tries to find an answer he can live with, we hear from his grandson what kind of man he became in the seventy years after the war.
We Germans is a fundamentally human novel that grapples with the most profound of questions about guilt, shame and responsibility - questions that remain as live today as they have always been.

This is a somewhat shocking read - the deprivations endured by a small group of German soldiers, separated from their unit on the Eastern Front; the lengths they had to go to just to survive their long trek back towards Germany, and the soul-searching which took place.

Absorbing and interesting.

Thank You To Netgalley And Publishers For Granting My Request To Read This Book.
What Drew Me To This Book Was The Fact That It Was Written From The German Point Of View. The Fact The An English Grandson Would Ask His German Grandfather How It Felt To Fight For The Wrong Side In WWII, Is A Question That I Knew Was Bound To Have A Deep Answer And Lead To Other Questions.
A Thought Provoking Read

We all know what WWII was like from the British view point, but have you ever wondered what it was like to be on the losing side? I have many many times, my parents grew up during the war. My mother & father have told me many things about what it was like for them and their families during the war.

One day my mother spoke with one of her neighbours and asked her, what her life was like growing up during the war as she is German. It turned out that here life wasn’t much different to my parents, they just happen to have lived in different countries.

So this book really caught my attention and once I read the synopsis I knew I just had to read it. Was the war the same for the German soldiers? When did the German soldiers realise that they were going to loose this war? How did it make them feel? Well this book gives us an insight in to one German soldiers experience.

Callum is British but his maternal grandfather is German. On one of Callum’s rare visits to see his grandfather he asked him what it was like to be a German soldier and when did he realise that they were going to loose the war. His grandfather wasn’t very receptive to being asked these question as he didn’t talk much about what happened in the war.

To Callum’s surprise after his grandfather had passed away his uncle found a letter that his grandfather had written for him telling him of events that he witnessed and how they affected him. The events that he wrote about happened in late 1944.

By late 1944 for some of the German soldiers that were still alive knew that Germany was going to fall and they started fleeing west on foot, they were broken, bedraggled, their tanks had been blown up their artillery abandoned, their friends & brother’s-in-arms buried in hostile soil.

Now displaced from his own company Callum’s grandfather had been put in to a small party and sent out to forage for food. While this small band-of-brothers were out foraging it became more and more obvious to the men just how futile this was was for them. Weak and starving themselves they were becoming more and more discourage and some of them kept picking fights with each other.

As they wondered in the woods trying to stay undetected by the Russian’s, they would come across the odd German soldier or a small group of German soldiers that obviously knew that they couldn’t go on. That they had decided it would be best to die by their own hand rather than the enemy or fellow Germans for being cowardice and to be shot anyway.

Throughout their time foraging they saw such inhumane acts that had befallen some of the small Russian villages and their villagers. Seeing these atrocity’s that their fellow brothers-in-arms committed it made some of them think that they should in fact loose the war.

They were eventually successful in finding food, but what they had to do to get this food is something that only the most desperate of man would do and these men were that desperate.

Eventually Callum’s grandfather was captured and sent further east to a Russian POW camp. Which he wasn’t released from until 1948, four years after the end of the war.

We all know about the atrocity’s of WWII, but to also hear the viewpoint from a German soldier makes you realise, that some of the soldiers didn’t even want to be doing what they were doing. However they had no other choice, it was either do as they were instructed or be shot as a traitor and not knowing what affect that this would have on their families back home.

A very insightful read, for anyone who is interested in WWII or for someone who want to know a German soldiers perspective.

Finally a book from the other side. We Germans is written from a point of view of a young German soldier who was just following instructions. Their life wasn’t any better than the enemy’s soldiers either. Especially, as Germany was losing the war, Starrit depicts the horror and suffering they went through. Good book and a quick read.

Cuts through the perceived view of Germans during the war. The author does not hold back or make excuses but informs you of how it was for an ordinary German.. it’s sad, moving, informative and honest.

loved this book - would 100% recommend and am looking forward to reading what this author writes next!

An interesting book which was difficult to read in places. It was fascinating to read about the Eastern Front from the perspective of a German soldier.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

It's 1944, and the German Army is in full retreat in Eastern Europe. Against this setting, a small party of German soldiers are sent out to forage for food. Their search is successful, but success comes at a price: a growing awareness of the futility of war and an accumulation of senseless brutality. This book tells that story through the eyes of one soldier in the foraging party, Meissner, and is told retrospectively in the form of a letter to his British born grandson, Callum.

Although the book is about the physicality of survival and focuses on a series of ostensibly insignificant events, it's strength lies in the underlying psychological and emotional toll wreaked by the greater conflict, bringing to life the day-to-day horrors from the perspective of the individual.

Alexander Starritt's delightful style neither relies on sensationalism nor hyperbole, and it is all the more powerful for its matter-of-fact approach. Within a few pages, I was fully engaged, feeling I was there alongside the characters hunting for food, experiencing what it might have been like to be a cog in Hitler's hideous crusade, imagining myself being part of the wrong side of history.

As I'm interested in World War II, I found this book fascinating. However, even for those people who have little interest in the global conflicts of the twentieth century, the story stands on its own and it will provide an intriguing read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

I liked the premise of this book in that it offered an alternative perspective of WWII told by a German soldier and his part in the war when on the Eastern Front. I found this to be a thought provoking, well written and interesting book that described the soldier’s experiences of war during his time at the Eastern front. The book is told in form of a letter to grandson Callum, and read after his grandfather’s death. Quite harrowing in parts which made it a harder read. If you want an alternate take on WWII I would recommend this. 4 stars

I found this a really interesting read: war from the "other" perspective. A worthwhile read for those interested in a rounder social history than just from the viewpoint of the allies.

I wasn’t sure about what this book was going to be like. Told from the point of view of a German young man during the Second World War, this book recounts the experiences of fighting on the Eastern front. I wouldn’t say it was a war story, but the story of a person; what they did, but also what they were feeling at the time and then years later. Parts were not pleasant reading, but the descriptions made them vivid. Although it isn’t the most exciting/thrilling book I’ve read, I really enjoyed it. Thought provoking.