I've read a book about ex-SS men serving in Indo-China with the French-the book was called 'The Devils Guard'-does ANYONE know the author?-Many thanks for your help-Dinger.
I Think that´s it... "Devil's Guard" by George Robert Elford I found it at Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0440120144/thegameinc/104-1971422-1157530 Interesting book, I´ll put it on my list.
I read that book too, while it was interesting, the excuse that the SS forces did all in a holy war against communism was ludicrus
Its a great book. The person whom it is mainly about a "Hans Josef Wagemuller" lived in Lucerne Florida until his passing away in 1999. I met him through his best friend who had served on the Uboats. He is the man that informed me od my ubvoat friends having passed away. This man had been president of the FFLs all German Battalion vets org and made me an honorary lifetime member. My # is 505, by the way. At one time, we were going to get together and I was going to interview him but it didnt happen because I couldnt get the time off from work, and he passed away just before I was able to get a few days leave.
Thanks for the welcome C.Evans(C-Chris'?)-I gotta ask-what's all this 'stars' on the member rating???Again thanks.....Dinger.
Hello Dinger: Your welcome. Also C.Evans is correct. Im as Welsh as Pat Murphys pig is Irish. No offenses to any Irish. The member ratings is a way for me to let someone know that they are acknowledged at being here on the forums and lets the person know that they are also important to these forums. Its also a way to for people to vote for a person who makes a great impression on them and contributes to the forum. Its strictly a non important rating, but I make it a habit when I do see someone without a rating, to have one. I think Otto has several more than I do, which he deserves it because he keeps these forums working. Just wait till he gets the new ranks system and medals back online--you will like that. I know I did, I think I have 6 or 7 medals because of the numbers of my postings. You will get more "awards" as you make more and more postings. This is also a way for Otto to acknowledge his appreciation for your participating in these forums. At 10 postings-you "earn" your first "award." These "awards" are listed as a small icon of an actual militaria award, which is next to your name.
Devil's Guard is definitely non-fiction. I had a very close friend who was a career U.S. Marine from 1940 to 1952. Among other things, we attended college together. The Marine Corps. paid for his education while still in the Corps. This friend told me that while he was in North Africa he met a French Foreign Legionnaire that told him that there would never be peace in French Indo China (Vietnam) because of what the Germans did referring of course to the activities of the German battalion. It seems to me that the critics who say the book is fiction are either anti-German or of course anti-Nazi. It would also seem almost impossible for a Canadian author to amass the details of the escape from Europe to the French Foreign Legion and the details of the Vietnam experience. Please respond with your comments. Robert H. Schwander
The author of Devil's Guard is listed as George Robert Elford. I personally think that the author's real name is not Elford but is a another name for Hans Wagenmueller which is another name for the SS Lt. Co. who wrote the book. Perhaps there was a George Robert Elford who said he recorded 18hrs. of testimony from Wagenmueller. I used to have four or five original letters from a George Robert Elford postmarked in Italy that had been originally addressed to a book dealer in Alpine, Texas or the name of the bookstore was Alpine Book Store in Texas. Can't remember which I attribute to old age. Please respond. My e-mail address is rharlans06@yahoo.com. Also, if you get a chance, please forward this message to Evans, a current member. I already sent him a message this morning. Robert H. Schwander
Hi Robert, I didn't recieve a PM but, heres a little about the person the book is sabout. Hans Josef "Wagemuller" is just a book name even though the mans real name was Hans. His last name was altered because he has family here-namely, children and his Wife. I do know his real last name as well a middle initial, and Hans and I did talk by phone and this was back in 1999. Hans was one of Hans Goeblers best friends and as I had know Herr Goebeler for a for years by that time, and we had a growing firendship but, in early 1999, he had passed away. However, he has asked his friend to contact me in which he did which was how I found out that Her Goebeler had passed away. Hans and I had been trying to set a time to meet each other in person but had passed away before we could ever get anything set. I was going to be meeting him at his home and we were going to spend a few days together, but with his unfortunate passing,..... Hans had asked me to not reveal his lat name because of his living family members. I can answer some questions about him to the best of my memory--just as long as they aren't personal questions regarding names, locations and such and especially about his family. That's a promise I will be keeping. I think part of this all is that he wanted to have someone leave a "message" for him in that part of it is that not everybody who ever served in the Waffen SS-were mindless murderers and for the most part, they were elite Sodiers with elite attitudes. I know from what Hans told me himself, that even though his wartime job was to hunt down Partisans, that he himself would not have any man serving in his unit who would do more than just their patriotic duty. In short, Robert is correct in saying that Devils Guard has nothing to do with Fiction. Those few who claim it is are idiots to say the least and are of the like who are also members of Sharkhunters--which is a lousy Org ran by lousy people and is also why Uboat, Waffen SS Vets and RKTs, loathe them for all that they stand for. That's another story in itself. The only things changed in the book were names as to protect the surviving members and their families. I wish I had more to offer about Hans, but I can't offer some stuff because of respect for his wishes to keep some thing private. Take care--Carl. One thing that I will add here is, that I sent him pictures of a German Sniper Rifle I had (and still have for that matter)-and he wanted to buy it off of me. I had only owned it a short time and couldn't sell this item. Had things worked out and that we could have met in person? I would have loved to have let him fire that rifle ;-)) Also, Hans made me an honorary member of the all German battalion-and my Nr is: 505. I also like that number because it was the number of the Uboat that Hans Goebeler served on. ;-)) I had two cards that he sent to me that told of my honorary membership and such, and I gave one to an W-SS RKT/friend of mine about 9 years ago. I did so because he also wanted to get in touch with both Hans's. I don't know if he ever did so or not? but Remy was very appreciative for me giving him a way to contact the man that Devils Guard is all about. Remy had a copy of that book on his shelf, and that book was next to a book written about him called: The Last Knight of Flanders. Remy had given Hans's book an honorary place next to his book ;-))
