Günter Koschorrek wrote his illicit diary on any scraps of paper he could lay his hands on, storing them with his mother on infrequent trips home on leave. The diary went missing, and it was not until he was reunited with his daughter in America some forty years later that it came to light and became Blood Red Snow. The author's excitement at the first encounter with the enemy in the Russian Steppe is obvious. Later, the horror and confusion of fighting in the streets of Stalingrad are brought to life by his descriptions of the others in his unit – their differing manners and techniques for dealing with the squalor and death. He is also posted to Romania and Italy, assignments he remembers fondly compared to his time on the Eastern Front. This book stands as a memorial to the huge numbers on both sides who did not survive and is, some six decades later, the fulfilment of a responsibility the author feels to honour the memory of those who perished. SELLING POINTS: . The dramatic memoirs of a machine-gunner on the Eastern Front . Gives a brutal and detailed account of fighting in Stalingrad and the frozen retreat of the German Army . A true warts-and-all account of life within a unit under constant attack and without adequate equipment or leadership REVIEWS: 'For anyone seeking to understand the experiences of the ordinary German soldier during World War II, Blood Red Snow provides an excellent starting point' – Military Illustrated 'A horrifying personal story of World War II's most savage front' – Military Book Club (USA) ILLUSTRATIONS 16 pages of plates *