The Man in the Black Fur Coat: A Soldier’s Adventures on the Eastern Front Paperback – July 22, 2014

Well, ..I just finished this book. I have to give it five stars, though I ain't convinced it isn't a novel. The information given in the introduction, and the conclusive chapters certainly provides the foundation of a strong argument that it is the story of an actual WWII survivor, but the story is too fascinating, and reeks of much good fortune in dire situations for me to be certain it is real.That said, this is flat-out, one GOOD adventure to avoid for the above mentioned reason. I am glad I took the chance on this one!It is written quite well in my opinion. I read the whole thing without encountering the grammatical miscues that other reviewers have noted(?) There were a couple of instances of the use of "too" when the word "two" was needed. But that kind of "error" won't stir me up very much."The Man in the Black Fur Coat" has the pace, and excitement of "The Long Walk", and I have rarely read a book that I can say that about.

This was a book is fascinating as it was never intended to be published. The author wrote or had help writing about one hundred and twenty pages of biographical notes regarding his service in the German Army of World War Two. These notes where painstakingly transcribed by a family member who pieced together the story and edited into a fascinating book.The result is a book unlike anything I can remember reading. It is extremely well written and edited and provides a deeply personal view into what it was like to server in the German army during World War Two. To a great extent it remains unique.One of the most fascinating aspects of this book is the fickle nature of fate in regards to a man who could speak enough of the right languages to basically disappear. How else was he able to pretend to be either a Russian, Polish or even Romanian officer when in reality he was a sergeant in the German Army. The end result is a fascinating story of disappearing, covert maneuvering and several years of clandestinely living in a denied area of operations with fatal result if captured.Another aspect of the book that remains most interesting is the description of how the German army scotched earth policy towards retreating became a problem for the people living in Eastern Europe. The book does a fine job of describing the difficulties of people being moved by either German or Russian forces as the war progressed one way or the other. The utterly despairing descriptions of post WWII Europe are quite interesting.Over all I truly enjoyed the book. The author remains a bit of a mystery. But I get the feeling he was truly avoiding giving too much information about his past for fear of retribution or retaliation. He was a survivor. If you enjoyed reading this book I would high recommend reading, “As far as my feet will carry me,” by Josef M. Bauer as it is also a book about escape and evasion in World War Two. Another excellent companion book would be For Volk and Fuhrer by Erwin Bartmann as he describes in detail the fall of Germany and the destruction of its infrastructure.

With very thin details and little actual description of Scheja's combat experience, I would not describe this as a strong first hand account of combat on the Eastern Front. There are virtually no indications of rank, awards or other things that are common to such accounts, which add flavor and credibility to experiences... especially in not mentioning the actions of others in combat, is odd. The narrative is nearly 80 percent his time of captivity, evasion and ultimately escape with the return home. It appears as a self-published work with a few typos and lots of grammar that would not be typical of a native German speaker translated to English, some is very PC. Some of the dialog seems a little vivid for the time and distance, however it is a smooth read and engaging. I would recommend many other books about World War II before this one, but it is not without value.

Very intersting and intense book about the horrific and savage brutality on the eatern front during WW II. Gives the reader a clear understanding of A fascinating account of what troops on both sides experienced during this brutal and savage world War II battle. Excellent and true story very well written and easy to read.

Not a bad book. Didn't move too fast and the action was a little slow for my taste. But it did tell the real life story of Oskar Scheja who fought on the Eastern Front. In spite of the fact that I have read better books (such as Panzer Destroyer: Memoirs of a Red Army Tan Commander) I would still buy it and read it for the historical story of a German Army soldiers adventure in Russia.

This book is a record of how a man's enduring mental strength, physical fortitude & intelligence can overcome the overbearing, harsh realities & cruel experiences of life that are thrust upon him - especially in war-time.Oskar Scheja recorded his WW2 survival experience in the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front & after the war, in Poland & Czechoslovakia. His strength of character, physical endurance & some strokes of luck allowed him to survive the conflagration & its' aftermath.Oskar's journal was translated by his Great-grandson, Dan Chiariello, two decades after Oskar's death in 1980.We owe a debt of gratitude to Dan for his outstanding effort in achieving both the difficult translation & for committing it to an excellent book.

Good reading concerning one mans’ attempt to keep one step ahead of the tragedy of war, and the effect it can have on the individual.

I found this to be a most informative and enjoyable reading experience.The Man in the Black Fur Coat is the personal account of a German soldier who served on the Eastern Front against the Soviet army during WWII.The author provides a unique account of one soldiers’ struggle to survive under extreme circumstances, behind enemy lines and facing certain execution if caught.As the reader, you are moved along throughout this well paced memoir by a softly spoken Wehrmacht veteran.By all accounts the author penned his story for his own personal reasons, perhaps to remind himself many years after the war, that life has such value that is so easily forgotten.I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in WWII and history in general.

good yarn

Memoirs, not particularly well remembered and poorly written. Bulk of the short work in Russian prison camps but completely lacking in narrative.

Come da titolo, il libro è molto strano. E' scritto in maniera talmente vaga che si rimane un po' spaesati. Non si sa quasi mai in che periodo ci si trovi, dove avvengano i fatti, non si conosce il grado militare del protagonista.....In più, il libro sembra scritto e corretto da qualcuno che non sa l'inglese nemmeno a livello scolastico.Ci sono errori di grammatica, di ortografia, di sintassi in ogni singola pagina.Mai vista una cosa del genere.Alla fine, comunque, la storia in qualche modo ti lega e vuoi sapere che ne è stato di quello strano personaggio.Non sono convinto sia una storia vera, ma ho passato lo stesso qualche ora piacevole.