Blood and Ice

by Leo Kessler

Assault Regiment Wotan, the elite band of men whom Kuno von Dodenburg had led so often to victory, had been mercilessly cut down in the forests of the Ardennes. Only Sergeant-Major Schulze remained to lead the battered, war weary survivors of Hitler's famed SS through the secret pass over the snow-locked Vertes Mountains, in the Fuhrer's desperate plan to save Budapest from the Soviet armies. Every single one of them knew that it was the plan of a madman, and every man knew that whatever the cost it had to succeed.

Genres: Fiction, War

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1977

About the author

Pseudonym for Charles Whiting

Reviews

[Mati · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised how well the book was written...considering previous books. The assault regiment Wotan was no more, their commander Kuno von Dodenburg was finished (I hate author for how he put him down in the most disgusting way...bleh...this is however not in this book) and only Schulze remained in the action and he got battle weary survivors of once proud Waffen SS. Plus crazy new superior who had an idea to die because he lost balls, seriously that is way how to bring not only one man but whole squad to the maker. Habicht had his ideas, which were quite opposite to Schultze´s. The goal was to sneak over the snowy Vertes mountains in Fuhrers "strategic" plan to save almost already lost Budapest. Bunch of Soviet special corps had totally different ideas then SS and mess started. Bloody mess indeed.

[IAN SPEIGHT · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the precipitous, icy slopes of Grey Eagle Mountain a few desperate men fight like wild animals for survival. They are the last of Hitler's deadly elite: the Waffen SS.

Assault Regiment Wotan has been mercilessly cut down in the forests of the Ardennes. Only Sergeant Major Schulze remains to lead the battered survivors of the Furher's decimated SS to their last stand. The route will take them through the icy, perilous Vertes Mountainsand into Budapest to hold it against massive Soviet armies. Is this the last journey SS Wotan will ever take?


I always tend to think rightly, but most likely wrongly, as Leo Kessler been the poor man's Sven Hassel. Maybe it's because Kessler's Books are often described as "Pulp War Fiction" Or "Blood & Guts" To be fair I've seen this book described as "Awesome!" which is pretty rich praise because I think Awesome! might be stretching it a bit far. It is what It is, It's part of a series based on true events , I.E. The battles!
The Book held my interest, but at no point was I frantically turning the pages to see what happened next. If Pulp War Fiction is your thing you've probably already this. I don't see it however appealing to anyone who is not a fan of that particular genre.

[Зоран Милошевски · Rating 3 out of 5]

Последните остатоци од СС Вотан се спојуваат со СС Европа дивизијата се приклучуваат кон очајниот обид да се ослободи Будимпешта од Советите додека последните остатоци од германските и унгарските сили се обидуваат да го одбранат градот...
Специјалните падобрански единици „Сивите соколи“, дел од Вториот украински фронт се обидуваат да ги сопрат силите на СС Европа, додека во Будимпешта се буди самиот пекол... толку страшен што последните од СС Вотан ќе мора да соработуваат со омразените евреи, само да го напуштат градот и окупираниот дел од Унгарија...

[Robert Mehle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mrvicu bolje od Krvave planine ali i dalje gubitak vremena čitajući ovo.

[C.A. A. Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usual blood and guts story of German SS soldiers fighting against enormous odds during the second world war. I was a teenager when I read these Leo Kessler War stories. I think the group was SS Wotan or something like that. Kuno von Dodenburg is no longer with the group and Sergeant-Major Schulze is all the remnant of the elite SS group can turn to. Another inhuman mission awaits the do or die group of soldiers. The remnants of a once-renowned fighting force. The dreadful killing and destruction of WWII is coming to a bloody end. Only small groups of fanatics keep trying to attack. Among such are SS Wotan - the late Kuno Von Dodenburgs' men. This is pulp war fiction at its extreme, but if you like such things, then this is a ride of exhausting reading violence. Even for a hard nut who drinks strong coffee with no sugar and knows no word for... fluffy, nice and subtle.