Dutch SS accounts are rare, particularly ones that describe recruiting, training, and frontline combat as completely and vividly as In the Fire of the Eastern Front. Hendrick C. Verton volunteered for the Waffen-SS in early 1941 and fought against the Red Army until the end of the war as a soldier in the 5th SS Panzer Division "Wiking" and SS Regiment Besslein, with which he participated in the epic defense of Breslau. Told from the unique perspective of a foreigner serving in the German military, Verton's memoir is an exciting addition to the literature of World War II.
