The Legion of the Damned (novel)

The book covers a chronological period of a number of years, starting with the protagonist's arrest and time in German concentration camps, and ending with his being an officer and company commander on the Russian front.

All of Sven Hassel's subsequent war stories, from a chronological point of view, fill in details omitted by this book.

Published in 1953, the book provides an account of life as a German soldier on the Eastern Front during World War II.

There, the author meets comrades Old Man or Old Un (real name Willy Beier), prankster Joseph Porta, the massive Pluto (real name Gustav Eicken), their highly abusive commander Meier, which they later take revenge on, and student Hugo Stege.

Legion of the Damned won critical acclaim across Europe and the United States and was translated into 15 languages.