The Washington Post calls Sven Hassel "a brilliant storyteller," and his series of novels about life in Hitler's army have sold in the millions.

It's war on the Finnish front for Porta, Tiny, Barcelona, and The Legionnaire-and it's hellish, with ice, blood, cold, and wolves in addition to the enemy. It barely matters who wins, as long as you survive. But even survival can be dangerous in an army where the Fuhrer's fanatics are rife. To endure the Russian tanks, the machine guns, and the flame-throwers could mean shipment to the infamous and brutal Torgau Prison where conditions are almost more savage than the battlefield. To stay alive through the fighting might mean arrest, court martial, and-in the end-a cold grey day facing the execution squad.