The Cross of Iron Author:Willi Heinrich This war novel is the realistic story of action on the Eastern Front in World War II. The focus is on a platoon lead by the tough leader idolized by his men, SGT Steiner. This was a best seller in Germany in the mid-Fifties and translated from the German by Richard and Clara Winston. The review in Time Magazine that is easily found in online sho... more »uld not be read until after a reader finishes the novel because it contains spoilers. This book was the basis of the film of the same name, directed by Sam Peckinpah in the Seventies, as his only war movie.« less