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German Boy: A Child in War (Paperback)
by Wolfgang W. E. Samuel
| Category:
WW II, Memoirs |
| Market price: ¥ 178.00
MSL price:
¥ 168.00
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MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
There is a thread of hope, an appreciation for random kindness, and an ability to look beyond the depravity of humankind that pervades this brave and poignant memoir of a man who went on to serve 30 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a colonel. |
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Author: Wolfgang W. E. Samuel
Publisher: Broadway
Pub. in: October, 2001
ISBN: 0767908244
Pages: 424
Measurements: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00985
Other information: Reprint edition
ISBN-13: 978-0767908245
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- MSL Picks -
For a child a war is the worst of times. Your very world is crumbling. Your parents may die. Your home can be destroyed. Finding food can be a day to day struggle. Starving is actually worse than death. Colonel Samuel, USAF ret., was born in Nazi Germany to a woman raised in a small town to the north of Berlin and to an officer in the Luftwaffe. German Boy: A Child in War is an account of his life from the age of 10, when he, his mother, and sister became refugees fleeing the advance of Soviet forces in January 1945, to the age of 15, when he emigrated to the United States with his mother and step-father. In between, he lived in both the Soviet and British zones of occupation. This book sets forth Colonel Samuel's vivid, honest, and unsentimental recollection of the devastation, privation, degradation, brutality, and starvation that he and his family witnessed and experienced during those years. It is well written and it takes hold of the reader from the first paragraph and stays with one long after the last sentence has been read.
Author Samuel's book can be broken down into four parts. The first part is the losing of the war. His true memories don't start until the war is post-1943. While most Germans thought they could win the war most Germans didn't think they would win the war in the post Stalingrad era. That reality hits the children most hard. The second part of the book is about Soviet occupation. For this reviewer it was very difficult to read. I did not like Samuel's grim reality of his mother having to sleep with a Soviet officer for a milk can full of salty soup nor for Samuel's grandfather losing his life over keeping Soviet prisoners in early 1945 from a bin of potatoes. The third part of the book deals with escape from East Germany and life in the West until 1949. The forth part of the book is the rebirth of (West) Germany. Samuel's mother meets a G.I. enlisted man and his life then continues to advance. Note, in Germany all Samuel's could be was a baker. When Samuel is about 14 years old he is adopted by his G.I. father and moves with the family to the U.S.A. Samuel's escaping the drudgery of working in a bakery is nearly as joyful as escaping from East Germany, though far less dangerous. Samuels attends high school in the USA and eventually joins the USAF to fly against his hated foe: the Soviet Union. That is the subject of another book.
German Boy is an important work. As a history, it relates something about a period of history that is not commonly known - the horrors of World War II in Europe continued long after the fighting ended in May of 1945. As a personal account, it offers hope. Wolfgang Samuel, like millions of children before, during, and since World War II, directly experienced events through which no child should ever have to suffer. His story highlights the resilience of the individual and illustrates that with the will, the perseverance, optimism, and some luck, one can survive disaster and live a better life.
- From quoting William A. Hensler
Target readers:
General readers
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- Better with -
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Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph
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Wolfgang W. E. Samuel was commissioned through the Air Force ROTC at the University of Colorado and is a graduate of the National War College. He served in the U.S. Air Force for thirty years until his retirement in 1985 as a colonel. His writing has been published in several military journals, including Parameters, the U.S. Army War College quarterly. He lives in Fairfax, Virginia.
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From the publisher
"I think German Boy has all the qualities of greatness. I love the book."
- from the Foreword by Stephen Ambrose
As the Third Reich crumbled in 1945, scores of Germans scrambled to flee the advancing Russian troops. Among them was a little boy named Wolfgang Samuel, who left his home with his mother and sister and ended up in war-torn Strasbourg before being forced farther west into a disease-ridden refugee camp. German Boy is the vivid, true story of their fight for survival as the tables of power turned and, for reasons Wolfgang was too young to understand, his broken family suffered arbitrary arrest, rape, hunger, and constant fear.
Because his father was off fighting the war as a Luftwaffe officer, young Wolfgang was forced to become the head of his household, scavenging for provisions and scraps with which to feed his family. Despite his best efforts, his mother still found herself forced to do the unthinkable to survive, and her sacrifices became Wolfgang’s worst nightmares. Somehow, with the resilience only children can muster, he maintained his youth and innocence in little ways – making friends with other young refugees, playing games with shrapnel, delighting in the planes flown by the Americans and the candies the GIs brought. In the end, the Samuels begin life anew in America, and Wolfgang eventually goes on to a thirty-year career in the U.S. Air Force.
Bringing fresh insight to the dark history of Nazi Germany and the horror left in its wake, German Boy records the valuable recollections of an innocent’s incredible journey.
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| View all 8 comments |
Paul Hoffmann (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-11 00:00>
This story has to be told, and read, because of its well kept secrecy. It's important to show that the Germans, the innocent Germans, also suffered tremendously. The silence on the post-war war crimes imposed by the Allies and the West German gov't. is finally cracking after 50 long years We all know about the sins of the vanquished. It's time to read about the sins of the victors. Life, including war, is not black and white. The concept of racial guilt is dangerous because it can be applied to everyone in every ethnic group depending on who won which war. Having heard these stories whispered before, I knew that nothing in this book was exaggerated. World War II ended in 1945, but for the Germans it was 1949. My heart choked thoughout the book while following the little boy's Mark Twainistic and Victor Hugonian travails. The clear style used by W. Samuel opened the windows of the story for me to witness the words for myself. Euphemistic curtains were torn back, and the dusty window panes were broken thru. Even the doors were kicked in along with the hinges and door frames for the benefit of us readers to see a little of the horrors of post-war Germany. Nothing was held back for us readers. And I'm sure that the new Victorian censors of our era will complain about this book. His style formed his little memories into these colorful vignettes full of nighttime grays and other dark war paints. With very few flashbacks or other commonly used writing techniques, the author's style was always to the point. It was from the point of view of a child. But at times the author filled it in with an adult's perspective wherever he sensed that the little child's recollections were insufficient to properly convey a picture for us readers. This book was obviously a magnum opus. A true masterpiece. I am sure that when the author is ready to die from old age, he can look back on this book and say that indeed, his life was complete. |
Hoodlum (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-11 00:00>
This is a harrowing and gripping account of perseverance in the face of extreme adversity. The author provides a detailed and authentic autobiographical account of the terrible difficulties he and his mother and sister faced as refugees in the years following the Second World War. We get to know a range of characters, good and bad; and, as we read along, we are compelled to reflect on the history of the twentieth century, on human nature, on war and politics, and finally on our own selves and society. This is a unique account, well written and absorbing. I can see why Stephen Ambrose loved this book; I did too! |
Rev. Kerry Aucker (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-11 00:00>
A powerful intriging story of a young German boy who along with his sister and mother escape the oncoming Russian army during World War II and their struggle for survival under difficult conditions. It is a story of war from a human perspective but it is also a story of gratitude for those who helped them survive. I found the book one that I didn't want to lay down. It enthralled me to keep reading. |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-11 00:00>
This is an outstanding autobiography of horrific events as experienced by a boy. Au contraire to post World War II commentators and The History Channel, not every German citizen was a member of the Nazi party, especially a young boy, and suffered accordingly as the regime crumbled. Mr. Samuel's account of his experiences surviving the final days of the Third Reich are spellbounding. This book is not just an autobiography, but a tribute to his mother. He chronicles with great detail the horrors of a dying Third Reich (and the efforts of relative strangers to save him and his family) and his mother's efforts to save them from the advancing hordes of Russian soldiers. Mr. Samuel, his sister and mother survived the collapse of the Third Reich only to endure the horrors of the Soviets/East Germany, until their escape. Truly makes one appreciate the very thin line that separated the horrors of the Nazi and Soviet Communist regimes. And it caused this reader to ponder her own chances of survival if in similar circumstances. This book is a tribute to all those innocent victims of authoritarian/totalitarian regimes who somehow survived and succeeded against all odds. A truly inspiring work. |
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