Jungvolk: The Story of a Boy Defending Hitler's Third Reich

This is the wartime memoir of a boy named Will, who happened to be the nephew of the head of Nazi Germany’s intelligence agency, Foreign Armies East. After reading this book, the reader will wonder who had the most exciting time during World War II. Will Gehlen’s father, a trolley driver, was drafted into the Wehrmacht to man a Sturmgeschutz assault gun in Russia. His older brother, Len, was enlisted in the Hitlerjugend. The author, only 10 years old when the war began, became a helper at the local Luftwaffe flak battery, fetching ammunition. It was exciting work for Will (a member of the “Jungvolk”) and by the end of the war he had become expert at judging attacks. As fighter raids increased in frequency he noted that the pilots became less skilled. Aside from aircraft kills, Gehlen had other adventures during the war, as when his mother dragged him to visit his aunt in Luxembourg in 1944. Crossing the lines they found no aunt but met American troops, and were surprised when the German Army launched an offensive, overrunning the village and forcing US soldiers to retreat with casualties. Making their way back to Germany was even more perilous, until they discovered the most secure vehicles were mail trucks. No one, not even the SS, tried to interfere with their progress. Gehlen’s town was repeatedly bombed and he often had to help with the wreckage or to pull survivors from basements. He witnessed more death than a child ever should; nevertheless, his flak battery continued firing until US tanks were almost on top of the position. In this book Gehlen, provides an intimate glimpse of the chaos, horror and black humor of life just behind the front lines. As seen through the eyes of a child, who was expert in aircraft identification and bomb weights, food-rationing and tank types, one encounters a view of life inside Hitler’s wartime Reich that is both fascinating and rare. Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 Home, Family & Herr Meyer Chapter 2 Everyone Works Chapter 3 Bombings & 88’s Chapter 4 88’s in Action Chapter 5 Dad’s Home Visit Chapter 6 On to England Chapter 7 Dad’s Assignment Chapter 8 Krefeld Chapter 9 Jungvolk Build a Bunker Chapter 10 Giant Chapter 11 Runner for the Quads Chapter 12 The Attacker Becomes the Attacked Chapter 13 The Stork Chapter 14 New Weapons, New Hope Chapter 15 A Journey & the Americans Chapter 16 Saint Nicholas Day, 1944 Chapter 17 A Christmas Story Chapter 18 Our Last Bullet Chapter 19 The End of the War for Us Chapter 20 V-E Day & Dad’s Homecoming Epilogue
ASIN: 1932033874
VSKU: BVV.1932033874.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Gehlen, Wilhelm R.|Gregory, Don A.
Binding: Hardcover
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.