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

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

Wilhelm R. Gehlen, Don A. Gregory. Casemate Publishers and Book Distributors, $32.95 (326pp) ISBN 978-1-932033-87-8

In his first effort, Gehlen, born in 1933 Germany, provides a firsthand look behind Axis lines that unfortunately suffers from a diminished perspective. Too young for the Hitler Youth (though his big brother attends every meeting), Gehlen's account doesn't reach very deep into the Nazi education machine, focusing mostly on his home-life: the trials of his overworked mother, the deployment of his father, and the companionship of a Nazi platoon operating weaponry in the fields near his home. Eventually, Gehlen becomes a messenger for the field fighters during multiple attacks, and he recounts intriguing conversations with Nazis, Nazi sympathizers, and Allied soldiers. Although the memories Gehlen shares are narrow, and offer little insight into the Reich itself, they're remarkable for the child's perspective they bring to bear on a warring country's ferocious struggle. B&w photos.