Recommended by
the US review
The story, as told by Langbein to his daughter Heidi, is vivid in its imagery and often shocking in the ordeal Langein went through during and after his time with the Hitler Youth. The emotional voyage of the book brings him from the comforts of home to the confining restrictions of military life to the uncertain future of a war-scarred Germany.
NY Weekly
Interview
The Story Behind The Story
Over time, my father had started telling me snippets of the stories of his youth, the “good” parts. I kept bugging him. Finally, when he was in his seventies and had time to reflect on his legacy, he relented. He narrated his story onto 16 cassette tapes, converted them to CDs and sent them to my sister and me in 2007. I listened to them in fascination and put them away in a drawer for the next nine years.
Former Hitler Youth Tells His Story
“When he returned from war and discovered what really had happened, he felt horrified, violated and extremely angry. He got very depressed. He began dedicating his life to do his part to ensure that what had happened would not happen again,” says his daughter. She felt compelled to learn more about her father’s story before he passed away five years ago in his native Germany.
San Diego Union Tribune
Article
Media
updates
04.2023 Warefare History
Willi Langbein was taken from his parents when he was thirteen, given some hurried training, and sent into battle. Despite the odds, he survived the war, was helped by a British soldier, and later worked to ensure what he experienced would never be visited on other children. This memoir is a harrowing account of what he experienced as a teenager.
03.2023 Book Signing Event
Please join me for my book signing event at Warwick's bookstore at 7812 Girard Ave in La Jolla on Sunday, March 12th from 2:30PM to 4PM. The event is called Weekends With Locals. It promises to be a fun afternoon at this wonderful venue with an amazing selection of books. Bring your book for me to sign, or you can purchase one there.
02.2023 ARGunners Magazine
Willi’s graphic and emotionally moving story is told from a Nazi-ordered perspective until back home helping Germany rebuild. It is not only an amazing and inspiring war account of a kid in battle, but also a happy postwar story of resoluteness and determination fulfilling his dream of a married life, children (two daughters), and professional life as a lawyer.
02.2023 The US Review of Books
This book earnestly recalls the life of a young man who was whisked away from his family in order to ready himself to serve the Fatherland. The story, as told by Langbein to his daughter Heidi, is vivid in its imagery and often shocking in the ordeal Langein went through during and after his time with the Hitler Youth.
11.2022 World War II Today
Born in 1930, Langbein was only 13 when he was sent for weapons training in the Autumn of 1944. He describes the indoctrination of his generation through the Hitler Youth and widespread Nazi propaganda, alongside a ruthless discipline - which saw one of his classmates executed by the SS.