Product Information
Gunter Horst Beetz was born in Berlin in 1926. Growing up as part of a typical family-his father was a banker, his mother a housewife-he joined the Hitler Youth-somewhat against his wishes-and after a short period manning anti-aircraft guns in Berlin he ultimately found himself in Normandy, fighting the Allies, where he was captured in July 1944. `A Soldier of the Reich: An Autobiography documents one mans life in Nazi Germany. It examines what it was like to grow up alongside the rise of fascism, exploring the consequences it had on Beetzs life, including what this meant for his relationship with his Jewish girlfriend, Ruth. Beetz also relates his time as an unenthusiastic soldier fighting in Normandy, commenting on the ethics of war, his first sexual encounter with a French prostitute, and life in the sapper battalion with his and his comrades bungling attempts at front-line soldiery. He was captured in July 1944 and then describes in illuminating detail the life of an ordinary prisoner of war in America. After two years in Pennsylvania he was transferred first for a short period in Belgium, and then to a PoW camp in Ely, England where remained until 1948. Including previously unpublished images from the authors personal collection, this first-hand account explores a perspective rarely acknowledged in discussions of the Second World War: that of an ordinary Wehrmacht soldier, detailing the beliefs and motivations that shaped him as a person.Product Identifiers
PublisherFonthill Media
ISBN-139781781556849
eBay Product ID (ePID)25046654415
Product Key Features
Number of Pages224 Pages
LanguageEnglish
Publication NameA Soldier of the Reich: an Autobiography
Publication Year2019
SubjectGovernment, History
TypeTextbook
Subject AreaBiographies & True Stories
AuthorGunter Beetz
Dimensions
Item Height234 mm
Item Weight352 g
Additional Product Features
Country/Region of ManufactureUnited Kingdom
Title_AuthorGunter Beetz