Ludwig Wilhelm Knapp

Growing Up Under Hitler: I Was There Ludwig Wilhelm Knapp

One of the most remarkable documents to come out of the Second World War, this memoir reveals the moods and experiences of a teenager destined to be a member of the elite Hitler Youth (Hitler Jugend). Young Ludwig deserves to be heard as he recalls how after his father was drafted and his mother committed suicide, he - an ordinary German boy - found himself in a new environment, compelled to follow the models programmed by the Hitler regime. Written with exceptional candor and clarity, his keen observations and perceptions then and now demonstrate that deep moral convictions are inextinguishable. His description of Hitler zealots, of returning German POW's, the hard years before and after 1945, black humor and mind control will make this account a primary source for historians of the Nazi period.