From 1939 to 1945 a generation of men sacrificed their youth for the wrong cause and then rejoined a society that wanted to forget the horrors of war. These men grew old with the inward silence of the defeated, in a country where their children did not want to know what they had experienced. Their story is retold here in a pictorial format, through their own eyes, by the photos they took during their service in the German army. This volume is comprised of unpublished personal photos and gives an unprecedented glimpse into the life and experiences of the ordinary German soldier in the build-up to WW2 and through the opening year of the conflict. Each illustration is accompanied by a detailed caption. The narrative includes anecdotes and first hand information gained from extensive interviews with German veterans.
