January 1945 -- Flight from Sagan -- The train -- 161 Schönhauser Allee, Berlin -- A town called Strasburg -- A brave German soldier -- The face of death -- Surrender -- The Americans -- The Russians -- Messenger of death -- The list -- A winter nightmare -- Summer 1946 -- Escape to the West -- The Trauen barracks -- Refugee life -- Winter of despair -- Return of the Americans -- Sergeant Leo Ferguson -- Baker's apprentice -- Looking west -- Epilogue.
Summary:
"In the Third Reich young Wolfgang Samuel and his family are content but alone. The father, a Luftwaffe officer, is away fighting the Allies in the West. In 1945 as Berlin and nearby communities crumble, young Wolfgang, his mother Hedy, and his little sister Ingrid flee the advancing Russian army. They have no inkling of the chaos ahead. The boy and his mother must prevail over hunger and despair, or die. In Strasburg, a small town north of Berlin where they find refuge, Wolfgang begins to comprehend the evils the Nazi regime has brought to Germany. As the Reich collapses, mother, son, and little sister flee again just ahead of the Russian charge. In the chaos of defeat they struggle to find food and shelter. Death stalks the primitive camps that are their temporary havens, and the child becomes the family provider. Although this is a time of deepest despair, Wolfgang hangs on to the thinnest thread of hope. In June 1948 with the arrival of the Americans flying the Berlin Airlift, Wolfgang begins a new journey."--Jacket.
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