Walking away from the Third Reich - Claus Sellier

In 1941, the brutal war raged in its third year, but from an aristocratic boys school, it seemed like an exciting time for seventeen-year-old Sellier and his friends. They lived in the country that, by all indications, was winning the war. Newspaper headlines told of the latest victories, and pictured a proud Adolf Hitler pinning medals on war heroes. Sellier and his classmates didn`t see this as propaganda, and swelled with pride.Typical of many teenage boys at the time, Sellier`s fears revolved around the fact that he might miss out on the thrill of victory and glory of being a soldier. When draft cards arrived, the boys hollered for joy. Sellier was thrilled at the thought of becoming a decorated war hero. The future seemed bright, not to mention that he would escape final exams.The reality of being a soldier, however, would nearly devastate Sellier. Yet somehow, through the harsh conditions and brutality that he would experience, Sellier would find himself a hero in a losing battle.