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On September 25, 1944, Hitler attempted to shore up his faltering forces by creating the Volkssturm or Peoples Army. His new draft called into service all remaining able-bodied men, including those whose civilian labor had previously been deemedMoreOn September 25, 1944, Hitler attempted to shore up his faltering forces by creating the Volkssturm or Peoples Army. His new draft called into service all remaining able-bodied men, including those whose civilian labor had previously been deemed indispensable. Among the latter was an East Prussian farmer named Hans Thiel, who suddenly found himself on the Eastern front, fighting not to bring glory to the Nazi Party but to save his country from destruction. With the defeat of the Germans, Thiel was taken prisoner by the advancing Soviet forces. From the closing days of World War II through three years of postwar captivity, this memoir details the experiences of Hans Thiel. It describes Thiels conscription, his combat experiences, and his life as a postwar prisoner, held first by the Red Army and then transferred to camps under Polish control. The atrocities these prisoners suffered at the hands of their captors?as retaliation for German military war crimes?are discussed in detail. The Wolves of World War II: An East Prussian Soldiers Memoir of Combat and Captivity on the Eastern Front by Hans Thiel
