Customer Rating: 
Summary: Too Bad He Left Out Some Good Chapters
Comment: A story of a German youth from boarding school to the Army until the capitulation on May 8, 1945. The discussion among individuals in Germany, as described, is a great resource for anyone seeking how the 3rd Reich was seen from the inside.
Way too much time on his training, though. The books biggest flaw is that he leaves the reader high and dry at the end. OK, Claus, what happened to your parents, your home, your siblings, Sepp, Fritz, your Captain, Ernst, etc? Nothing.
He ends with his first day on the job as a cook in a Munich hotel. Too bad because it shaped up to be a good book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This book is hard to put down!
Comment: A view of WWII from the "other" side made this an eye-opening and fascinating read. It humanizes the enemy and one can't help but cheer on the author through his harrowing experiences in the European theater.
Customer Rating:
Summary: An Exciting and Moving Personal Story from World War II
Comment: Mr. Sellier tells a very moving personal story of his experiences in the German Army during World War II. The book covers three parts of his war experience: initial officer's training after secondary school, service in an artillery unit in the Balkans, and, in the last third, a nightmare journey from Rokycany in Czechoslovakia back to army headquarters in Berchetsgaden and on to army provision headquarters in Traunstein and the end of the war. Throughout his experiences, Sellier retains his sense of humanity and concern for his fellow soldiers and for the civilians they encounter, and this comes through strongly in the book. He is a great, personable, story teller and has meticulously reconstructed his army career.As a young man, Claus attended Castle Bieberstein, an exclusive private school, where his schoolmates included Kaiser Wilhelm's grandson and the nephew of Baron von Richthofen.Their lives in private school were far removed from the reality of the war in 1942, where their biggest worry was whether the war would last long enough for them to graduate and earn a medal. One early wake-up call occurred when the school team went to a Hitler Youth Athletic competition wearing their school uniforms, instead of their Hitler Youth uniforms. Although they won some of the events, they were disqualified, and their behavior led to an investigation of the school by the SS that nearly closed it.
Soon after, Claus and his friends were drafted, and he joined the First Mountain Division, where his three brothers and father were already serving.
His youthful arrogance and independent thinking got him into repeated trouble in officers training school and he was eventually demoted and sent to a combat artillery unit, where he served in Yugoslavia, fighting the Russians. He was 19. Claus grew up fast in combat, as he learned survival skills and became close to the men in his unit. He became a first rate artilleryman and survived many engagements, including a Russian attack in which many of his mates were killed, and he and a few other survivors walked through swamps for days to get back behind German lines.
In April 1945, Klaus and some others from his unit were sent to Artillery Officers School in Rokycany in Czechoslovakia. After only a few days, they were promoted to lieutenants, and Klaus and his friend Fritz were chosen, because they were Bavarians, for the dangerous mission of taking vital documents to Army Headquarters.They remained faithful to this mission while the structure of the German army was collapsing around them into chaos in response to the American advance. They spent a few days in American custody but managed to escape and walked home to Munich, to begin to rebuild their lives.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A look inside Nazi Germany through the eyes of its youth!
Comment: An amazing book of the thoughts and actions of the youth in Nazi Germany. The author gives one a perspective not seen by the Allies. He attempts to simply the daily life of a youth growing up in Germany during World War II. It gives the student of Nazi Germany a different view of the war through the eyes of its youth. One can see what it was like to be a youth in Germany and be caught in the furor of war. Sellier gives one a vivid view of war with all its futile consequence. He brings to life the strengths and weaknesses of man in war, and the incredible courage endured by men of both sides of war.He denounces war as one not of glory and fame but of evil and terror. This book would be an excellent read to one with a sense of World War II, especially those who fought against the Axis powers. I would suggest this book to any student of World War II. It gives one an excellent view from the other side and shows one a picture of the horror and stupidity of war. A must read for all World War II historians.
Customer Rating:
Summary: realities of war
Comment: Walking away from the Third Reich by Claus W Sellier, is a compelling story of a young German Soldier caught up in the sobering throws of a real war!! At 17, the "glory and honor of fighting for a unified Europe seemed very exciting but reality soon set in with the horrors of true life battles. Young Sellier was forced brutally into maturity and tells his story in a honest and gripping way!! Hearing this story from someone who fought on the "other side" and is now an "American" gives the reader a whole new view on what all sides went through in this time of our history. I would HIGHLY RECOMEND this book to everyone,not only history buffs. It is a story of human interest to all!!!I hope that Mr Sellier would consider writing about his life experiences after the "War". It would be very interesting to see how his experiences affected his later life.
