Witness to the Storm

Werner T. Angress escaped from Nazi Germany in 1937 and served in World War II with the 82nd Airborne Division. Brave and resourceful, he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart for his service. After the war, he had a distinguished career as a history professor in the United States, teaching for over 25 years. He chose to spend his retirement in Berlin, teaching schoolchildren about what it was like to grow up Jewish under the Third Reich and working to promote tolerance and peace. He was the author of Stillborn Revolution: The Communist Bid for Power in Germany and Between Fear and Hope: Jewish Youth in the Third Reich.

"This is an extraordinary memoir, self-ironic and humane, dealing with one of the darkest chapters of twentieth-century history."—Konrad H. Jarausch, author of Out of Ashes A New History of Europe in the Twentieth Century"This autobiography deserves to be placed next to Victor Klemperer's I Will Bear Witness as a vivid account of the Nazi years. In plain and lucid language Angress recounts the gradual disillusionment of a Jewish schoolboy in Berlin after 1933. No less strikingly portrayed is his experience as an American soldier in the Second World War, parachuted into France on D-Day, wounded in battle, and shocked at the liberation of concentration camps. Readers will find in these pages the unforgettable depiction of a turbulent life."—Allan Mitchell, author of Nazi Paris: The History of an Occupation"Angress' memoir pulls readers in with details of daily life in Nazi Germany and later in the U.S. army. He not only paints a lively picture of his dense family, neighborhood, school, and youth group relationships, but allows his emotions to come to the fore. . . . Allowing us to share his memories and observations, he brings us into his world with humor, modesty, and a sharp eye for the telling detail. His humanity and insights makes this book a must read for students of Germany, Jewish history, and "G.I. Jews." As a "witness to the storm," he enriches all of us."—Marion Kaplan, author of Gender and Jewish History"An impressive and detailed memoir that showcases the eternal temerity of youth tempered by prevailing conditions, Witness to the Storm is a must-read memoir...This book is ideal for anyone interested in the rise of Naziism, Jewish refugee emigration, or the American effort in World War II."—Robert F. Williams, H-War, H-Net Reviews

• ForewordPersonal Notes1. Family Life in Berlin, 1920-19362. Early Childhood and School Days3. The Youth Movement4. Gross Breesen Training Farm for Emigrants, 1936-19375. The Road into Exile, 1937-19396. United States - Hyde Farmlands, 1939-19417. Service in the Army and War8. From the Battle of the Bulge to the End of the War, 1944-1945Epilogue