Hitler's Lost Boys: Talking to German Child Soldiers for the Last Time (World War II from a German Point of View)

Hitler’s Last The Child Soldiers of the Third Reich

As the Third Reich faced its downfall, Hitler turned to a desperate defense children. Fueled by relentless war propaganda, many members of the Hitler Youth believed that they could still achieve final victory and save Germany from collapse. By 1943, around 200,000 Luftwaffe auxiliaries, some as young as 15, were almost single-handedly defending German cities. In the fall of 1944, the Volkssturm became mandatory for everyone aged 16 and up, and by 1945, the Nazi regime even exploited 14-year-olds as stopgaps and cannon fodder in tank destroyer squads. In the final weeks of the war alone, over 60,000 child soldiers were killed.

Survivors of this brutal period continue to suffer from repressed war trauma, and most have never been able to or willing to speak about their experiences—until now. In this poignant work, 13 eyewitnesses break their silence, offering raw and unvarnished accounts of their childhoods amid merciless battles and grueling captivity. This book is a brand-new translation of the groundbreaking German bestseller "Die verdammte Generation." (2021)

Dr. Christian Hardinghaus, renowned for his gripping accounts of World War II, fulfills the dying wish of Hitler's child soldiers, bringing their extraordinary and long-hidden stories to English-speaking readers for the first time.

"Hitler's Lost Boys" is an essential document that sheds light on the horrors and resilience of a generation forced to grow up too soon.

Illustrated with 58 photographs and featuring an extensive glossary to guide readers through the language of wartime Germany.

“A lot of what's been said about the World War II in Germany is wrong, cowardly, and dishonest. Today, it's as if we were all forced to go to war. We were all proud soldiers and were defending our home and fatherland.”
(Hans Dieter fought as a teenager in the final battles of World War II)