Soldier of the Reich

AUTOBIOGRAPHY: HISTORICAL, POLITICAL & MILITARY. Gunter Horst Beetz was born in Berlin in 1926. Growing up as part of a typical family- his father was a banker, his mother a housewife- he joined the Hitler Youth- somewhat against his wishes- and after a short period manning anti-aircraft guns in Berlin he ultimately found himself in Normandy, fighting the Allies, where he was captured in July 1944. 'A Soldier of the Reich: An Autobiography' documents one man's life in Nazi Germany. It examines what it was like to grow up alongside the rise of fascism, exploring the consequences it had on Beetz's life, including what this meant for his relationship with his Jewish girlfriend, Ruth. Beetz also relates his time as an unenthusiastic soldier fighting in Normandy, commenting on the ethics of war, his first sexual encounter with a French prostitute, and life in the sapper battalion with his and his comrades' bungling attempts at front-line soldiery.