Memoir of a German Army Officer

Vincenz Panny grew up in pre-WWII Germany with its intense frustrations and fervent desire for a return to national honor and respectability. Even as a teenager, he and his friends thought Hitler and his cronies were ridiculous, but adults saw benefits for the hopes of the country. As a young adult Vince had reason to think that when he was drafted into the German Army he could receive training for a future in radio and maybe the theater. His illusions quickly faded, Germany was soon at war. This memoir is a unique adventure told with sincerity, and touched with humor and satire. For detail it could be a historical document. More than a war story, however, Panny's words are like a cautionary tale told by an everyman caught up in a sweep of politics and leadership gone wrong. Mere circumstances put Vince as a citizen/soldier, along with his friends, into the middle of a devastating war involving German atrocities he could not forgive.