'A well-written and rewarding memoir that provides keen insight into the mindset of a patriotic young man willing to make sacrifices for his country.' — Robert ForczykIn this masterful two-volume account, Prussian solider and officer Karl Knoblauch draws on his wartime diaries to detail his fascinating military career during the Second World War. In this first volume, he recounts the years leading up to the outbreak of the war through to 1944. In 1938, just before the outbreak of war, a 17-year-old Karl Knoblauch volunteered for military service and began his career as an infantryman before joining the air force as aircrew. Later, Knoblauch was seriously wounded in a Russian fighter attack over Wjazma and had to leave his squadron. After recuperating, he returned to the frontline as an officer in the ‘Hermann Göring’ Division, where this first volume comes to a close. Knoblauch describes his experiences in sober and stark detail, creating a gripping and comprehensive first-hand account of his time fighting for the Wehrmacht. Supplemented by a number of photographs and appendices, this is a must-read for any military history enthusiast.