Customer Reviews

A Child Of Hitler: Germany In The Days When God Wore A Swastika

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a student of the Second World War I am very critical when it comes to the books I read over the subject and their sources. Heck's account is nothing short but a must read on the subject. I believe this work is as important as "The Diary of Anne Frank". Most books over this period usually concern themselves with portraying the Germans as monsters and sadists but Heck really gives us an inside depth into the Nazi mentality, especially the Hitlerjugend. In the end he makes the assertion that most regular Germans were the other victims of Hitler besides the Jews and as you read the book you begin to see on what he grounds he bases this claim. The book is a fast read, easy to follow, rich in detail, and very touching. As my German title suggests, "one must read this book"!

I first heard of this book in the late 1980s, when I was at Western Kentucky University. Alfons Heck was touring universities with a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, and together they would tell the stories. Mr. Heck was amazing -- a sweet, gentle old man, now not only horrified at what he had participated in, but very worried that this could happen again, that people could allow themselves to be twisted in such a way. It was his message over and over -- look for ways that you are being manipulated, think twice before you look for blame on how your life or the economy is going, or you get caught up in a movement, etc. I bought the book right then and there. It is not a very well-written book, true, but the honesty and detail are spell-binding and put this book in the five star range. It's a must-read for anyone wanting to try to understand how entire communities/nations can go so very wrong. I had him sign my copy, and he said at the time that the rights had been bought to make it into a movie. I asked him who he wanted to play his part. He looked up from the book, smiled, and said, "Someone good-looking!" The Jewish lady he was touring with came up at last and put her hand on his shoulder. "Alfons, Alfons, we must go now. We have to go." It was said with such affection.

This book was so touching to me because it revealed a much-ignored and rarely mentioned side of WWII. It was a surprisingly human story, one that I never thought I'd hear. I applaud people like Mr. Heck who can stand up and say "There's more to the story." This book is a beautiful homange to the hardships, both humble and terrifying, that Germany's youth faced under Adolf Hitler. I highly recommend this book to anyone with the passion to learn more than the history books tell us.

I enjoyed this book because Heck simply states the facts. There is not a lot of philosophizing - in straightforward language, he tells it as he experienced it. His story is interesting and moving and illustrates how children were used to further Hitler's goals. Heck died recently. I hope he has found peace.

Heck was a member of the Hitler Youth. This is simply his story of his activities and shows how pervasive Hitler was in the lives of Germans and German boys in particular. Don't be turned off by the title, it is meant to show how they felt then not how the author feels now. This is a great primary source.

I should have read this book first, but I stumbled onto Mr. Heck's Burden of Hitler's Legacy in my local library. Mr. Heck was 17 years of age when his country was defeated on March 10, 1945. It took him more 30 years to begin to come to terms with what Hitler did to Germany, Europe, and the millions of people who lost their lives, which includes the 6 million Jews, yes, but also the millions and millions of men, women, AND children who died because of Hitler's determination to be all powerful in the world. There were also those millions who lived on, after the war, who would have to adjust to the results of Hitler's need for power.

Mr. Heck shows us that Hitler prepared the children of his "beloved" Germany to fight for his vile beliefs and thought nothing of the impact his hatred had on these kids. One of the saddest things that I thought about as I read this gifted writer's treatise about the Hitler Youth movement was the waste of this man's talent. He should have been writing all his life. He should have had the FREEDOM to develop the talents he was born with. Read this book and weep, as I did, when I read Mr. Heck's final paragraph in this powerful, true story of the Hitler Youth. For me, what Hitler did to the children of his country, there are no words to describe what I felt. Just writing this review makes me cry.

Mr. Heck, if you are still with us, I hope you will continue to write and publish. And I hope you have peace at last.

This book is an autobiography of a young man of the Hitler Youth organization and explains the deep public support for Hitler, especially among young people. What is surprising is how long after the war it was before young Alfon saw and realized the depth and breath of the tragedy that the Nazi's inflicted on Germany, the Jews, and the world. It goes a long way to explain and reinforce how hard-headed the Germans really were in devotion to Hitler.

The author writes of his experiences growing up in rural Germany and his participation in the Hitler Youth from a very young age. You get a sense of what it was like living on a small farm having close family and relatives who were both supportive of the Nazi regime and others who found it repulsive. Rising through the ranks, Heck ultimately commanded hundreds of Hitler Youth and participated in the building of the Seigrfried line on Germany's western border. As the Reich collapses, you feel the hysteria and uncertainty of the final days. There are instances of compassion, such as when a Luftwaffe officer realizing the dire situation of his country and it's inevitable defeat, departs from Nazi policy and sends Heck home for needed rest, ostensibly so he can return and fight, but knowling it would put Heck in a better position to surrender to the western allies and improve his chances of survival. Bare in mind the SS was executing Germans of all ages by the thousands for "desertion", and by desertion I mean not being at the front actively fighting with the full intenion of dying before being taken prisoner or surrender. Heck also writes of the frenchman who was captured at the onset of war and was assigned to the Heck farm as a farmhand. Even in the hell of this war, there were acts of kindness and generosity from one human being to another which circumvented the harsh conditions imposed by the Nazis and revealed that beyond the madness there was a gleam of humanity.

There are a few techinical issues which are the reason I gave it four rather than five stars.

The serif type is broken as a result of a poor printing process which I found a little annoying.

The numerous photos throughout the book are for the most part of such poor quality they are useless.

The author uses german terms throughout the book which he provides an explanation or interpretation for in most cases, but not all.

This book is by far the best account of the other side of the Holocaust. The side that no one cares about and that no one bothers to read. It helps to illistrate why people followed Hitler and what power he had over the population. You can't ask for a better account of the Hitler Youth, or of Germany during World War II. I loved this book and think that every person in the world should be forced to read to gain an understanding of the followers of Hitler.

An interesting perspective from a Hitler Youth member. He joined the HY and fought on the Western Front. In this story, he relates on how he turned his back on a Jewish friend, and slowly believed the ideology of the Hitler regime. He even turned his back on people who told him of the mass murder in Russia and Poland. Not only was this a interesting read about how a nation became a militant totalitarian regime, but one that practiced mass murder without raising protests from its people. The author writes from a unique perspective.

This is a very interesting read about the Hitler Youth. One actually experienced what the author went through in the was.