Heaven and Hell: The War Diary of a German Paratrooper

Following a short description of the author's Hitler Youth membership from 1933, this extraordinary narrative describes his training for the paratroops in Stendal in 1938—they all knew the war was coming—revealing his own rebellious streak as well as the uncritical fervor with which he and his comrades welcomed that war. This is a deeply personal book from a man who was there from beginning to end: Poland 1939, Holland and Narvik 1940, Crete 1941, Russia 1941–1943, Sicily and Southern Italy 1943, Normandy 1944, Holland and the lower Rhine 1945, and then a POW. Not only is it amazing that he survived all that, it is also remarkable that Martin Pöppel was capable of producing such a compelling and honest narrative. Captured by the 6th Airborne Division on the Rhine, Company Commander Pöppel returned home in 1945.