Kurze Jahre einer begeisterten Jugend Buch

The Brief Years of an Enthusiastic Youth

From Napola Backnang to the SS-Junkerschule Braunschweig

Dr. Gerhard Femppel; recorded by Adrian Matthes

For a man of his generation, Gerhard Femppel can look back on an extraordinary career during the Third Reich: starting as a student at a Napola (National Political Institute of Education), then volunteering for the Waffen-SS, and becoming an *Untersturmführer* (Second Lieutenant) at the age of 19. Now 100 years old, he offers a glimpse into the diaries where—since the age of 16—he meticulously and honestly recorded his experiences and thoughts. It is the story of a young man shaped by an elite education and combat service at the front. It reveals the mindset and reality of life in which young people grew up, thought, and acted during that era. Drawing on diaries, letters, and surviving instructional materials, the book brings to life the nature of the education provided at a National Political Institute of Education and an SS-Junkerschule.

492 pages, 311 illustrations (some in color), A5 format, hardcover, bound.

Note: These are not facsimile signatures. Dr. Femppel has gone to great lengths to personally sign autograph cards and books for his readers. This is almost certainly the last opportunity to obtain such a signature. A photo of him signing the books can be found in the product gallery. The signatures may vary slightly and reflect the handwriting of a 100-year-old. Personal dedications are not possible due to high demand and logistical constraints. The books, signed on the first page, also bear the original postal stamp of *Jungmann* (Cadet) Femppel, NPEA Backnang.