Wolfgang W. E. Samuel Boeken

As the Third Reich fell in 1945, many Germans, including a young boy named Wolfgang Samuel, fled from advancing Russian troops. Wolfgang, his mother, and sister found themselves in war-torn Strasbourg before being pushed into a disease-ridden refugee camp. This true story recounts their struggle for survival amid a chaotic backdrop where Wolfgang's family faced arbitrary arrests, hunger, and fear. With his father away fighting as a Luftwaffe officer, Wolfgang had to assume the role of head of the household, scavenging for food to support his family. Despite his efforts, his mother was driven to make unimaginable sacrifices, which haunted Wolfgang. Yet, he managed to cling to his childhood innocence, forming friendships with other young refugees, playing games amidst the ruins, and finding joy in the American planes overhead and the treats brought by GIs. Ultimately, the Samuels started anew in America, where Wolfgang embarked on a thirty-year career in the U.S. Air Force. This narrative offers a poignant perspective on the dark history of Nazi Germany and the profound impact it had on innocent lives.

A group of German survivors of World War II share their experiences as children enduring air raids, invading armies, deprivation, and hunger.

Samuel assembles--from official Air Force records and survivors' interviews--the largely untold stories of the disarmament of the once mighty Luftwaffe and of Operation Lusty--the hunt for Nazi technologies.

The narrative highlights the courageous efforts of EB-66 combat squadrons that operated from Thailand during the Vietnam War. These brave flyers received numerous accolades, including the Presidential Unit Citation and multiple medals for heroism, reflecting their valor in combat. The book uncovers the gripping and often overlooked stories of these airmen, celebrating their sacrifices and contributions to the nation during a tumultuous period in history.

Watsons Whizzers is the complex story of the meticulously planned and executed disarmament of the Luftwaffe after its defeat in the spring of 1945, and the retrieval and transfer to the United States of Germanys advanced aeronautical technology and world-class scientists. Technology so superior that it would in short measure change the look of United States air forces. Although General Spaatz in May 1945 had under his command 17,000 planes of all kinds, the largest air armada ever assembled , they were of little future use. The future was about swept wing aircraft flying at supersonic speeds, or close to it: the incomparable Boeing B-47 jet bomber and its successor the eight jet B-52; the North American F-86 fighter and its supersonic successor the F-100 Supersaber were the immediate results of the German technology transfer and secured Americas future in the darkest days of the Cold War.