Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 I was born Hans Jacob Göbeler in 1923 in the Hessian farming village of Bottendorf. I had a proud military tradition, as my family had fought in the Franco-Prussian War. I was always sure that I would enlist to defend my country in one service or another. #2 The dark, inhumane side of war I learned from my father Heinrich's experiences in the First World War. He enlisted in the German Army at the age of 18, and fought on the Eastern Front. He was captured and spent the next several years in a Siberian labor camp. #3 I was extremely excited about the prospect of joining the military, as I felt that it was the only way Germany could defeat Britain. I was extremely determined to get into the war before it was over. #4 I was proud to be wearing the sharp-looking blue dress uniform of a sailor instead of the rough woolen tunic of a foot soldier. My orders and travel pass listed a false destination in order to camouflage the fact that I was headed to U-boat training.