Wolfgang W. E. Samuel was born in Germany in 1935, immigrated to the United States at age 16, and finished high school in Denver, Colorado, two years later. He graduated from the University of Colorado in 1960 and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. Wolfgang served 30 years in the U.S. Air Force, flew strategic reconnaissance against the Soviet Union in the Cold War years and combat against North Vietnam; being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross three times and numerous Air Medals. He obtained an MBA from Arizona State University and graduated from the National War College at Ft McNair, Wash DC. After retirement from the Air Force in the rank of colonel, he worked for a defense contractor in the Washington area, then retired once again to write German Boy, his first book, which was introduced by Stephen Ambrose and very favorably reviewed by the New York Times. German Boy is Wolfgang's story of survival in WWII Germany and the immediate postwar years. Other books followed.

These poignant memories by 27 German survivors of World War II relate how as children--ages 3 to 12--they endured air raids, hunger, terror, invading armies, and deprivation. Samuel tells of their resilience under the most trying circumstances and the critical role their mothers played in their lives. Samuel, a survivor himself and author of German Boy: A Refugee's Story (2000), relates that during the course of his interviews he encountered no one wanting revenge, and no one expressing a hate or dislike of people of other nations or ethnic groups because of events that happened long ago. He found that many of them are still troubled by the sounds, sights, or smells that remind them of war, bringing back the dark moments of childhood, and that few have shared completely their memories with their children.