Kindle Edition Amazon Category:  Historical Fiction Publisher: Horst Christian ISBN-10:  B00CVDLXFA Type: Fiction Copyright: May 17, 2013 Based on a true story about a young German boy in the days leading up to the fall of Berlin during World War II. Karl Veth is 14 years old and as mandated by German law, a member of Hitler Jugend (Hitler Youth). He is the assistant to the leader of a KLV camp in Poland - an air raid evacuation camp where 120 German boys under the age of 12 were sent to protect them from the bombings in Berlin. As the Russian army advances and breaks through the German defense lines, Karl is put in command of safely transporting the boys from Poland back to their families in Berlin. He must, however, do this without any help from headquarters. Once back in Berlin, Karl receives new orders. Having spent a great deal of time exploring the subway tunnels of Berlin when he was younger, Karl has unique knowledge of the subway system. Upon learning that he is a "subway rat", the SS takes advantage of Karl's knowledge and orders him to act as a guide for SS demolition commandos in the tunnels. While the Russians move closer and the fall of Berlin is imminent, Karl is in the midst of the destruction of the city where he was born. Every day he sees and smells death on the streets and as he does so, his loyalty begins to waver. Hungry, scared, and disillusioned with the war, Karl must constantly rely on his wits simply to stay alive. As a member of the Hitler Youth he is expected to fight like a soldier, however, he reaches a point where he must make a critical decision - live or die.       Excerpt 1:25 AM Karl turned the radio off. He had just listened to the German special OKW report, which announced a breakthrough of Russian tanks at a German defense line 180 kilometers east of his camp. This was the news Karl had anticipated and feared for the last seven days. He knew that he had to act fast if there was any chance left to bring the kids from the KLV camp back to Berlin. His camp was located in a 200-year-old cloister near Kosten in Poland. It had served for the past two years as an evacuation camp for children from Berlin.

A welcome perspective
My parents lived through world war two and choose to live in the USA because of the Soviet occupation of their homeland. I always wondered what they went through. When they resisted the Germans, there were consequences. When the Soviets liberated them, there were consequences for having helped the Germans. They did not talk about it much, and I always wondered what they endured.

Loyal to a Degree is about survival and loyalty. This story is about the life of a young teenage German boy living during the fall of Berlin. The boy did what he was asked to do for his nation, just as any boy would do for their country. It is about how he survived, and how he helped others, when it became increasingly clear that Germany was going down in defeat. You can tell from the type of details in this story, that it is a true story. And because it is true, it is mesmerizing.

No Hollywood ending, but there will be more to the story.

A Chilling Account of a Very Strong and Resourceful Young Man
Our family has always been interested in history, so when I heard about this book, I had to read it.
This story is nothing like any of the others you may have seen/heard/read over the years.
This is the true account of a young man (a boy, actually) who had to make decisions during the final days of WWII.
No child should have to grow up before he/she is ready, but to survive, that is what Karl Veth had to do.

I have become so enamored with Karl. Everything he did, everything he had to go through and endure, yet, he always looked out for the others he met along the way.

He did not voluntarily choose his path, but he did it to the best of his ability, yet kept with him something very important; his morals.

Karl made me laugh, cry, and call out to him.

This is a very touching, very true story. I cannot wait for the next installment from this very talented writer/historian. Horst Christian has truly captured what happened during those final weeks.