The Enemy’s Child

As a child, author Wolfgang Schmidt lived through the terror of World War II. In The Enemy’s Child, he chronicles the life of his German naval family from the 1930s through the 1950s. By placing a series of compelling memories within a broader historical context, he narrates the struggles German families faced during and after World War II. Schmidt’s family moved frequently, so this memoir offers a unique glimpse into life in nine wartime cities: Koszalin Pomerania, Kiel, Neustadt Holstein, Gdynia, Berlin, Bad Freienwalde, Göttingen, Eckernförde Schleswig-Holstein, and Buir. It journeys from multiple naval stations on the Baltic Sea to bomb shelters in Berlin and the emergency exodus as the Russian front advanced. Providing insight into family life in Germany during World War II, The Enemy’s Child reveals the challenges of living in the country, contrasting the experiences of four brothers who chose different paths from war to hope, including Schmidt, who decided to make his life in America.