Berlin Dance of Death

A teenager's account of his experiences as a conscript during the final desperate six weeks of the Third Reich's existence, supplemented with notes and photographs to illustrate how his experiences fitted into the overall picture.
After some basic training on the Eastern Front, Helmut Altner is caught up in the massive Soviet assault on Berlin, fights against turncoat "Seylditz-Troops", retreats successfully, and then takes part in the defence of the western suburb of Spandau, where he becomes one of the only two survivors of his company of teenagers.
An abortive attempt to desert leads to him fighting in the battle for the Olympic Stadium in the U-Bahn tunnels toward the city centre. Returning to barracks, he then takes part in the break-out to the west that turns into a bloodbath for soldiers and civilians alike, only to be wounded and finally captured.

Helmut Altner specializes in World War II historical non-fiction.