Enemies: A War Story

A gripping novel based on astonishing true events...

It is the summer of 1941, and two young men from Chicago embark on an epic journey. First, they road trip down to Mexico, where they spend a few idle months before hopping a freighter to Japan. From there, they sign on as merchant seamen for a three-month voyage to Europe, landing in occupied France on the very day that Nazi Germany declares war on the United States. Their adventure has suddenly taken a dark turn.

Wolfgang Wergin and Herbie Haupt are American citizens, though German by birth. Both have lived in America since the age of five, yet now they are faced with a harrowing choice. They can join a Nazi sabotage mission heading to the United States or be drafted into the German army and sent to the Russian front. One chooses the first option, and one the second, but will either survive?

While this fragment of history is mostly forgotten today, the episode became one of the most sensational news stories of its time, garnering intense national interest. "Enemies: A War Story" is a fictionalized version of this true story, sticking as close to the facts as possible.

This is a novel that raises challenging questions about the meanings of patriotism, justice, and American morality during difficult times. More than anything, though, it is simply a story that yearns to be told.