The Last Furlough

By 1943, Germany had been at war for five years. View the aging war through the eyes of an educated family man, caught up in the flood of human sacrifice that was World War II. Framed by his love for his wife, family, and his country, the movements and political workings of the war flow from his pen in artistic strokes. Claudius's often poetic letters, preserved by his loving wife for decades and handed down to his daughter Erika, unlock a wealth of information about life as a Wehrmacht soldier and the training and movements of German troops. Here the language barrier, often written in old German script, has been lifted, and the commonality of human suffering during war has been laid bare. Paul Claudius and his family represent all families and all soldiers in time of conflict.