There are many biographies of former soldiers of the Wehrmacht, many of
whom had fascinating and exciting stories to tell, and several of whom
were highly decorated. However, few can match Hans Sturm in his
astonishing rise from a mere private in an infantry regiment, thrown
into the bloody maelstrom of the Eastern Front, to a highly decorated
war hero. A young man who had displayed fearless heroism in combat,
earning him some of Germany's highest military awards, Sturm hated
bullies and injustice, and reacted in his normal pugnacious and
outspoken manner when confronted with wrongdoing. From striking a member
of the feared Sicherheitsdienst for his treatment of a Jewish woman, to
refusing to wear a decoration he felt was tainted because of the
treatment of enemy partisans, Sturm repeatedly stuck to his moral values
no matter what the risk. Even with the war finally over, Sturm's
travails would not end for another eight years as he languished in a
number of Soviet labor camps until he was finally released in 1953.