The Boy Who Dared

In October 1941, Germany is still trying to overtake Russia. Gerhard begins training as an officer and Hugo adopts Helmuth. Although Helmuth hates Hugo, he is hopeful that having the last name of a respected Nazi will help him fly under the radar. Every weekend, Helmuth, Rudi, and Karl listen to the BBC. Helmuth types pamphlets twice a week and the boys distribute them at night in places like phonebooths. Helmuth marks the pamphlets with a swastika stamp from work to give them an official look.

In December 1941, America joins the war against Germany after the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. Helmuth sees Brother Worbs in the street, emaciated and toothless. Brother Worbs tells Helmuth to leave him alone. Helmuth begs to know what happened at the concentration camp, but Brother Worbs will not speak. Helmuth escorts him to his unkempt home and makes tea. Brother Worbs’s hands are disfigured, and he cannot talk about what happened to him; he was forced to sign an agreement.

At Helmuth’s insistence, he whispers details about the deplorable treatment at the camp, including the time the guards froze his hands and broke all of his fingers.