I love reading WWII fiction, especially when it gives a fresh perspective on the war. Stories set in Germany offer a fascinating and often heartbreaking look at what life was like under the Nazi regime, from those who resisted to those just trying to survive.
Novels set in Germany during WW2 offer a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people caught in the chaos of the war.
These are what I think are some of the best WW2 books set in Germany.
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The Book Thief was the first Germany-based WW2 book I read, and it really stuck with me. Even though it’s often considered a young adult novel, it has so much depth and emotion, showing the human side of war.
Set in Nazi Germany, the story follows Liesel Meminger, a young foster girl who finds solace in stealing books and sharing them with her neighbours during bombing raids.
I really enjoy Mandy Robotham‘s historical fiction novels and the The Berlin Girl is one of her best.
Set in Berlin on the eve of war, this novel follows reporter Georgie Young as she arrives in a city drowning in Nazi propaganda. Alongside fellow journalist Max Spender, she risks everything to uncover the truth, but the deeper she digs, the more dangerous it becomes.
The Willow Wren portrays the life of an unusual and introverted child named Ludwig. Despite his father’s fervent Nazi beliefs, Ludwig seeks solace in nature and literature as the war escalates and the horrors of the Hitler Youth camp loom.
As Germany’s defeat looms closer, Ludwig’s family faces increasing hardships as his father goes missing. Ludwig takes on the daunting task of guiding them to safety during the tumult of Russian occupation.
In Germany, 1942, Franciscan friar Anton Starzmann grapples with the loss of his place in the world under Nazi rule. Seeking redemption for his perceived failures, Anton enters a marriage of convenience with Elisabeth Herter, a widow with three children.
As they navigate the challenges of their new family dynamic, Anton becomes entangled in the resistance movement known as the Red Orchestra, risking everything to thwart Hitler’s regime.
In December 1943, German dissenter Franka Gerber discovers an unconscious airman near her family’s cabin in the Black Forest. Despite her initial distrust of him as a Luftwaffe soldier, Franka nurses him back to health, only to uncover secrets that could alter the course of the war.
As they form a fragile alliance, hunted by the Gestapo, Franka and the airman must rely on each other to undertake a dangerous mission that could change their fates and the outcome of the war.
In 1943 Berlin, with men away at war, Sigrid Schroder navigates life as a model soldier’s wife. Yet, beneath her dutiful facade, she harbours a secret longing for her former Jewish lover lost in the war.
When she shelters a mother and her daughters, potentially her lover’s family, Sigrid faces harrowing decisions that could jeopardise her safety and everything she holds dear.
The Women in the Castle follows Marianne von Lingenfels as she tries to honour her late husband’s wish to protect the widows of fellow resistance fighters.
Set in post-war Germany, it’s a story of survival, resilience, and the complexities of guilt and forgiveness.
Cradles of the Reich delves into the chilling reality of the Nazi Lebensborn project.
Set in a Nazi maternity home, this novel follows three women caught in Hitler’s scheme to create a master race, each with their own reasons for being there.
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