Thousand Shall Fall: The Electrifying Story of a Soldier and His Family Who Dared to Practice Their Faith in Hitler's Germany
Franz hasel, a 40-year-old pacifist, was drafted and assigned to Pioneer Company 699, Hitler's elite troops who built bridges at the front lines. His religious scruples did not endear him to his superiors. Sarcastically dubbed "carrot eater" and "Bible reader," he finally gained the respect of his unit. Just before he was sent deep into Russia--where all but seven of his 1,200-man unit would die--he secretly discarded his gun, fearing that, as the company sharpshooter, he might be tempted to...
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Franz hasel, a 40-year-old pacifist, was drafted and assigned to Pioneer Company 699, Hitler's elite troops who built bridges at the front lines. His religious scruples did not endear him to his superiors. Sarcastically dubbed "carrot eater" and "Bible reader," he finally gained the respect of his unit. Just before he was sent deep into Russia--where all but seven of his 1,200-man unit would die--he secretly discarded his gun, fearing that, as the company sharpshooter, he might be tempted to kill. In Russia he faced a new problem: how to warn the local Jews before the SS got to them. Meanwhile, back at home, Franz's wife, Helene, and their four children were fighting their own battles. Pressured to join the Nazi Party, she announced, "I belong to the party of Jesus Christ." "Tomorrow night your children will be taken from you unless you join the party," Herr Doering screamed. And she had another secret. One day the gestapo knocked on her door. "Are you hiding a Jew?" they demanded. Their chances of survival? Dim. Their only ally? God. In a few short years they lived several lifetimes of danger. As thousands around them fell victim to the horrors of war, they were borne up on angels' wings--sometimes quite literally. This is the true, soul-soaring story of one desperate family who chose to be faithful whatever the cost, and found refuge in the shadow of the Almighty.
To the Reader9Chapter 1The Draft11Chapter 2In Boot Camp17Chapter 3Political Pressures at Home24Chapter 4In France and Poland33Chapter 5In the Black Forest41Chapter 6Into the Ukraine49Chapter 7The Brown House57Chapter 8Winter Battle66Chapter 9Susi's Birth75Chapter 10Saved by an Angel84Chapter 11In Eschenrod93Chapter 12In the Caucasus101Chapter 13Life in Frankfurt106Chapter 14Bible Studies116Chapter 15The Americans Arrive122Chapter 16Retreat134Chapter 17Return Home142Chapter 18Winter Rescue151Chapter 19Packages From America159Chapter 20Aftermath166Epilogue171
