Daniel Reed

Duty and Honor: a World War II Novel Daniel Reed

Kurt broke into a cold sweat, the blood draining from his face, his legs all but failing him as he stood beneath enormous pressure. He gazed confoundedly upon the condemned, their faces miserable masks of terror. A good soldier follows orders without hesitation. Kurt Muller, a young German corporal fighting for his life on the barbaric Eastern Front during World War II, is just such a soldier. But when he is ordered by the sinister SS Captain Rykert to execute Jewish hideaways not far from the front, he finds himself in a life-and-death struggle with the often-conflicting concepts of duty and honor. He chooses honor-a decision that will change him forever. Muller is now on the run from the Russian army, partisans, and even his own people, who are bent on seeing him destroyed for saving Jewish lives. Along the way, he finds not only true love with Elena, one of the Jewish hideaways, but also a purpose for living that had previously eluded him. Though the war ends in 1945, Kurt and his newfound love face further adversity when Captain Rykert reenters their lives. Will Kurt and Elena escape the evil captain's net of revenge, or will they pay the ultimate price for honor?