THE BOYS IN THE LIGHT

The story of a concentration camp survivor and the American GIs who helped him escape.

Eddie Willner, the author’s father, was a German Jew, the son of a decorated World War I veteran. The Willners were well liked in their small West German hometown. In the United States, two American boys were growing up in very different environments: Elmer Hovland in rural Minnesota and Sammy DeCola in a Boston suburb. The book follows Eddie as he experiences growing antisemitism after the rise of Hitler, resulting in the family’s being sent to Auschwitz. Eddie, in his teens, and his father, Siegfried, along with a young Dutch boy, Mike, were chosen for slave labor instead of immediate death. The book unflinchingly shows the horrific conditions of the camp and the inmates being forced to create war materiel for the Nazis. Meanwhile, Elmer and Sammy had joined the U.S. Army. Elmer was quickly recognized as leader material and became a second lieutenant, while Sammy—nicknamed “Pepsi”—was head cook in the same armored division. They landed in Normandy shortly after D-Day and fought in a series of fierce battles on their way to Germany. There, Eddie and Mike had escaped from a forced march from the now-closed concentration camp and made their way to the American lines. They met Elmer and Pepsi and were adopted by their company, where their local knowledge and ability to speak German made them valuable assets. After the war, Eddie and Mike emigrated to the U.S., where they became citizens—both serving in the military.

A powerful and eminently readable story of a concentration camp survivor and his American rescuers.