As much as I enjoy reading biographies of great generals truth be told my initial interest in WWII stories came from encountering Anne Frank's diary when I was much, much younger. My mother owned a copy and I remember flipping through it and thinking I could finish this. I didn't have any idea what Nazis, the Holocaust and who Hitler was back then nor did I realize that there were a lot of war victims because soldiers seemed to be the focus of much of war literature. Her diary really opened me up to the realities of war, it was so personal, so human. I was just a kid when I read it and I was deeply moved especially with her next to last entries I think about it to this day. I told myself if I ever get to Germany their house/museum will be the first place I visit. Anyone ever read her diary?
I have read her diary on at least two occasions. And, indeed, it very poignant. She was just a teenager, going through the ups and downs of that age, but the horrors of the Nazi regime forced her family into hiding, and eventually into the camps. For such a young life to be snuffed out is heartbreaking. Her fate, however, was that of so many in that time and place. Another young diarist that you might find interesting is Tanya Savicheva. She was a young Russian girl (adolescent) who endured the Siege of Leningrad, but later died from tuberculosis.
I remember feeling so much sadness for Otto, her father-- the only one who survived from her family. I think he was the one who compiled her diaries. Thank you for the suggestion I'm not familiar with much of Russia's history but the Siege of Leningrad definitely stands out. I'll look into it thanks.
+1. I've read of his account of finding out, one by one, how many he had lost. It is heartrending. I am glad to help.
