A Propaganda War Story for German Youth; Sanitäter!

A propaganda booklet, 32 p., 145x209mm, very fine condition with some fraying and a folding crease. It is called “Sanitäter! – Sanitäter!” (“Medic! – Medic!”), written by Oberfeldarzt (Lieutenant Colonel of medical troops) Dr. Wolff for the book series “War Library of the German Youth”, no. 148. It tells the heroic tale of fictional HJ boy Rudolf Keller and his friends, all of whom move on to joining the infantry, while Keller becomes a field medic. Initially, his friends don’t understand his decision not to use his talents by joining a “proper” unit, but with time Keller distinguishes himself and saves several of their lives at the Western and Eastern Front, winning him an Iron Cross 1st Class. In the end, his decision to join the medical troops is explained when he reflects on a childhood memory: a boy broke his leg while falling out of a tree they all climbed. Keller says: “We all were able to climb the tree, young and strong as we were, but during the one hour we had to wait for the ambulance to arrive, nobody knew what to do.” That’s when he decided to become the person trained for these situations.