Wolfgang W.E. Samuel
| Wolfgang W.E. Samuel | |
|---|---|
 Wolfgang Samuel and son Charles at Forbes AFB, Kansas, in 1964 | |
| Nickname | Wolf |
| Born |
February 2, 1935 Strasburg, Germany |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1960–1985 |
| Rank |
 Colonel |
| Battles/wars |
Vietnam War Cold War |
| Awards |
Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal |
| Other work | Author |
Wolfgang W.E. Samuel (born February 2, 1935) is a German-born American author and a veteran of the United States Air Force.
Early years
Born in Germany, ten year-old Samuel fled with his mother and sister from his home town of Sagan (now Żagań in Poland) in 1945 as the Red Army approached.[1] As a Flüchtling (refugee), he underwent privation and re-settlement in the post-war years.[2] His mother was raped[3] and his grandfather was killed by German communists.[4] He describes how he and his mother eventually settled near a U.S. airbase in western Germany, where his mother met and married an American serviceman.[5]
Military career
After the family emigrated to the United States, Samuel attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business in 1960, and subsequently the National War College.[6] He served in the United States Air Force for 30 years, retiring with the rank of colonel in 1985.[6] He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal multiple times during his years of active duty.[6] As of 2008, he resided in Fairfax Station, Virginia.[6]
Author
As of 2010, Samuel has published seven books. The first, German Boy: A Refugee's Story, is a memoir detailing the war years and his post-war life as a refugee, and features a foreword by historian Stephen Ambrose. His second book, I Always Wanted to Fly: America's Cold War Airmen, is a compilation of oral histories of American aviators of the Cold War era. The War of Our Childhood: Memories of World War II, another oral history compilation, tells of twenty-seven Germans who experienced the war as children. American Raiders: The Race to Capture the Luftwaffe's Secrets, is an account of the efforts made by the United States military to acquire German military technology. Glory Days: The Untold Story of the Men Who Flew the B-66 Destroyer into the Face of Fear recounts some of the adventures of the often unsung crews of the B-66, RB-66 and EB-66 aircraft. His most recent work is Watson's Whizzer's: Operation Lusty and the Race for Nazi Aviation Technology.
Works By Wolfgang W.E. Samuel
- German Boy: A Refugee's Story. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2000. ISBN 1-57806-482-1
- I Always Wanted to Fly: America's Cold War Airmen. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2001. ISBN 1-57806-399-X
- The War Of Our Childhood: Memories of World War Two. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2002. ISBN 1-57806-482-1
- American Raiders: The Race to Capture the Luftwaffe's Secrets. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2004. ISBN 1-57806-649-2
- Coming to Colorado: A Young Immigrant's Journey to Become an American Flyer. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2006 ISBN 978-1-57806-902-6
- Glory Days: The Untold Story of the Men Who Flew the B-66 Destroyer into the Face of Fear. Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 2008. ISBN 0-7643-3086-1, ISBN 978-0-7643-3086-5
- Watson's Whizzer's: Operation Lusty and the Race for Nazi Aviation Technology. Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 2010. ISBN 0-7643-3517-0, ISBN 978-0-7643-3517-4
Notes
References
- Samuel, Wolfgang W. E. (2001). German Boy: A Child in War. New York: Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-0824-4.
- Samuel, Wolfgang W. E. (2008). Glory Days: The Untold Story of the Men Who Flew the B-66 Destroyer into the Face of Fear. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7643-3086-5.
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