BOOK ONE in a 'Wehrwolf series' TRILOGY SUBSET. Gustav Sabac el Cher, a black man who lived in Königsberg, was “the only black bandmaster of the German Army.” This detailed narrative takes us back in time, over 150 years ago. There we meet the controversial Prussian Prince, Albrecht, learning much about him and his many adventures traveling and at war. Albrecht brought many things from his travels in Arabia back to his home in Prussia. One of those “things” was a gift from the Egyptian Viceroy Muhammad Ali: a seven-year-old black boy. He was given the name August Albrecht Sabac el Cher and accompanied the Prince from that point on for several decades.

The climate in the Prussian state of the 1840's and 1850's was that of curiosity towards “others” as opposed to hostility. Thus August’s dark skin was seen as positive rather than negative. His career even benefited from it. In 1867 he married a German woman, Anna Maria Jung, the daughter of a Berlin clothesmaker. However, their two children, Gustav and Elise, were dealt a different fate.

Utilizing photos, records and witness accounts, the book paints a comprehensive picture of the whole family. For example, we learn that the sons of Gustav, Herbert and Horst, were very loved by the family. Both began to make music early on and both had successful careers. While Herbert continued in this vein, Horst was not so lucky. In 1943 he was drafted as a medic by the Wehrmacht...