Too Young for the Times

George Trojan’s life changed forever on September 1, 1939, when German forces bombarded his hometown of Lwow, Poland. With Russia quickly siding with the German invaders, Poland fell in twenty-nine days.

For the next two years, Lwow was under Russian control. George’s brother Stefan joined the Polish resistance and ran messages to older members of the organization. George would join too, but fate would tear him from his home.

After Russia and Germany turned on each other, Lwow came under German control. Caught in a gestapo roundup, sixteen-year-old George and other boys were relocated to Germany to work on the German Air Force’s vital telephone lines. There he would endure two years of grueling labor.

Through it all, George dreamed of escaping and reaching the Allied front lines. It was a dream that was realized as the tides of war turned against the Axis—a dream that would bear unexpected fruit and change the young man’s life in ways he scarcely dared imagine.

A true account of George Trojan’s experiences as a teenager in World War II, Too Young for the Times is a reminder of the horror and fear of growing up surrounded by violence.