From January 12 to the bombing of Dresden on February 13 and 14, 1945: With "The Echo Sounder. Fuga furiosa," Walter Kempowski continues his magnificent work of literary engagement with the past. Winter 1945: Defeat or liberation for the Germans? What irrevocably announced itself in January 1945, the end of Nazi rule, is still a subject of intense debate nearly 60 years later. In his "Echo Sounder. Fuga furiosa," Walter Kempowski meticulously reconstructs the events of the weeks from January 12 to February 14, 1945, using diaries and letters, political documents, and reports. Prominent eyewitnesses as well as many unknown individuals share their voices. Walter Kempowski thus reconstructs a fateful chapter of German history, free of prejudice and beyond all ideological barriers.