Guenter Grass was a member of the SS

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Hamburg (dpa) - Nobel Laureate Guenter Grass said in his autobiography to be published in September that he was drafted into the elite Nazi unit, the Waffen SS, shortly before World War II ended, it was reported Friday.

Grass confirmed his involvement in an interview with Germany's leading daily the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung to be published Saturday.

Biographies on the 78-year-old author had so far said he had been drafted as part of an anti-aircraft unit and later served as a soldier.

In his memoirs Beim Häuten der Zwiebel, Grass writes that as a 15-year-old, he wanted to volunteer for the submarine unit, but was not accepted as he was too young.

He was drafted as a 16-year-old like all others born in 1927. Grass then joined the Waffen SS the combat arm of the Nazi organization headed by Heinrich Himmler, but he had not volunteered.