The Jew With the Iron Cross

by Rauch, Georg; Rauch, Phyllis

• ISBN13: 9780595379873
• ISBN10: 0595379877
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-06-30
• Publisher: Iuniverse Inc

Summary

As a teenager, author Georg Rauch helped his mother protect the Jewish couples hidden in their Viennese attic. Officially classified as one-quarter Jewish, Rauch is drafted into Hitler’s army and sent to fight for causes he detests. Rauch finds himself near death many times, but his talents as a shortwave radio operator, chef, and even harmonica player all play a role in his survival. Captured by the Russians in the autumn of 1944, Rauch faces brutality and near-fatal illness as a POW. Recruitment for Russian espionage saves his life this time, but his story isn’t over yet. Based on eighty letters sent home from the Russian trenches,The Wooden Spoonis a riveting tale of paradox and survival during World War II. A fascinating account of what it was like for a partial Jew to serve in the German military during World War II. Rauch’s experiences and hardships dramatically depict the physical and emotional struggles of a ‘Mischling’ during the Third Reich.”—Bryan Mark Rigg,author ofHitler’s Jewish Soldiers Not about combat tactics but about what it meant to be in an army at war. Rauch has put a human face on aspects of the war that are usually only referred to in passing.”—Tom Houlihan,WWII cartographer "With honesty and affection Georg Rauch tells of the love and respect between a mother and son as well as the nightmare experiences of a young soldier fighting and barely surviving a war he ³never wanted, understood or could justify." —Ellen Barone,Lake Chapala Review

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	xi
Major Events on the Eastern Front	xiii
Acknowledgments	xv
Prologue	1	(4)
Part One
Secrets in the Attic	5	(12)
The Journey East	17	(14)
Introduction to the Trenches	31	(12)
The Hardest Thing	43	(10)
Marianovka—The First Battle	53	(10)
According to Haas	63	(12)
A True Russian Winter	75	(10)
Pervomaysk—The Spoils of War	85	(12)
Into Romania	97	(10)
Long Hot Summer on the Dniester	107	(8)
Romanian Respite	115	(8)
The Iron Cross	123	(10)
The Last Battle	133	(28)
Part Two
In Russian Hands	161	(8)
The Events at Balti	169	(10)
Kiev—Pushkin's Request	179	(14)
Encounter with a Spoon	193	(14)
The Reluctant Spy	207	(6)
The German Plot	213	(10)
Part Three
Homeward	223	(8)
Vienna	231	(6)
End of the Odyssey	237	(8)
Author's Note	245	(2)
EPILOGUE	247	(4)
About the Translator	251