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 JEW With THE IRON CROSS, (originally titled The Wooden Spoon) is 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 of Hitler'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
Georg Rauch is a professional artist who has exhibited extensively in Europe, the United States, and Mexico. For the last thirty years, Rauch and his wife, Phyllis, have made their home overlooking Lake Chapala in the central highlands of Mexico.www.georgrauch.com