An Unlikely Warrior: A Jewish Soldier in Hitler's Army

by Georg Rauch

As a young adult in wartime Vienna, Georg Rauch helped his mother hide dozens of Jews from the Gestapo behind false walls in their top-floor apartment and arrange for their safe transport out of the country. His family was among the few who worked underground to resist Nazi rule. Then came the day he was drafted into Hitler's army and shipped out to fight on the Eastern front as part of the German infantry―in spite of his having confessed his own Jewish ancestry. Thus begins the incredible journey of a nineteen year old thrust unwillingly into an unjust war, who must use his smarts, skills, and bare-knuckled determination to stay alive in the trenches, avoid starvation and exposure during the brutal Russian winter, survive more than one Soviet labor camp, and somehow find his way back home. Unlikely Warrior is Rauch's true account of this extraordinary adventure.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Memoir, World War II, War, Biography, Holocaust

326 pages, Paperback

First published June 9, 2006

Reviews

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Macmillan/Farrar,Straus and Giroux, purchased the rights for my husband Georg Rauch's war memior last November. Til now the Audio rights have been purchased by Blackstone Audio and most recently the Italian rights were also purchased.

Of course, this is all very exciting for me, the co-author and translator from the original German. I recently re-read the book while proofing the copy edited ms, and noted that I still laugh, cry, hold my breath, and and am totally engrossed by this book.

It comes out next February and will be primarily directly to Young Adults, a great decision on the part of the publisher. Georg was only 18 when he was drafter into Hitlers German Wehrmacht, this taking place while his mother Beatrix Rauch was hiding numerous Jews behind false walls in their 5th floor apartment in Vienna.

His trials attempting to survive in a war that is basically already lost, his talent for survival, his recruitment as a spy, while a Russian prisoner of war, all make this book a fascinating read.

Since is based on the letters written to his mother from the trenches, it is as interesting to women as to men.

[Sarah Grace Grzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book touched my heart and opened my eyes to a whole new perspective! NOTE: please read my content warning at the bottom before reading this book.

Okay. So Georg is a Jew fighting as a German soldier. (Actually, 3\4 German, 1\4 Jewish) In my head (whether subconscious or conscious) I always thought of the German soldiers as evil, cruel monsters with no heart. They worked for Hitler; they superintended the mass genocide of millions of Jews; they were beasts. (I know, sounds really judgmental, right?) BUT. This autobiography written by a Jew in Hitler's army opened my eyes. Not ALL German soldiers were beasts; some, like Georg, didn't want to fight, didn't want to participate, had no vendetta, and didn't even do it for the pay. They did it because they HAD to. Because Hitler would kill them or send them to concentration camps if they didn't. Not ALL German soldiers were heartless, cruel monsters. This book really enlightened me to a new point of view. Georg was just a normal human being who wanted to live happily with his family, his art, and live a normal life.

So aside from all that, this book was quite interesting! I really enjoyed it; Georg has a clear, concise writing style that I really liked. I also loved the sweet letters to his mother and his artwork sprinkled throughout. The letters were very heartwarming, and showed how much he loved his mama and wished he could be with her. The ending chapters were amazing! How everyone, when they heard his story, tried so hard to get him back home. I just loved it!

All in all, I would recommend this to adults, specifically history buffs.

CONTENT NOTE: Recommended for 15+ There are 2 instances of minor language; very minor, and they didn't really bother me much. It also somewhat graphically portrays death, violence, battles, blood, disturbing content\crude talk and serious illnesses. Nothing absolutely terrible, but I certainly wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 15 or anyone who is sensitive about such things.

[Levi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Before reading this book I hadn't really known anything about WWII besides from the Allies point of view. I hadn't really known what it would've been like to be is Hitler's army. The book starts off in Vienna, Germany. Georg Raunch, (author-auto-bio.) has just been picked for a Draft and is dreading what will happen in the future of his military life. The book is full of amazing stories of survival, action, and suspense. It is a great book for anyone looking for information about what really happened in WWII. Also if you like war or survival books. Really good book!

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up with intention of learning how a person that was Jewish in Germany during WWII came to fight as a soldier on Hitler's side. Georg Rauch was drafted despite his Jewish ancestry and opposition to the war. Being a Jewish soldier would have been cause of alarm but being Jewish is a non issue in this book. The reader goes on campaigns and learns what it was to be a German soldier. The storytelling is not to wordy and it might appeal to readers interested in learning more about war from a non-traditional perspective. Yet, the book doesn't go into great detail about anything and its part epistolary with his letters to his mother about being a soldier that gave it a more personal feel. As far as being a Jewish soldier it is a non issue in this book. He did not feel any repercussions for his heritage while he is in the army. Yes, it is a story of survival and if you remove the Jewish element the story didn't change. The question I have is "Why mention it at all?" Being a non issue I felt mislead in reading this book. I wasn't expecting a Holocaust but the way the Nazi's treated the Jewish people I found it hard to believe he served in there military without repercussions. I wanted to like this book but towards the end I just wanted to get over with it. On to the next book.

[Aiden B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great book and I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes World War 2, especially if it is from the nazis point of view.

[Clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sculptor husband and I really loved this one! Surprising upbeat memoir of quarter-Jewish, highly resourceful Austrian boy, Georg Rauch, a German foot soldier up front about his Jewishness, who was no Nazi but swept up in history as likely others of his countrymen were during WWII. Tells a story I hadn't heard before. Georg became an artist and moved to Mexico after the war and only recently died. His wife translated his story. Great narrative, grippingly told, featuring the actual letters Georg wrote home to his mother in Vienna during the war. Good adult historical/memoir, great historical for MS/YA/boy book, and especially good for anyone thinking of enlisting. Illustrated with the author's drawings. Highly recommended.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd like to rate this book higher, but can't get past the deafening volume of self-interest in the author's voice.

Also, the title and description are a bit misleading. This book is not about a Jewish man fighting against the Nazi army from the inside-out; It's more a timeline of events and letters, recalled by a young Austrian soldier... who seems to catch a lot of breaks for someone in his dire position. It's a decent read, but filled with too many conflicting thoughts / emotions for the reader (mostly brought on by the total lack of tact in the author's tone).

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary true story translated from German.

[Ann Woodbury Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1943 Georg Rauch, a 19-year-old Viennese with a Jewish grandmother, was drafted into the German army. This true account of his experiences is based on his letters home. He served on the Eastern front, then (after several efforts to escape) was captured by the Russians and imprisoned. Miraculously, he survived and was reunited with his mother and sister at war's end. His book takes an unusual look at World War II, from the point of view of a bright young soldier who knew the war was being lost and was sometimes bored, lonely, starving, creative, happy, depressed, clever... and always observant. To quote an Amazon reviewer, "it is a good story about the horrors and realities of war while offering a lot of grit, positivity, and problem solving." I do, however, question why this is classified as a juvenile title, both since it uses adult vocabulary and refers to scenarios not always appropriate for students, and since it is such a fascinating read for grown-ups who are likely to overlook it when it is in the children's section of the library.

[Carol Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful book, one that forces the reader to go beyond the black and white stereotypes of most literature on Germany in World War II. Georg Rauch is a teenager from Vienna with some Jewish relatives, drafted in the German army in the waning days of the Russian Front. His good luck is phenomenal, yet even so his final months are agonizing and terrifying beyond description. This book reminded me of Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, except that where Billy Pilgrim makes no effort to survive and no effort to understand his own purpose Georg Rauch is always looking for ways to keep himself alive -- not only physically, but morally and emotionally. A powerful first hand account of war that is different from the rest.

[jaden · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Trent Pelzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off I really enjoyed this book. As soon as I read the title, I was interested. I mean seriously, a Jewish soldier in Hitler's army! How? His name is George Rauch. He has helped his mom store many hidden Jews in their attic. I myself cannot relate to him at all. He was drafted into the military at the age of 18 as a Jew. He was a soldier in the infantry. I really liked how the author used a copious amount of adjectives to describe the life he faced as a young soldier and the conflicts he had encountered. I also enjoyed how we got to read the letters he was sending home to his family. He talked about how he survived conflicts, how he found food and how his body was handling the pain. The one thing I did not like about this book is it took forever for something dramatic to happen. Although, most war books are like that... I'm not going to get into much other detail because I do not want to spoil anything. Great book. The author was fantastic. If read you will definitely learn a lot about the German and Russian War. Highly Recommended!

[Thebruce1314 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a nice surprise. Of course the title caught my attention right away, but I was pleased to find that the prose was a well written and captivating story. It is unusual to hear about the Second World War from the German point of view, and even less usual to hear about it from a soldier with Jewish blood. It is horrifying to think about what any soldier went through during this dark period of history, but Rauch speaks of his experiences with dignity. Rather than simply a timeline of events, Rauch's tale is laced with humour, creativity and a dash of spirituality. This is one of the best books I've read about the war: an interesting case study in humanity.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rauch builds a riveting tale of his time spent in the German Army during WWII and as a POW in Russia. This tale of suffering and survival is rather compelling and will keep a reader engaged throughout, especially the post-war period as Rauch attempts to return to home and family.

[Isator · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst book in the world

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my November nonfiction read, I read An Unlikely Warrior: A Jewish Soldier in Hitler's Army, a 2016 nonfiction title by Georg Rauch with 326 pages. It is an autobiography following Georg Rauch's life as a one-quarter Jew fighting for Germany unwillingly in World War II that covers many of his near-death experiences, and stories of hunger, thirst, and captivity. It also includes many of Rauch's letters written by him to his mother during the war. I enjoyed the book somewhat but disliked some of its content; the letters included in the book from Rauch to his family were touching, but I felt that too many were included. Additionally, I enjoy reading fiction more than nonfiction and find some details of wartime stories to be depressing and boring. However, accounts of Rauch's survival and determination were inspiring and relatable. There was one section in particular I loved, where, commenting on encroaching tanks, Rauch explained, "Thin black stripes, etched against the sky, rose from behind the hills. They were the slim gun turrets of the creeping tanks, followed by the obscenely fat blobs of their bodies. I couldn't count them; there were too many" (Rauch 198). For these reasons, I would give An Unlikely Warrior: A Jewish Soldier in Hitler's Army 3.5 stars out of 5 and recommend it only to those who are particularly interested in wartime accounts.

[HyrumSasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of World War Two from a new perspective; not just the perspective of a Jew but that of one in the German Army. This provides a different story than most we read, where it is a jew hiding from Germans or a soldier on either side of the war. Instead, we learn about a young man and his worries at the frontline where no one cared whether he was a Jew or not, they just cared that he was a German soldier which meant he either followed their orders or was someone to shoot at. I liked that this book also took the time to tell how terrible war really is and the terrible things they had to do just to stay alive. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys history, especially that time period, or that over glorifies war, as it would give them a second idea of what war really is.

[Sean Brewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A memoir by Georg Rauch about his experiences in World War II as a quarter Jew in Hitler’s army. A fascinating read about how he was drafted into the military although he was Jewish and his journey to a Russian POW camp to his journey home. A must read to understand another perspective of the war and history.

[Alexander Hutchison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great account of WWII. It was really interesting to see the side of the German solider instead of the allied solider. I also really liked reading about the eastern front as I haven't looked into it as much as the western front.

[Ryan Jennings]

An Unlikely Warrior is a memoir written by Georg Rauch, a partly Jewish boy who has been in hiding, until he was drafted into Hitler's army. Rauch explains the harsh realities he had to face when fighting for a war he never agreed with and his stories of surviving war and pain.

[Deevena Jemima · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartbreaking account of a young man forced into a war, fighting for something he didn't believe or want to be a part of. The horrible experiences faced on the battlefield, watching fellow soldiers fall in front of him, and yet unable to escape that hell.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to agree with the more negative reviews on here. I have read a lot of books on WWII, both fiction and nonfiction. If it weren’t for the title of this one, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up. Unfortunately, the title is misleading. While Georg Rauch’s experience as a young solider at the German Russian front is valid, it really had nothing to do with him being partly Jewish. I feel like mentioning he was Jewish was simply done as a selling point for the book as it added nothing to the actual narrative. As such I was slightly disappointed by the contents and telling of this story. However, it is still an interesting memoir.

[Megan Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was intense! Georg had quite a war story. I am glad everything worked out for him in the end.

[Ary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was wonderful!
I love the font and this story is just so good

[Daniel Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting story of a 1/4 Jew who unwillingly fought in Hitlers army.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5, really gripping telling, and I was constantly shocked throughout the book that this was a work of non fiction.

[Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. A very good read.

[Elise Phillipp · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Unlikely Warrior is about how a thirteen year old boy is serving in Hitler's army. But what shocked everyone was that Georg Rauch has Jewish relatives. His parents have been hiding Jews in their attic since the war got bad. The story is split into 3 parts, his training camp experience is part one, part two is his crazy experience in the labor camps and how he felt, part three was was his long journey back to his home town to see if / hoping his family is alive and all well.

[Savannah Perches · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlikely warrior by Georg Rauch is by far one of the best WWII books that I have read. The perspective of Georg is one that is super different from the ones I usually read. As one who reads many books on WWII, this book is such an easy read. As Georg, an adolescent with Jewish heritage, gets drafted into the German Force, he is faced with the problem of being a jew. Through different times, George travels around wherever the army goes and works as a radio engineer. He suffers through famine and war and even being held as a captive to the Russians, who treat him better than the Germans. All in all, this book is amazing for the WWII junkie (If this is you then, trust me you won't be able to put it down).