Unlikely Warrior: A Jewish Soldier in Hitler’s Army by Georg Rauch was published in 2015, but was originally released under the title of The Jew with the Iron Cross: A Record of Survival in WWII Russia in 2006. The memoir was written about Rauch’s experiences as a telegraphist in the Nazi Army during World War II. The majority of the book takes place at the Russian front throughout the years of 1943 to -45.
Though minor characters that played a role in his life at the front enter the story, the main protagonist of the memoir is Georg Rauch himself. He faces off against the Russian army on many different occasions as they are the main antagonists of the account. However, through it all, Rauch remains true to his character. Rauch is a strong …show more content…
From start to finish, Rauch makes you wonder about the expendability of life in war. This theme is seen in this quote: “On all this one can see so crassly the differences when somebody dies. Among us soldiers it is so insignificant. When you find out someone has been killed, you don’t say much. Perhaps you tell each other some of the last, striking details from his life: you speculate who will take over his function, and so the matter is settled,” (p. 151). How can someone become so accustomed to death that they no longer feel for those who are lost? How is a death in a war different from a death in another situation? It is clear that loss of life is so prominent at the front that it just becomes a part of everyday life for soldiers, pushed to the back of everybody’s mind. And yet while death is present in war, so is perseverance. While everyone around Rauch was dying by the hands of strangers, he still remains optimistic about returning home and pushes through the struggles around him. What keeps one from giving up in such horrid conditions? What keeps us from giving in, in our everyday life? Is it love? Is it hope? Would I give in, in a war that killed nearly everyone I knew? Would I be strong enough to keep going? It seems that what kept Rauch going was his love for his family. No matter what he was going through, Rauch always thought about his family first. Even while he was going through near-death experiences his family was the first thing on his mind. What would I be thinking of? Would my love for them be enough to keep me going? How would I cope if I lost one of them? These are just a few of the themes and questions that Georg Rauch makes you ponder while reading his
Though minor characters that played a role in his life at the front enter the story, the main protagonist of the memoir is Georg Rauch himself. He faces off against the Russian army on many different occasions as they are the main antagonists of the account. However, through it all, Rauch remains true to his character. Rauch is a strong …show more content…
From start to finish, Rauch makes you wonder about the expendability of life in war. This theme is seen in this quote: “On all this one can see so crassly the differences when somebody dies. Among us soldiers it is so insignificant. When you find out someone has been killed, you don’t say much. Perhaps you tell each other some of the last, striking details from his life: you speculate who will take over his function, and so the matter is settled,” (p. 151). How can someone become so accustomed to death that they no longer feel for those who are lost? How is a death in a war different from a death in another situation? It is clear that loss of life is so prominent at the front that it just becomes a part of everyday life for soldiers, pushed to the back of everybody’s mind. And yet while death is present in war, so is perseverance. While everyone around Rauch was dying by the hands of strangers, he still remains optimistic about returning home and pushes through the struggles around him. What keeps one from giving up in such horrid conditions? What keeps us from giving in, in our everyday life? Is it love? Is it hope? Would I give in, in a war that killed nearly everyone I knew? Would I be strong enough to keep going? It seems that what kept Rauch going was his love for his family. No matter what he was going through, Rauch always thought about his family first. Even while he was going through near-death experiences his family was the first thing on his mind. What would I be thinking of? Would my love for them be enough to keep me going? How would I cope if I lost one of them? These are just a few of the themes and questions that Georg Rauch makes you ponder while reading his