Reading Metrics
Grade Level
Middle Grades Plus (MG+ 6 and up)
Book Level
7.3
Points
14.0
Fiction/Nonfiction
Nonfiction
Word Count
79184
Points per Word
0.000177
Page Count
324
Points per Page
0.04321
Description
This memoir recounts the experiences of Georg Rauch, an 18-year-old part-Jewish German who was drafted into the German army during World War II. Despite his Jewish heritage, he was sent to serve on the Russian front, where he faced brutal combat, harsh winter conditions, and the constant danger of being exposed as a Jew. The narrative offers a firsthand look at the moral dilemmas and survival tactics of a Jewish soldier in Hitler's army. Rauch's story also describes how he managed to stay alive until the war ended, providing a personal account of identity and loyalty in Nazi Germany.