The Jew with the Iron Cross: A Record of Survival in WWII Russia

Georg Rauch
iUniverse (2006)
ISBN 0595379877
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (11/06)

"The Jew with the Iron Cross" is a memoir written by Georg Rauch who was recruited into Hitler's army even though he was a quarter Jewish.  Rauch did not believe in Hitler's cause.  He even helped his mother hide Jewish people in the family's attic in Vienna.  His mother worked with an underground group to help them escape to a safer place.  She risked her life and that of her family to support something that she believed in.

When Rauch was recruited, he went along reluctantly.  At one point, he was identified as being officer material.  He truly did not want a part of this and was able to use his Jewish blood to avoid having to go through the training.  He was sent out to the front lines to act as a shortwave radio operator.  He had some horrific experiences here.  He did manage to use his cooking skills and his ability to play a harmonica to improve his quality of life.  Still it was horrible.  He had to deal with seeing death and the threat of his own death. 

Part 1 of the book deals with Rauch's experiences at home and then out on the front.  Part 2 of the book takes off after he was captured by the Russians and sent to a POW camp.  He didn't get to the camp too quickly; he had to march most of his way there.  Again he saw a great deal of death.  In addition to being shot by soldiers, people were also dying from illness, starvation and the cold weather.  Rauch himself almost died of dysentery.  At one point he was actually believed to be dead and sent to the morgue. Because he had been identified as being of use for providing the Russians with espionage information, he received some special treatment and was able to survive. 

"The Jew with the Iron Cross" was written based upon letters that Rauch sent home to his mother.  He really had a special relationship with her which was obvious before he even left.  She seemed like an incredibly wise woman.  His letters to her reflect what was going on in his daily life up until he was captured.  In the book, Rauch also includes additional information about the horrible conditions and experiences that he was dealing with at the time.  I am sure that he protected his mother by not sharing this with her.

I found Rauch's memoirs to be very well written and sobering.  He taught me some history from a different perspective than what I learned in school.  Not everyone that fought for Hitler wanted to.  How sad it is that these men were forced into the horrific conditions of a war that they did not believe in.  Rauch also does an excellent job of conveying his experiences and what the conditions were really like.   He is an excellent writer.  I appreciate his willingness to share his story.

"The Jew with the Iron Cross" is an excellent book for WWII history buffs.  I would also recommend it to history teachers to use for their classes.  I really think that students would benefit from his story.  I also think that what Rauch experienced in war will make his readers think about the horrible realities of war in general. 

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