The Spoils of Victory - Hardcover

by Daniel J. Markowitz (Author)

A compelling story between Germans and Americans caught up in WWII, but far from the battlefield.

Rolf Mueller, a young corporal from Olpe, Germany who comes of age in the Nazi era, is swept up by Hitler's promise to make Germany great again. In the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany, he fights his way across Europe and North Africa before being wounded and captured in 1943.

Transported to America, Rolf is incarcerated in the Flint Hills of Kansas, where under a U.S. Army program, he is sent to work on a farm owned by Mennonites-their ancestors are German peace pilgrims who left Europe decades earlier to escape religious persecution. This family, the Unruhs, must hire POWs because of the acute wartime labor shortage. The irony-Hitler's warriors working for pacifists to save their harvest and feed America-is not lost on anyone.

Separated from his family and imprisoned after years of gruesome war and relentless Nazi indoctrination, Rolf must acknowledge the terrible deeds he committed and reckon with his guilt before he can hope for forgiveness.

Loretta Unruh, the family's eldest daughter, also embarks on her own uncharted journey in a changing world, deciding how to pursue her own dreams while honoring the family and traditions that sustain her.

Around the Unruh dinner table, Rolf comes to know America and Loretta learns about the world beyond her insulated community. Together, they discover the contours of love and hope for happiness, even in the darkest of times.