This is the account of some 240 Prussian families who first migrated to the Ukraine and then re-settled in Marinette and Oconto counties, Wisconsin . The author furnishes the family member's year of birth, date entered the U.S., country of origin, port of entry, and date of death, as well as the name of his spouse, and her dates of birth and death. Also very useful are a number of plat maps showing the distribution of land in the aforementioned counties among East Prussian settlers around the turn of this century.

The author describes his childhood on his parents' farm in East Prussia and the first school years in Erlenrode und Kuckerneese. The Second World War changes people's lives. As an eleven-year-old boy, along with his mother and two brothers, he experiences the Great Trek on a horse-drawn harvest wagon. It starts in October 1944 and ends six months later in April 1945, after a drive of more than 750 miles through East Prussia, West Prussia, Pomerania, Mecklenburg, and Lower Saxony to Sievershausen near Hannover, Germany. The stages of their struggle and their encounters along the way are depicted with remarkable honesty. Many striking details, often strange and unimaginable, sometimes touching to the heart, are included.

Life in Marienburg, Germany, in November 1929 was traumatic. The stock market and banks of Germany collapsed, the Berlin soup kitchens could not keep up with the hungry, and unemployment skyrocketed. In this town of 30,000, during this defining moment in history, Claus Neumann was born. Neumann captures his fascinating story in a candid memoir that first details his idyllic childhood and then charts his progress as he grows from enthusiastic student, patriot, and member of Hitler Youth, to a disillusioned teen defending his homeland. He inevitably becomes a refugee who flees the Russians from two separate homes before reaching freedom in the West. Along the way, he smuggles, works as a cook's apprentice simply to eat, and serves time as a prisoner in solitary confinement in one of the most notorious political prisons in East Germany. Neumann eventually becomes cynical about systems and politics but remains filled with optimism about life, traveling to many countries and finding an unusual way to immigrate to the United States. Farewell Marienburg provides not only an interesting perspective into a boy's youthful and naïve admiration of Hitler, but also a poignant glimpse into a young man's courage and determination as he struggles to save both himself and his family.

Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt (1875-1953) was one of the foremost German commanders of the Second World War. After service on both the Western and Eastern Fronts during 1914-1918 he rose steadily through the ranks before retiring in 1938. Recalled to plan the attack on Poland, he played a leading part in this and the invasion of France in 1940. Thereafter he commanded Army Group South in the assault on Russia before being sacked at the end of 1941. Recalled again, he was made Commander-in-Chief West and as such faced the 1944 Allied invasion of France, but was removed that July. He resumed his post in September 1944 and had overall responsibility for the December 1944 Ardennes counter-offensive. Captured by the Americans, he was handed over to the British, who wanted to try him for war crimes. Only his ill health prevented this from coming about.

One man’s part in the Nazi plan to assassinate Hitler during WWII—and “an interesting account of one of the key figures in the resistance movement” (Britain at War). As the descendant of an aristocratic family from Westphalia, Germany, Kurt Baron von Plettenberg served as an officer in both world wars. But he never supported the twisted ideals that drove the Third Reich. So, when he found a group of soldiers—including Operation Valkyrie mastermind Claus von Stauffenberg—who realized the true insanity of the Nazi regime, von Plettenberg was compelled to join the resistance that was growing within Hitler’s own circle. On July 20, 1944, the plot to assassinate the führer was finally put into action. Unfortunately for von Plettenberg and his fellow conspirators, the effort failed. Von Plettenberg was not immediately discovered as one of the conspirators. But only a few weeks before the end of the war, he was condemned and arrested. It was then that he was forced to make a terrible decision: betray his friends under torture—or do what his personal honor dictated . . . This gripping biography shows for the first time how von Plettenberg found a way to prevail during those dark days and how significantly he influenced the resistance against Hitler.

This book goes beyond the sauerkraut and knackwurst stereotype to unveil the often overlooked diversity of German cuisine. 170 regional recipes range from classic dishes, such as spaetzle with cheese and sauerbraten to forgotten delicacies like Westfalian pumpernickel pudding. Numerous profiles, anecdotes, and food lore complete the book.