Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

List of Maps xi

Author's Notes xii

Preface xv

Foreword xvii

Acknowledgments and Sources xix

Glossary xx

1 From Peace to War 21

2 Instruction (in Brandenburg) 40

3 En Route to the East: 16 Days on Straw 46

4 Slaviansk: The Front is Not Much Farther 54

5 The Advance 74

6 The Return of the Prodigal Son 101

7 Koubano - Armianski: Caucasus 110

8 Toward New Horizons 122

9 21 October, 1942: Evacuated 128

10 Conclusion of the Campaign in the Caucasus: Prelude to Another 131

11 New Winter Campaign: Tcherkassy 147

12 Our Second Campaign: My First Winter 151

13 The Fighting at Teklino 173

14 The Encirclement 182

15 The Breakthrough: The Word is "Freiheit"! 197

16 The Tout of the Hospitals 221

17 Return on a "Mission" to Belgium 229

18 Exile 232

19 Return to My Unit 239

20 Departure for the Oder: The Final Endeavors 246

21 Ephemeral Prisoners 263

22 Our Return to Belgium 271

23 Arrested and a Captive in My Own Land 278

24 From Dampremy to St. Gilles 280

25 The "Petit Château" 293

26 The Tribunal 300

27 Beverloo 303

28 The Merksplas Colony 312

29 Shadow, Freedom, Rebirth 315

Epilogue 319

Appendices

I Additional Illustrations 321

II "Impressions of Beverloo" 324