Davai, Davai!: Memoir of a German Prisoner of World War II in the Soviet Union

In April 1945, Corporal Hans Schuetz was an instructor in the Nazi army, training the last German recruits--men in their 40s and 50s who had previously worked in war production, but who had been called into service now to protect the Fatherland however they could. Soon Russian tanks advanced on their position, and Schuetz was captured by Soviet soldiers and shipped to Russia. Along the way, he was nearly executed for carving a hole in the railroad car to allow the men to see out. For the next three years, he lived in Russian camps, working in the camp hospital and in a freight wagon factory. Working alongside Russians the author gained a deep compassion for the people and love for their homeland even under the arduous conditions he faced.