The Spoils of War
Book One in the Prisoners of War Series
Novels
By:
Daniel Markowitz
The Spoils of Victory is a story of everyday Germans and Americans caught up in the global cataclysm that was World War II, but this story takes place far from the battlefields.
Rolf Mueller is a young corporal from Olpe, Germany, who came of age in the Nazi era and, like so many, was swept up by Hitler's promise to make Germany great again. In the Wehrmacht, he fought his way across Europe and North Africa before being wounded and captured in Tunisia in 1943 with the remnants of Rommel's Afrika Korps. The Spoils of Victory chronicles his journey as a POW from the blood-soaked sands of the Sahara to the fields and meadows of Kansas.
On his journey, Rolf is influenced by guards, other POWs, and civilians. No one has a greater impact on him than the Unruhs, a tight-knit Mennonite family living on Doyle Creek east of Peabody, descendants of German peace pilgrims who left Russia for America decades earlier to stay true to their religious beliefs.
Due to the critical wartime labor shortage, the Unruhs are willing to hire Rolf and other POWs to work on their farm. But the irony and the risks - Hitler's warriors working for pacifists to save the harvest and feed America - are not lost on anyone.
On the farm, Loretta, the eldest Unruh daughter, is embarking on her own uncharted journey in a world rapidly changing due to war, modernization, and evolving social mores. She must decide whether and how to pursue her personal dreams while still honoring the family and religious traditions that define and sustain her.
Set within a little-known operation of WWII, The Spoils Of Victory gives us a dramatic new perspective on how war reshapes the world, one life at a time. The fact that the United States shipped German prisoners of war to American farms to work the land--with pay--may be news to many, even history buffs, making this rich and enlightening story as surprising and informational as it is entertaining.
– Antonia Felix, New York Times bestselling author
“The Spoils of War is a remarkable story of love, loyalty and war, rooted in the largely forgotten history of the U.S. imprisonment of German POWs during World War II. Daniel Markowitz’s masterful evocation of time and place and his impressive historical research has resulted in a love story of exceptional beauty and depth. It’s a great read.”
– Douglas Nelson, Author of Heart Mountain: The History of An American Concentration Camp
Dan Markowitz brings a historian’s curiosity, an attorney’s attention to detail, and a philosopher’s appreciation for moral complexities in this story of German POWs working among Kansas Mennonites in WWII. It is a tale well worth reading – and pondering. I’m looking forward to more.
– Wynn M. Goering, Ph.D., Chair, Bethel College (KS) Board of Directors