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A Train Near Magdeburg: A Journey into the Holocaust [2016]
About this book
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WAR-WEARY AMERICAN SOLDIERS.
Jewish children on a death train.
Nazi murderers.
A teacher on a mission.
What happened will leave you speechless! Be uplifted.
THE UNFORGETTABLE TRUE STORY
A Train Near Magdeburg: A Teacher's Journey into the Holocaust and the reuniting of the survivors and liberators, 70 years on [2016]
In the last days of World War II, American soldiers freed a trainload of Jewish prisoners heading to certain death at Nazi hands. Rich with eyewitness testimony, this gripping narrative follows both the survivors and their liberators in vivid detail, from the Holocaust experience throughout Europe, to emotional reunions decades later, all made possible by a history teacher.
501 PAGES.
Publisher's Summary
"It's not a novel. It's not based on a true story. It really happened, and I am a witness. You will be, too."
A teacher's personal journey of reflection as he comes to grips with reuniting American soldiers-liberators with the actual Holocaust survivor-children they saved 65 years before...
What do you do if you are a reluctant soldier, having been shot at, seen your friends killed, and can no longer even remember what your own mother looks like? As a combat soldier fighting your way across Europe, what is the plan when you come across a Holocaust train full of suffering humanity that shocks you to your core, even after you think you have seen it all? And what happens when you get to meet the survivors face-to-face, two generations later?
From the author of The Things Our Fathers Saw in the World War II eyewitness history series comes this book, offering the true story behind an iconic photograph taken at the liberation of a death train, deep in the heart of Nazi Germany. It's brought to life by the history teacher who discovered it and went on to reunite hundreds of Holocaust survivors with the actual American soldiers who saved them.
The Holocaust was a watershed event in history. Drawing on never-before published eyewitness accounts, survivor testimony and memoirs, wartime reports and letters, Matthew Rozell takes us on his journey to uncover the stories behind the incredible 1945 liberation photographs taken by the soldiers who were there.
He weaves together a chronology of the Holocaust as it unfolds across Europe and goes to the authentic sites of the Holocaust to retrace the steps of the survivors and the American soldiers who freed them. His mission culminates in joyful reunions in three continents, seven decades later.
Rozell offers his unique perspective on the lessons of the holocaust for future generations and the impact that one person - a teacher - can make. Features testimony from 15 American liberators and over 30 Holocaust survivors.
"After I got home I cried a lot. My parents couldn't understand why I couldn't sleep at times." (Walter "Babe" Gantz, US Army medic)
"I grew up and spent all my years being angry. This means I don't have to be angry anymore." (Paul Arato, Holocaust survivor)
"I survived because of many miracles. But for me to actually meet, shake hands, hug, and cry together with my liberators - the "angels of life" who literally gave me back my life - was just beyond imagination." (Leslie Meisels, Holocaust survivor)
"People say it cannot happen here in this country; yes, it can happen here. I was 21 years old. I was there to see it happen!" (Luca Furnari, US Army)
"It's not for my sake, it's for the sake of humanity, that you will remember." (Steve Barry, Holocaust survivor)
EBOOK
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— TABLE OF CONTENTS —
Author’s Note 11
BOOK ONE 17
Hell on Earth 19
The Last Transport 61
Darkness Descends 71
Lost in Germany 81
The Ash Yards of Poland 103
A Child in Holland 161
‘Hungary is Judenrein’ 181
BOOK TWO 223
Coming Home 225
A Date with the Cosmos 235
A Time to Die 243
The Bulge and Beyond 269
BOOK THREE 285
What the Soldiers Saw 289
‘The Americans Are Here’ 305
‘I’ll never forget today.’ 341
BOOK FOUR 355
‘The Indomitable Spirit’ 357
‘Now I know what I fought for.’ 379
‘For the Sake of Humanity’ 383
The Medics 397
The Orphan 417
Denial 421
The Mystery 427
‘What do you want the world to be?’ 443
EPILOGUE 447
About this Book/Acknowledgements 469
List of Reunions 481
NOTES 483
Formats and signed editions
Most titles are available in paperback and in collector's hardcover with an embossed spine and glossy colour dust jacket. Many are also available as ebooks and audiobooks.
Signed editions include a decorative bookplate that Matthew signs personally, by hand, adhered inside the front cover. Never autopen, and only available through this store.
Shipping and returns
Most titles ship from our fulfiller in Florida, some from us in upstate New York. We usually ship within a few days by USPS Ground Advantage, which carries insurance. We do not offer same or next day delivery, and we do not ship internationally.
Returns: there is a two week window to begin the process. Email us and we will send a shipping label, deducting its cost from your refund, less the irreversible 3 percent bank transaction fee and up to a 10 percent restocking charge once we recover and inspect the books. Digital products are not returnable.
Gift orders never include the price on the packing slip.
What readers say about the series.
Over 2,500 five star reviews across the series![Volume I: Voices of the Pacific Theater—The Things Our Fathers Saw [2015]](http://matthewrozellbooks.com/cdn/shop/products/fs-sm.jpg?v=1589229512&width=300)
My husband is a WW2 buff and has seen about every documentary ever made on the subject. What got him interested was his father and uncles' WW2 war stories. He was pulled into this book right away.
I bought the series because I hoped to find answers to questions I had about my dad. Some of them have been answered along with things I didn't understand about my six uncles.
![Volume VI: The Bulge And Beyond—The Things Our Fathers Saw [2020]](http://matthewrozellbooks.com/cdn/shop/products/bulge-cover-4.jpgsm_f906909e-a9e5-413c-91ff-aeceb3eb23dd.jpg?v=1590222273&width=300)
My Dad served in the 3rd Armored Division, Normandy to Germany. He did not talk about it, it is nice to sit down and read about it. Thank you very much. My Dad, Eugene Harper.
![A Train Near Magdeburg: A Journey into the Holocaust [2016]](http://matthewrozellbooks.com/cdn/shop/products/Magdeburg-02Cv2FINAL.jpg?v=1655222842&width=300)
Could not put this book down. Tears fell as I read pages and I smiled through others. I wish I could articulate the emotions that accompanied me through the stories of these beautiful people.
![Volume III: Combat, Captivity, and Reunion —The Things Our Fathers Saw [2017]](http://matthewrozellbooks.com/cdn/shop/products/AW22NDED.EB.jpg?v=1668349921&width=300)
I feel like I am sitting in the room with the veteran as he speaks. Very nice series. 3 down, several to go.
![Volume VII: Across The Rhine—The Things Our Fathers Saw [2021]](http://matthewrozellbooks.com/cdn/shop/products/ACROSSTHERHINEEBOOK-min.jpg?v=1632660295&width=300)
By and large, they're all interesting and capture the experiences of young men thrown into the horrors of a vicious war, but this one is different. It should be required reading for every high school and college age student.
Questions people actually ask.
Do I have to read the series in order?
No. Each volume stands on its own and covers a different theater of the war. Most people start with the one closest to where their own family served.
What exactly does signed mean here?
Matthew signs a decorative bookplate for each volume personally, by hand, and it is adhered inside the front cover. Never autopen. Only available through this store.
Is this a good gift?
It is the most common reason people buy these books. We never print the price on the packing slip.
Are these appropriate for a teenager?
There is no sexualised content, but there is discussion of the violence of war and some swearing in the more emotional passages. Matthew did not censor the veterans. He suggests fourteen and up, high school age, maybe thirteen depending on maturity.
How long does shipping take?
We usually ship within a few days by USPS Ground Advantage, which carries insurance. No same or next day delivery, and no international shipping. Full details on the FAQ page.
Dying for freedom isn't the worst thing that could happen. Being forgotten is.
Every purchase helps ensure these stories are remembered, and supports veteran outreach and Holocaust education non-profits on a monthly basis.
Explore all the booksBooks ship from New York or Florida, usually within a few days, USPS Ground Advantage, insured.