Sunrise in the West

by Glen Reginald Natalier

Overview

            World War II is ending. The enemy is advancing. In the far north-eastern reaches of the Empire, the German citizens are terrified. The victorious Russian army is determined to sweep the area clean of German settlement and reports of atrocities are reaching the farmers of the village of Rucken in the Memelland. Franz, Helena and their two teen-age daughters must flee before the arrival of the Russians. Leaving everything except what could be packed onto their farm wagon they travel west to escape death. Now they must struggle along overcrowded roads, evade falling artillery shells and the strafing of screaming fighter planes, bear biting hunger and suffer the freezing winter in an attempt to stay ahead of destruction.

            Amidst this terror and death they find that there are those who have not lost their humanity and are happy to help them in their struggle towards safety. But will this alone suffice? This story is based on the experiences of an actual family who hopes to see the dawn of a new day in areas conquered by more humane victors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780648523826
Publisher:	Glen Natalier
Publication date:	04/12/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Glen Natalier was born into a closely knit rural community in the Lockyer Valley in Queensland, Australia. He chose not to stay on the family farm but completed the necessary studies to become a high school teacher of geography and German language. During these teaching years he wrote a number of geography text books directed towards the syllabus requirements at that time. This allowed him to travel widely collecting, first hand, material and photographs to be used in the books. Years of teaching have left him with a love of learning and he finds that writing helps detract from the cares and worries which always seem to arise. The tennis and footballs of previous years have morphed into golf balls which bring great pleasure when seen against the green of the centre of a fairway. Now retired, he lives with his wife, Jill, caring for a teen-age grandson with an intellectual impairment. They live in a town just over a few hills from where he was born. Their four children and their families are scattered around Australia.

Editorial Reviews

"This book is a must for descendants of Northern European families that endured the horrors and fears of the Russian invasion at the end of the second World War. The author has described the evacuation traumas of families during these turbulant times in vivid detail. You can sense the anguish of the families. A good read."- John Lynch, author of The Drover and the Aborigine and other titles.

"Compassion touched me, the reviewer, when reading this openly and honestly written true story." - Martin Kari, author.

"Sunrise in the West proves once again that the best stories are based on real life events... This is an absorbing story, which will captivate you as each chapter unfolds. Most interesting to read, Glen Natalier has done his research well.' - Alison Lewis author of Missing.

From the Publisher