COLD, The 1918-19 Siberian Escape of Captain Ewald Loeffler

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COLD, THE 1918-19 SIBERIAN ESCAPE OF CAPTAIN EWALD LOEFFLER, a novel by Rick Schmidt, follows young German soldier Ewald Loeffler as he navigates 5000 km of frozen Siberia to return to Germany and his family. After four years in a Siberian prison camp, guards abandon their posts to join the Russian Revolution, leaving prisoners to survive on their own. Loeffler, one of the few to endure the extreme cold and perilous conditions, recounts his harrowing struggle for survival in a daily log. He faces sub-zero temperatures, wolves, and threats from both Russian and German adversaries. His journey is marked by intimate memories, including his relationship with Nanra-naw, a native woman who saves and supports him emotionally and spiritually. Haunted by violent combat experiences and psychological scars from an abusive father and distant mother, Loeffler's survival becomes a mental battle against the ghosts of his past. Despite the overwhelming challenges, moments of happier memories occasionally emerge. Schmidt's narrative, inspired by his father's real-life escape, captures the resilience of the human spirit against the backdrop of war and hardship.