Customer Reviews

Herman the German: Enemy Alien U.S. Army Master Sergeant #10500000

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Great story of an innovative young German man who ended up in Hong Kong at the beginning of World War 2 following an auto repair apprenticeship in Germany, pieced together a Japanese zero to evaluate its weaknesses and change US fighting tactics against the Japanese, came to the US after the war and developed gas turbine engines for General Electric.

Gerhard Neumann was a friend of my fathers for many years. As a boy my father constantly reminded me about the excellence of German engineering and dedication to their work. He also spoke very highly of Gerhard Neumann who personified this to a tee. After reading this book I find my life VERY DULL! Dad never spoke of the adventures that come with such dedication. Most enjoyable book I have every read. Thanks Dad, & Gerhard

I read this book in 1992 while attempting to get my degree in Aerospace Engineering. When I finished the book, I sat down and wrote Mr. Neumann a letter. Very few books inspire enough to take pen to paper. The amazing thing about this, he wrote me back. I went searching for his book tonight (2007) to inspire my son. There are very few roll models these days, and I want him to read one of mine.

This is one of the best books you will ever read. It is the biography of Gerhard Neumann, "Herman the German." Neumann, a gifted mechanical engineer and a German Jew, fled the Nazis and Germany to work as an aviation mechanical engineer for the Chinese National Airline. He was there when WW II broke out. At that point, the American Volunteer Group, the Flying Tigers, came to China to fight the Japanese. The Flying Tigers needed mechanics and heard about "Herman the German." Although he was an enemy alien, he was so extraordinarily gifted that the Flying Tigers hired him as a civilian mechanic to work on American fighter aircraft. His technical skills, leadership qualities and personality were so amazing; however, that the impressed American officers took great care to keep him. They obtained permission to enlist Herman the German, an enemy alien, into the US Army Air Force! There, he became an Army Air Force master sergeant and an American citizen. So it was, that when the war ended, he went to the US with other demobilized troops, rather than to Germany. Fantastic! But the rest of the story is even more so. An enemy alien German Jew stranded in China - not the brightest of futures. But as extraordinary as he was, his future was bound to be astonishing and outstanding. And his adventures did not end with demobilization, nor when he entered the US. Whatever the old book price is here, pay it! Your enjoyment of this story will be worth it!

This in my opinion is a fasinating book. Our sucess in life sometimes hinges on being in the right place at the right time, more than we realize. This is a true story and a real insight into history.

A gripping story that transcends WW2 and culminates in a high postion of a US Corporation, with breathtaking adventure in between. If you enjoy revisiting WW2 and following the dogged determination of a young German, this is for you.