A grim post-war drama for the subjugated: four years of captivity in a British penal colony. The bitter fate of proud and honorable men with a tragic past, and their daily battle for survival.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
". . . Enclosed please find a check for the book Home by Christmas. My Mom really enjoyed Paid in Full. I would like to give it to her for Valentine's Day. Could you, please, autograph her copy?" -- Barbara E.
". . .I am enjoying reading the first and second book. Please, send me a copy of the third book as soon as it is finished." -- Henry N.
". . .We have something in common, which I got a big kick out of when I read your books. I grew up in southern England, served three years in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (1952-55), and was stationed for 26 months at a place called Moascar outside Ismailia; a camp that was probably about as austere as when you were there!" -- Michael H., Copy Editor.
". . .We went to my parent's home for dinner and I put one of your books on the coffee table. My dad began to read the first book right away. He thoroughly enjoyed it and now is well into the second. The first is already in circulation, now being read by my brother, but my turn will come! They both complimented you on your writing abilities and talent!" -- Christine M.
. . . This letter comes from Scotland. "A friend of mine gave me your Book "Home by Christmas." I just finished reading it and enjoyed it very much. I was stationed in the R.A.F. camp at Ismailia, and also was treated for an injury at the Military Hospital of El Faijd, the very same where you served as a POW. Of course my circumstances were very different from yours, I realise, but your words, and your descriptions brought back to me many of the sights and sounds ( and the smells ) and experiences and attitudes I encountered during my 18-month stay in Egypt. Sometimes I felt like a prisoner too, because the Suez Canal crisis between the Brits and French on one side, Egypt on the other, was looming . . . Anyway, I thank you for such a fine book, and for bringing back so many interesting memories of fifty plus years ago. More power to your pen!" -- Iain M., Musician.
Demoralized by their defeat, the German fighting men are further devastated by the destruction to their families, their homes and their country. They are dismayed by their vilification. The suffering is compounded when they are denied repatriation. A hundred thousand of their fighting men are herded into troop carriers and shipped to British desert camps in Egypt. They are held in limbo; they are punished by hunger, thirst and humiliation; they are interrogated and indoctrinated. All the while their deepest yearning is to be home by Christmas. How do these prisoners of war deal with the brutality and boredom inflicted upon them? How do they square their patriotic self-view with the scathing condemnation heaped on them by the triumphant Allies who focused, like them, on duty, justice and victory? How do they handle the prospect of a future filled with bleakness and hate? HOME BY CHRISTMAS not only describes compelling action, it also illuminates a personal odyssey. Laced with lyrical passages on the beauty of nature and the splendor of nature's God, the narrative unveils a philosophic and spiritual evolution. It discloses the anguish that flows from fractured ideals, demeaned self-image, and a shattered worldview. It uncovers the peace of faith reborn and the joy of hope renewed. Fast paced, graphic, suspenseful and evocative, this second book in author Edwin Mahlo's trilogy is a must read for all who seek a balanced presentation of a part of history. Above all, HOME BY CHRISTMAS offers uplifting evidence of the durability, resiliency and creativity of the human spirit. -- Reviewer's name not given
". . .I am enjoying reading the first and second book. Please, send me a copy of the third book as soon as it is finished." -- Henry N.
". . .We have something in common, which I got a big kick out of when I read your books. I grew up in southern England, served three years in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (1952-55), and was stationed for 26 months at a place called Moascar outside Ismailia; a camp that was probably about as austere as when you were there!" -- Michael H., Copy Editor.
". . .We went to my parent's home for dinner and I put one of your books on the coffee table. My dad began to read the first book right away. He thoroughly enjoyed it and now is well into the second. The first is already in circulation, now being read by my brother, but my turn will come! They both complimented you on your writing abilities and talent!" -- Christine M.
. . . This letter comes from Scotland. "A friend of mine gave me your Book "Home by Christmas." I just finished reading it and enjoyed it very much. I was stationed in the R.A.F. camp at Ismailia, and also was treated for an injury at the Military Hospital of El Faijd, the very same where you served as a POW. Of course my circumstances were very different from yours, I realise, but your words, and your descriptions brought back to me many of the sights and sounds ( and the smells ) and experiences and attitudes I encountered during my 18-month stay in Egypt. Sometimes I felt like a prisoner too, because the Suez Canal crisis between the Brits and French on one side, Egypt on the other, was looming . . . Anyway, I thank you for such a fine book, and for bringing back so many interesting memories of fifty plus years ago. More power to your pen!" -- Iain M., Musician.
Demoralized by their defeat, the German fighting men are further devastated by the destruction to their families, their homes and their country. They are dismayed by their vilification. The suffering is compounded when they are denied repatriation. A hundred thousand of their fighting men are herded into troop carriers and shipped to British desert camps in Egypt. They are held in limbo; they are punished by hunger, thirst and humiliation; they are interrogated and indoctrinated. All the while their deepest yearning is to be home by Christmas. How do these prisoners of war deal with the brutality and boredom inflicted upon them? How do they square their patriotic self-view with the scathing condemnation heaped on them by the triumphant Allies who focused, like them, on duty, justice and victory? How do they handle the prospect of a future filled with bleakness and hate? HOME BY CHRISTMAS not only describes compelling action, it also illuminates a personal odyssey. Laced with lyrical passages on the beauty of nature and the splendor of nature's God, the narrative unveils a philosophic and spiritual evolution. It discloses the anguish that flows from fractured ideals, demeaned self-image, and a shattered worldview. It uncovers the peace of faith reborn and the joy of hope renewed. Fast paced, graphic, suspenseful and evocative, this second book in author Edwin Mahlo's trilogy is a must read for all who seek a balanced presentation of a part of history. Above all, HOME BY CHRISTMAS offers uplifting evidence of the durability, resiliency and creativity of the human spirit. -- Reviewer's name not given
About the Author
Edwin K. Mahlo was born and educated in Berlin, Germany. He served in the German Navy during World War II, attaining the rank of lieutenant. He saw combat in the Black Sea region, the British Channel, and the Mediterranean area. Wounded twice in action and decorated for valor, at war's end he was captured in Italy by the American Forces. He escaped their POW camp only to be recaptured by the British. In 1948, back in Berlin after three-and-a-half years of British captivity in Africa, he married his girl Inge and completed his education as a chemical engineer. After participating in the failed revolt of the German workers in East Berlin against their Soviet oppressors, he chose America as the new home for his small family. Six years in the Texas oil and chemical industries and U.S citizenship followed before a company transfer brought the Mahlos to Massachusetts. In 1986, he terminated his industrial employment to strike out on his own. After eight more years as an international business consultant, he retired from the marketplace to write a trilogy, a narrative seen through the lens of his own life. HOME BY CHRISTMAS is the SECOND volume of this three-book project.
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