Almost a Soldier: The 1945 Diary of a Hungarian Cadet - Softcover

Sigmund Csicsery

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0972458883 ISBN 13: 9780972458887

Publisher: Zala Films, 2011

Synopsis

On December 29, 1944 Sigmund Csicsery embarked on an odyssey that would take him thousands of miles by foot, train, sled, and transport vehicles from Sümeg in western Hungary to near Stettin in the far north of Germany, then south through Berlin and the then-Sudeten part of Germany, and eventually to Bavaria. There, he and the other cadets in his military school were captured by American forces during the last weeks of World War II. From April to October of 1945, the journey continued, as the Hungarian cadets endured the vicissitudes of life as POWs in half a dozen immense camps scattered around Germany and northern France. This journey is described through through the eyes of the 16-year-old author. He recorded meticulous accounts of daily events throughout the ordeal in a personal diary, presenting an unusual perspective on the last months of life in the crumbling Third Reich. The harrowing descriptions of conditions inside American POW camps after the war ended will be of special interest to military historians. Csicsery s attention to detail, enhanced by his original drawings are revealing documents from a firsthand witness whose greatest contribution might well be the art of precise description. Almost a Soldier: The 1945 Diary of A Hungarian Cadet was translated from the original notebook diary kept in 1945, a typed expansion completed in 1946, and a version published in Hungarian in 1997. This English edition, published by Zala Films is available in July 2011.

About this title

About the Author

Sigmund Csicsery, a retired chemist, holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Northwestern University. He lives with his wife, Gabrielle, in Lafayette, California.

Edition details

• Publisher: Zala Films
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0972458883
• ISBN 13: 9780972458887
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Sigmund Csicsery, Michael Markowitz
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 204
• Editor: George Csicsery, Sharon Silva, Molly Walker