River of Destiny

This is the English translation of the German original 'Gratwanderung'. the story of my Moselle wine-making family. I try to tell German history - predominantly of the 19th and 20th century - by the example of one family in one village. Since the Moselle is a border region, there are a number of connections to other countries, namely France. Foreign readers may learn how and why the Nazi-ideology was able to gain support and to what sort of conflicts that lead, dividing whole families. Probably the most exciting part of the book is when I describe how my grandfather helped a shot down American airman and what consequenses that had for him. The story also allows deep insights into the rural life before WWI, when Germany was still a monarchy and one of my relatives was serving at the court of a local aristocrat. The personal stories are rounded up by some factual chapters, for example about the Roman heritage of the region, the fate of the small Jewish community, the role of the wine and some famous persons from the Moselle.

Born in 1963, married, 5 children. Abitur at the Cusanus Gymnasium Erkelenz, studied History, Education and Political Science at the Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg. 11 years of military service as artillery officer with postings in Idar-Oberstein, Tauberbischofsheim and Würzburg. For many years as a vagabond but with the blessing of the Foreign Office on his way around the world as 'Ambassador of the Moselle Wine'.