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War Girls #10
Endless Ordeal
coming soon...
Book 10 in the War Girl series is about Johann Hauser's time in Russian captivity.
Book 10 in the War Girl series is about Johann Hauser's time in Russian captivity.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 28, 2019
132 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Marion Kummerow
116 books424 followersMarion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to "discover the world" and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she's now living with her family.
After dipping her toes with non-fiction books, she finally tackled the project dear to her heart. UNRELENTING is the story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime.
It's a book about resilience, love and the courage to stand up and do the right thing.
After dipping her toes with non-fiction books, she finally tackled the project dear to her heart. UNRELENTING is the story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime.
It's a book about resilience, love and the courage to stand up and do the right thing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
July 29, 2019
“Endless Ordeal” is an incredibly touching, very well-written and meticulously researched novel. It is part of the series but I don’t think you will have any problem reading it as a standalone as Ms. Kummerow does a great job providing just enough background information of the characters without overburdening the plot with unnecessary details.
Let me begin by saying that I’ve read many memoirs and biographies of German soldiers who found themselves prisoners of the Soviets, and Johann’s story, despite being fictional, had such authenticity to it that I couldn’t help but applaud the author for the research she’s done. But it’s not just the timely placed historical details that bring Johann’s captivity to life; it’s also the vivid descriptions of the German POWs’ in the Soviet Gulag that will make your heart ache for Johann and his comrades. Caught in the war they wished to be no part of, they’re now paying the ultimate price for finding themselves on the wrong side of history. Many of them will perish from hunger, exhausting work, and simply because they lost their will to go on. Only the love one keeps in his heart can see the prisoner through the, indeed, endless ordeal, and Johann is lucky to have at least that to keep him alive.
The harsh living conditions, the Soviet “war crimes trials” that seem to only mock justice instead of serving it, the endless exploitation by the new masters and rare kindness shown by an ordinary citizen - as I read, my heart ached for Johann and hoped for him to make it out alive, not to lose hope when it’s most important.
If you enjoy reading thoroughly researched, authentic historical novels, this one is definitely for you. Highly recommended!
Let me begin by saying that I’ve read many memoirs and biographies of German soldiers who found themselves prisoners of the Soviets, and Johann’s story, despite being fictional, had such authenticity to it that I couldn’t help but applaud the author for the research she’s done. But it’s not just the timely placed historical details that bring Johann’s captivity to life; it’s also the vivid descriptions of the German POWs’ in the Soviet Gulag that will make your heart ache for Johann and his comrades. Caught in the war they wished to be no part of, they’re now paying the ultimate price for finding themselves on the wrong side of history. Many of them will perish from hunger, exhausting work, and simply because they lost their will to go on. Only the love one keeps in his heart can see the prisoner through the, indeed, endless ordeal, and Johann is lucky to have at least that to keep him alive.
The harsh living conditions, the Soviet “war crimes trials” that seem to only mock justice instead of serving it, the endless exploitation by the new masters and rare kindness shown by an ordinary citizen - as I read, my heart ached for Johann and hoped for him to make it out alive, not to lose hope when it’s most important.
If you enjoy reading thoroughly researched, authentic historical novels, this one is definitely for you. Highly recommended!
August 29, 2019
It has got to be the hardest thing in the world for an author to say goodbye to a whole cast of characters after ten books. At the very least, bittersweet. Huge congratulations on a very well written book. I haven't read the entire series and this is the third book I have read by Kummerow, and it rates as my favorite of hers. I can really recommend it.
July 28, 2019
REVIEW “ENDLESS ORDEAL”
This is the harrowing story of Johann Hauser a Lieutenant in the German Wehrmacht who was captured by the Russians and ended up in a Siberian work camp and forced to work under brutal conditions. The millions of Germans who filled the camps and made up the production quotas of the Soviet regime’s needs replaced some of the millions of Russians who had died in the war. Thus, the Soviets simply reversed the Nazi’s policy of using conquered peoples as slave labor and made the Germans do the same for them.
The author skillfully describes the terrible conditions under which Johann and his fellow prisoners must work with little or no food and see many of his compatriots die of exhaustion and starvation. Meantime, although the war had been over for more than a year, they are often told by their captors that they are about to be repatriated to Germany, it never happens.
He is often is thinking about the love of his life back in Germany, his girlfriend Charlotte, or Lotte as he calls her. Lotte herself thinks only about Johann and when he may return even as each year passes with no sign of his release. It is in these passages that the author demonstrates her remarkable skill in drawing in the reader to the painful emotional state these two lovers find themselves in and to their fate.
The Soviets then interrogate Johann after about 3 years on trumped-up charges of doing nothing to stop SS units with whom he had no control of, to massacring Soviet civilians at a certain town where he had not pulled his own Wehrmacht troops out. He had not pulled them out in enough time to prevent being a witness to the atrocity and so the Soviets sentenced him to 25 years in a gulag.
In his jail cell before being transported to his new destination he saw scratched on the walls numerous names of soldiers with the words 25 years adjacent to each name. He lost all hope at this point and at his frozen gulag outpost he writes a letter to Lotte to marry someone else and live her life as he would likely never survive 25 years. Lotte scolds him in her reply and said she would wait forever.
Konrad Adenaur the Chancellor of Western Germany travels to Moscow and tells the Soviets for normal relations they must release all German prisoners of war. And so, in 1955 ten years after the war, Johann is one of the last ten thousand prisoners to be released and I will not spoil the ending but suffice to say, for me the reader, the ending had such a powerful emotional impact because my late wife and I were WWII survivors and were married in 1955. Marion Kummerow has once again, pulled off a classic and descriptive narrative that everyone should read.
This is the harrowing story of Johann Hauser a Lieutenant in the German Wehrmacht who was captured by the Russians and ended up in a Siberian work camp and forced to work under brutal conditions. The millions of Germans who filled the camps and made up the production quotas of the Soviet regime’s needs replaced some of the millions of Russians who had died in the war. Thus, the Soviets simply reversed the Nazi’s policy of using conquered peoples as slave labor and made the Germans do the same for them.
The author skillfully describes the terrible conditions under which Johann and his fellow prisoners must work with little or no food and see many of his compatriots die of exhaustion and starvation. Meantime, although the war had been over for more than a year, they are often told by their captors that they are about to be repatriated to Germany, it never happens.
He is often is thinking about the love of his life back in Germany, his girlfriend Charlotte, or Lotte as he calls her. Lotte herself thinks only about Johann and when he may return even as each year passes with no sign of his release. It is in these passages that the author demonstrates her remarkable skill in drawing in the reader to the painful emotional state these two lovers find themselves in and to their fate.
The Soviets then interrogate Johann after about 3 years on trumped-up charges of doing nothing to stop SS units with whom he had no control of, to massacring Soviet civilians at a certain town where he had not pulled his own Wehrmacht troops out. He had not pulled them out in enough time to prevent being a witness to the atrocity and so the Soviets sentenced him to 25 years in a gulag.
In his jail cell before being transported to his new destination he saw scratched on the walls numerous names of soldiers with the words 25 years adjacent to each name. He lost all hope at this point and at his frozen gulag outpost he writes a letter to Lotte to marry someone else and live her life as he would likely never survive 25 years. Lotte scolds him in her reply and said she would wait forever.
Konrad Adenaur the Chancellor of Western Germany travels to Moscow and tells the Soviets for normal relations they must release all German prisoners of war. And so, in 1955 ten years after the war, Johann is one of the last ten thousand prisoners to be released and I will not spoil the ending but suffice to say, for me the reader, the ending had such a powerful emotional impact because my late wife and I were WWII survivors and were married in 1955. Marion Kummerow has once again, pulled off a classic and descriptive narrative that everyone should read.
August 3, 2019
In this last book of the series, Endless Ordeal, by author Marion Kummerow, Johann was captured by the Soviet Russians in January of 1945. He was sent to a POWs camp. As POWs, Johann and his other German soldiers were subjected to forced marches to camps and trains for many miles and days and spent days inside cattle cars with little or no food and water. Millions died on the long marches, in the cattle cars, and in the camps. While in captivity, they endured long and hard years of toil, struggled to survive due to lack of water and food, had inadequate housing and clothing, bedbugs, poor to no sanitation, lack of personal and surroundings cleanliness, and cold hard winters.
The war ended in Europe in April 1945. The men had hopes of going home which the Russian Soviets camp officials kept saying soon. Some of the POWs were lucky enough to be released. Johann was not released and was sentenced to 25 years of hard labor for crimes against Russian Civilians. He had not committed the crimes. There were times when he almost gave up. It took great inner strength to survive. Johann relied on that he would return to marry Lotte. Lotte is also waiting for Johann to return. Will they both get their wish?
The War Girls series has been an interesting series with the storyline being carried through to each book. I have looked forward to and enjoyed each book. Marion’s talented writing skills and her intense research has made this a super series.
I read this book as an ARC read. I found this to be a wonderful book and a fitting ending as the last book in the series
The war ended in Europe in April 1945. The men had hopes of going home which the Russian Soviets camp officials kept saying soon. Some of the POWs were lucky enough to be released. Johann was not released and was sentenced to 25 years of hard labor for crimes against Russian Civilians. He had not committed the crimes. There were times when he almost gave up. It took great inner strength to survive. Johann relied on that he would return to marry Lotte. Lotte is also waiting for Johann to return. Will they both get their wish?
The War Girls series has been an interesting series with the storyline being carried through to each book. I have looked forward to and enjoyed each book. Marion’s talented writing skills and her intense research has made this a super series.
I read this book as an ARC read. I found this to be a wonderful book and a fitting ending as the last book in the series
February 19, 2021
I've given all the previous books a 5star reading but found this book so hard to get into. Johann is constantly whining, melancholy, and over all whimpy even at the end of the book in the epilogue. After reading books on the Nuemberg Trials and Nazi hunters with a simple accountant being charged as an accessory to murder when in his 90s, and knowing Johan was a witness to a massacre, I felt less pity for him than I did the real life elderly Nazi who was more innocent than this character. One of the recent nonfiction books I read recently mentioned a Russian saying they shot the Nazis they took back to Russia. I don't know. After reading books on this topic previously and enduring this character's whining, whimpering and tears, I was so glad the book was finished. I'm only giving it a 2 star rating because I learned some facts about Russia and communism I haven't known before. I wanted to stop reading the book early to be honest cus I was so turned off the main character. I honestly don't see a different between the Russian POW camps and the ones the Germans had. What did he have to whine about? The Nazis had done the same thing to their POWs. So irked by this book and his, "I watched but couldn't do anything." Lotte deserves a better man. Even the ending sucked. I'm not completely anti-Nazi because I believe even Goring (I believe that was the elderly Nazi's name) was far more innocent than Johann. I liked the idea behind this book - the concept because I am torn up over it after reading the book, "The Nazi Next Door" but for me the character sucked. The author is great tho and I love her other books.
October 6, 2020
A clear picture of what happened to German soldiers in Soviet Union
I was a child hearing the terrible stories of things that the Soviets did to the captives imprisoned in slave camps after WWII. But is was in snippets, cleaned up for my child's ears to hear. As an avid reader whose parents didn't censor her reading, I dug for more information. I knew about the Holocaust early in life. A childhood friend was the only child of parents who had been imprisoned. I distinctly remember the mother washing dishes and seeing the tattooed prisoner number on her arm. My heart ached for her parents and all they suffered. They were twenty years older than my own parents because their lives were on hold waiting for freedom. This history is so important because it does tend to repeat itself. Patterns of who is superior, who isn't fit to be associated with. It disgusts me! But for the grace of God does anyone become fit or unfit. Remember this; God demands you to act with love and compassion and to correct this distorted thinking.
I was a child hearing the terrible stories of things that the Soviets did to the captives imprisoned in slave camps after WWII. But is was in snippets, cleaned up for my child's ears to hear. As an avid reader whose parents didn't censor her reading, I dug for more information. I knew about the Holocaust early in life. A childhood friend was the only child of parents who had been imprisoned. I distinctly remember the mother washing dishes and seeing the tattooed prisoner number on her arm. My heart ached for her parents and all they suffered. They were twenty years older than my own parents because their lives were on hold waiting for freedom. This history is so important because it does tend to repeat itself. Patterns of who is superior, who isn't fit to be associated with. It disgusts me! But for the grace of God does anyone become fit or unfit. Remember this; God demands you to act with love and compassion and to correct this distorted thinking.
July 16, 2019
I wondered whatever happened to Johann and if he ever got back to Lottie. This book tells his story. He is sent from Soviet prison camp to prison camp. He is told he will be freed time and time again but it doesn't happen. All the time he misses Lottie and Lottie misses him. After the war is over he is still being held in a Soviet prison camp on a trumped up charge. If you want to find out how he survives and if he ever gets out and gets back to Lottie or if he perishes you must read this book. It holds your interest from page one and you won't put it down once you start reading it, I didn't...read it in one day. Very good ending to the War Girls Series. Loved it.
August 2, 2019
Possibly the best if all ten books!
Now that I have cried my way through an entire box of Kleenex as this series came to and end, I just want to read more and more about the wonderful characters that took me all through so many facets of the Second World War as told from a German perspective. This last book may have also been the best, but it is difficult to judge. I just know that each new chapter of Johann’s ordeal made me hope everything would finally work out to bring him together with Lotte. From an historical perspective, I found myself googling a lot of places and events to learn more about them. Marion Kummerow did a brilliant job in researching this series.
Now that I have cried my way through an entire box of Kleenex as this series came to and end, I just want to read more and more about the wonderful characters that took me all through so many facets of the Second World War as told from a German perspective. This last book may have also been the best, but it is difficult to judge. I just know that each new chapter of Johann’s ordeal made me hope everything would finally work out to bring him together with Lotte. From an historical perspective, I found myself googling a lot of places and events to learn more about them. Marion Kummerow did a brilliant job in researching this series.
July 25, 2019
What a fabulous end to The War Girl series. The story of Lotte and Johann and their long wait to be reunited.
I received this as an ARC and was thrilled to read. I just hate when I read a book and the historical dates and items is way off.
Not so with Marion. She does such fantastic research on her works and her accuracy is spot on!
I always learn a lot in reading her books and this does not disappoint. This story revolves around Soviet system in dealing with the German POWs. I knew they got repatriated in 1955 but didn’t know why and how it came to be. What a fabulous story!
I received this as an ARC and was thrilled to read. I just hate when I read a book and the historical dates and items is way off.
Not so with Marion. She does such fantastic research on her works and her accuracy is spot on!
I always learn a lot in reading her books and this does not disappoint. This story revolves around Soviet system in dealing with the German POWs. I knew they got repatriated in 1955 but didn’t know why and how it came to be. What a fabulous story!
June 10, 2025
This is the last book of the War Girls series. It focuses mainly on Johann Hauser who was captured by the Russians at the beginning of 1945. This began his horrendous ordeal with being in a POW and then being charged with a criminal act and sent to Siberia. The only thing that keeps him going is Lotte, the girl he met in Warsaw before becoming a prisoner. The treatment of the Germans was horrific and so many died in these camps. The story takes place over 10 years as Lotte waits for him to come home, whenever that may be.
June 16, 2025
In the case of this story, world history is sad. The conditions of prisoners taken to the Soviet Union in the days of Stalin were brutally treated. The horrors faced rivals the conditions experienced in the Nazis camps. At one point the life cycle was 3 weeks, yet amazingly Johann survives against all the odds. The book is well written, and the characters are well developed.
There is a happy ending, finally and Johann is released to travel home to Germany to begin his life with his fiancé Lotte. Thank you Marion Kummerow for writing this.
There is a happy ending, finally and Johann is released to travel home to Germany to begin his life with his fiancé Lotte. Thank you Marion Kummerow for writing this.
November 27, 2020
This book was hard to put down even though the subject matter was at times hard and brought tears to my eyes several times. The author writes books that touch the human soul. I highly recommend the whole War Girl series .There is nothing to dislike about this book, it is a history lesson anda
evidently very well researched. I look forward to reading some of the other books written by this author. Monika
L ppl poo poi
evidently very well researched. I look forward to reading some of the other books written by this author. Monika
L ppl poo poi
April 17, 2022
The Best of Many
Thank you Marion. This is my favorite of the War Girls series because it discusses the rare Plenni v. Russian war crimes. As always, you are a master in Characterization. Also, I really enjoyed the entire series.
As a WWII historian, I strongly recommend this to veterans, romantics, anyone that’s already consumed the first 10 volumes in the series, in fact to all readers!
Thank you Marion. This is my favorite of the War Girls series because it discusses the rare Plenni v. Russian war crimes. As always, you are a master in Characterization. Also, I really enjoyed the entire series.
As a WWII historian, I strongly recommend this to veterans, romantics, anyone that’s already consumed the first 10 volumes in the series, in fact to all readers!
February 27, 2020
This book was a well written story of Johann's experience of being imprisoned in Soviet Russia after World War 2 and though several times he thought he would perhaps be freed to go back to Germany, they did not let him go. He was held for 10 years but then they finally allowed the Germans to go back to their homeland. He was reunited with his true love, Lotte and this story has a happy ending.
September 29, 2025
Marion Kummerow writes the best historical fiction, based on true stories. This is Johann's story, but we learn more about other's in his family. This is this is book 11 in The War Girls series. Love the plot, great settings, and strong intense interesting characters. I can't wait to read more from Ms. Marion Kummerow!!!
July 19, 2019
Another great read from Marion Kummerow! Telling the horrors that German POWs went through under the Soviets. As usual, this book is an eye opener. Not just to the evils of Soviet Communism (or what the Soviets called Communism) but of what happened to the POWs long after WWII ended.
July 30, 2019
A wonderful final story to a great ww2 series.
This story was written with gumption and compassion. The ending was one that brought me to tears. Descriptive and honest with an intelligent and thoughtful comparison of Natzism and Communism. Worth the read for sure.
This story was written with gumption and compassion. The ending was one that brought me to tears. Descriptive and honest with an intelligent and thoughtful comparison of Natzism and Communism. Worth the read for sure.
September 2, 2019
Spellbinding ! Survival of only the fittest !
Johan is a soldier, not a criminal, or a slave or a subhuman, but he must survive without adequate food, water or rest as a POW in the Soviet Union , post ww2.
Johan is a soldier, not a criminal, or a slave or a subhuman, but he must survive without adequate food, water or rest as a POW in the Soviet Union , post ww2.
January 16, 2020
Wonderful end to a nine series about WWII
I have read all nine of Ms Kummerow War Girls books. This is an excellent story about the war and the people, German, Poles, and other Europeans who survived.
I have read all nine of Ms Kummerow War Girls books. This is an excellent story about the war and the people, German, Poles, and other Europeans who survived.
March 27, 2022
My Musings
What a heartbreaking story. It's hard to imagine living such a horrid life for so many years. To have one's hopes dashed time and again. The strength of these characters is almost beyond my comprehension. My only issue is with the rushed ending. Happy reading!
What a heartbreaking story. It's hard to imagine living such a horrid life for so many years. To have one's hopes dashed time and again. The strength of these characters is almost beyond my comprehension. My only issue is with the rushed ending. Happy reading!
August 2, 2023
This was a very difficult book to read for me because my father was a POW in Russia for 5 years. Since I know very little about my fathers time there, I wanted to read this story and get more insight of what he endured. It gave me that and more...
June 6, 2024
Good storyline!
I’ve never read about the German foot soldiers who were POWs in Russia. Sad to read all the atrocities they went through. Also very sad the western German government took its time getting them home.
I’ve never read about the German foot soldiers who were POWs in Russia. Sad to read all the atrocities they went through. Also very sad the western German government took its time getting them home.
July 28, 2019
Just finished "Endless Ordeal". Man, I'm still emotional! What a final book! The others were great, this one was double that! You tied it up nicely. Great story!!
August 7, 2019
Great read, wish there were more!
August 12, 2019
Emotional
While this story is a difficult read it is an important story that needs to be told. A POW whose struggle to stay alive on the hope of reuniting with his love.
While this story is a difficult read it is an important story that needs to be told. A POW whose struggle to stay alive on the hope of reuniting with his love.
October 30, 2020
Usually a series can be extended too far. But I have loved all eleven books in this series. This last one was as good as the first one.
February 13, 2022
A good read
This was a part of WW2 history that I knew nothing about. A very interesting introduction to a painful time on history.
This was a part of WW2 history that I knew nothing about. A very interesting introduction to a painful time on history.
April 13, 2022
I HAVE JUST FINISHED THE LAST BOOK IN THE WAR GIRLS SERIES.IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.PLEASE READ THIS SERIES,BUT BEGIN WITH BOOK 1 AND READ THEM IN ORDER.
September 5, 2022
I thought this was the worst book of series. I really enjoyed all of them, except for this one. I felt it went on and on and I wanted to end my life reading it.
May 7, 2021
I heard stories about POW'S being sent to places like Vorkuto in the Arctic Circle Siberia. This Johann Hauser was such a kind and caring soul that didn't deserve to be in a gulag for war crimes that he never committed. The Russian government kept playing mind games with Johann. He had hope that eventually the tables would be turned for him. Johann got out of Russia. Find out for yourself about Johann's and the Klausen family's happy ending.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews