Following the German annexation of Alsace and Lorraine in 1940, Berlin forcibly integrated the French citizens of Alsace and Lorraine into the German army. From 1942, they were made German citizens, and 100,000 Alsatians and 30,000 Mosellans (north Lorraine) were enrolled by force into the German Wehrmacht, especially to fight on the Eastern front against Stalin’s army. These men were called the malgré-nous (literally, in spite of ourselves), or in English as the “unwilling” or the “against our will.”

Georges Raymond Beck, an Alsatian, was one of these malgré-nous. In the spring of 1942, he received a notice to report for the Reichsarbeitsdienst, Reich Labor Service, compulsory pre-military service. In July 1942, he was inducted into the German army and ordered to report for basic training.

By October 1942, Georges and fellow malgré-nous were on a military train, traveling through Germany, Poland, and finally into the U.S.S.R. His convoy traversed unending Russian forests and along the way was strafed by the Soviet Air Force. During the Soviet counter offensive in 1943, George and a friend decided to escape. He said, “We had no allegiance to the German Nazi doctrine whatsoever. We had no interest in helping the German war effort and had no qualms about escaping, if and when the time was right.” The rest of Georges’ memoir describes his dangerous journey back to France and his subsequent marriage and immigration to the United States, where he prospers.

Forced to War will appeal to WWII buffs and to students of the history of WWII as well as to a general audience. All readers will appreciate Georges’ determination and resilience both as a malgré-nous and as an immigrant.