The Long Road Home - Paul Demetter

The war of Europe continues to rage on and mass destruction has resulted impacting families and countries. The Long Road Home is the awaited sequel to The Road to Uelzen. 

The Road to Uelzen ends with the Eschmann family having been torn asunder. Fredrick, son of Karl and Helga Eschmann, has left the homestead to rescue his wife who has been imprisoned at the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. Unbeknownst to them, their daughter Katharina who is with child, has also been discovered and arrested due to her Jewish heritage, and is sent to the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp. While there, she manages a daring escape with the help of her closest friend. A massive search ensues. Unable to return home, the two flee to Czechoslovakia across Nazi controlled Germany. They find refuge that they hope will last through the duration of the war.There she delivers a baby girl.  

Once again their temporary home, is but a brief respite, as tragedy occurs necessitating Katharina to once again flee. The Long Road Home starts with Katharina retreating, this time with her daughter. Days pass as she travels by foot in an attempt to get to one of the few people she believes she can trust to hide them from the enemy. As she witnesses the destruction that rains down upon her and her country, her hope begins to falter that she will ever find the love of her life who had promised he would return after the war.  

Miles away, her parents are in hiding from the very people that her father fought for in the previous war. A kindly Pastor assists them in their dire circumstances as they face a fateful decision. 

John has once again been reunited with his troops and is anxious to resume the fighting against Germany realizing that the only chance he has of finding the one he left behind is to assist in defeating her country. To achieve his goal of once again finding her, he accepts every mission that is offered, even one that he is unaware of that will put her own life in peril. His efforts result in having to pay a personal price. 

As the story unfolds, the ongoing tragedy of war on both the victor and the vanquished occurs. Throughout the saga, despite mass destruction, the kindness and magnanimity of both sides is displayed. Allies become enemies and enemies become allies as the years pass. Through it all is the undying love of two people who once knew and lost each other. They finally give up hope and move on with their lives on two different continents and yet dream for a day long ago.