[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Arndt Family in Poland - World War Two - Book for Sale

[Ron Neuman]

SGGEE Convention Presentation - At the recent SGGEE Convention in 
Winnipeg I presented a paper based on this Arndt Family History - 
"Dogs On My Heels".  Unfortunately I only had ten copies of the book 
with me for sale, and they quickly sold.  I had a number of requests 
for the book that I was unable to fill at the convention.  The good 
news is that the auther, Ed Arndt, has more copies for sale, and he 
is willing to mail copies to anyone who is interested in buying the book.


What does the book, "Dogs On My Heels", deal with?

A box of old yellowed letters surfaced in a house in Barrhead, 
Alberta, in 2007.  Most were in their original 
envelopes.  The  letters were written between 1945 and 1955 by Edmund 
Arndt and his wife, Erna, to Edmunds older brother, Martin Arndt, in 
Barrhead, Alberta, Canada.  These letters were the catalyst for Ed 
Arndt, oldest son of Edmund and Erna, to author a family story, "Dogs 
On My Heels".

Three sets of Edmund's aunts and uncles, and all 19 of his cousins, 
as well as 2 brothers and 1 sister immigrated to Canada between 1900 
and 1924, settling in northern Alberta.  Edmund Arndt and his brother 
Adolf had both remained in Poland with their father, Wilhelm Arndt.

The book tells a remarkable story.  Edmund was in a prisoner of war 
camp in Austria after World War Two.  Erna and their two young sons 
were in a village in Poland.  Edmund and Erna had not been in touch 
with each other for some time, and in fact neither knew if the other 
was alive.  Edmund's brother, Adolf, had escaped to West 
Germany.  Edmund reconnected with both his wife, Erna, and his 
brother Adolf as a result of letters that each of them wrote to 
Martin Arndt in Barrhead. Martin and Emil (the oldest brother) were 
instrumental in reconnecting their youngest brother, Edmund, with his family.

The book chronicles the experiences of the Arndt family as they 
arrived in Poland in the early 1800's, some experiences during the 
period between the two World Wars; the War Years; the horrors of 
1945/46 on their farm in Poland and various POW and refugee camps; 
their eventual escape to West Germany; and their life in Germany 
during the years after the end of World War II.

Read stories of this family during the German invasion of Poland, 
Adolph's service in both the Polish and German armies, Edmund in the 
German army, prisoner of war camp experiences, terror at the hands of 
the Russian army and Polish militia, near starvation, escape to West 
Germany, and the exploits of the Schwarzhandel-Konig (Black Market 
King) of Berxen.


How to Order a Book - If you are interested in ordering a book, 
please contact Ed Arndt directly.  Ed will send out autographed books 
which are prepaid by cheque or money order.  These prices listed 
below include the cost of the book, which is $20.00.  In Western 
Canada (incl. Manitoba) for $27.50 (for the book and mailing costs); 
Central and Eastern Canada for $32.50 (for the book and mailing 
costs); and Continental USA for $30.00 (for the book and mailing 
costs).  Prices include shipping and handling and taxes.  If you are 
ordering from Europe, please check with Ed regarding the shipping costs.

Ed's mailing address:
         Edmund Arndt
          2084 Croft Road
          Prince George, BC
          V2K 4B4

Ed's email address:
         edandursula at shaw.ca

A thank you from Ed Arndt and myself to Jerry Frank for his approval 
of this message, and enabling us to advise you of the availability of 
the book.