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Six Weeks Lucky
by Rudi Kratschmer
in conversation with
J S Martin

UK Price £13.99         $17.95 in US 

One man, three lives—from idyllic village childhood, through war-torn Europe, to a new life in England.

Book Description
Rudi Kratschmer, youngest of eight sons, was brought up in a tiny forested village within walking distance of the borders of Sudetanland. As Hitler advanced, the self-contained farming lifestyle was ripped apart, causing 19-year-old Rudi to join the partisans to fight for his country; and he was soon fleeing for his life across Czechoslovakia and Poland.

After arriving in England, he encountered more collaborators, but settled into the ways and language of his new home, using his engineering skills to help the war effort, becoming a highly respected design engineer in a wide range of industrial processes and developing a passion to pass on his knowledge. His work took him from Sheffield, Coventry and London across Europe and Africa, and throughout his life, it is the love of his homeland, his family and their well-being that has kept him going. This is a riveting story by—and about—a remarkable man.

About the author

Rudi Kratschmer's story was written in the first person by Jill Martin, the result of a series of interviews with Rudi over a period of three years. A Lancashire lass living in Yorkshire , Jill Martin graduated from Sheffield University and worked for twenty years as a teacher before ill health caused a change of tack.  She still lives in Sheffield with her husband and daughter, and spends her days writing, reading, and trying to understand what makes computers fail when they are needed most.   

Available from the following on-line bookstores:

The following article on Rudi Kratschmer and Jill Martin's book appeared in the Sheffield Star on Saturday 29 Jan 2005, by journalist Fiona Firth:

Jill Martin reports: "Since the article appeared, we have had several phone calls from people who knew Rudi and who would like a copy of the book, and also a call from a lady in Sheffield who has never met him but believes in the importance of telling such histories; it's been lovely to get such a response."

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