Herman the German: Just Lucky I Guess

This autobiography begins with the author's apprenticeship in an automobile workshop in pre-WW2 Germany, then continues on through his time in China, eventually working for Chennault's "Flying Tigers" and then for the U.S. Army Air Corps, restoring a crashed Japanese Zero to flying condition, after the war making an epic journey by Jeep across Asia, then settling in the United States where he became a key figure in General Electric's jet engine business.Sounds fantastical? Just check out the endorsements on the back cover (mostly from aviation industry big-wigs). It's a great story, a modern-era epic journey, and very readable.

This is such a delightful book, that the adventures of the author and his wife are almost unbelievable. Another reviewer was let down by their more normal life after they reached the US and he began his career in the field of aircraft engines. The first half of the story is amazing. The second half is more of the biography of a successful engineer executive but he is still the same fellow. This is an enormously entertaining read and i highly recommend it. I must add that his wife must be an angel. She stayed with him through amazing adventures and should be the ideal for every woman who marries a successful man. I know that is a scandalous thing to say but I am old.He began as a Jewish kid in Germany in the 1930s. After his apprenticeship, he attended an engineering college in eastern Germany. By pure chance he saw an opportunity in China in 1938. That probably saved his life. He became an engineer with the Flying Tigers in China and his and his wife's adventures start from there. It is an amazing story.

This autobiography completely surprised and overwhelmed me from the moment I picked it up until the turn of the last page. His experiences and the way he shares them with the reader are captivating. Some of these recollections would almost be unbelievable, if it weren't for the pictures he included along the way. Included in this work is the inspiring story of how a chain of events, beginning as he apprenticed at an auto shop as an adolescent, led him to become an executive of General Electric. The reader is also treated to Gerhard sharing his families experience as they drove 10,000 miles through battered, post WWII Asia in an RAF Willys Jeep in order to return to the United States. This is an inspiring tale which shows that hard work, faith, and a little luck can make your dreams come true.

If you want to be an engineer (especially an aerospace engineer) for life, this is a must read book. An amazing journey and an amazing career!

Very interesting man and his life. I was crew chief for his executive jet based in Boston and flew with him on occasion.The pilots of his plane where shocked one day at an airport lobby when someone who recognized and knew him from his time with the Flying Tigers in China and called out "Hey Herman the German",his knic name that stuck. He was VP at GE but just an average guy who would put a sandwich in his pocket to save for later.

A terrific read and a life well lived. There were no dull moments. He was certainly in the right spot at the right moment and fully prepared to take advantage of every opportunity when it came around. Timing in life is rarely in our favor, he was the exception and the winner many times over. The times were right for a quizzical mind and every one that flies has received a direct benefit from him. Highly recommend reading this fascinating book.

good true story for "gear heads/airplane nuts" ...some adventure/some drama...mostly a tale of growth of not only a man, but a new industry that we all use today.

A fascinating and unlikely story of a German mechanic and engineer who finds himself in Hong Kong at the outbreak of WW2 where he is classified as an "enemy alien". He lives by his wits and education to navigate a series of difficult situations in which he ultimately prevails. Somehow he manages to keep his sanity and sense of humor intact. I highly recommend this book. It should be required reading for young people who lack direction and/or motivation.

Gerhard Neumann was a kid (and an excellent mechanic) from a well-to-do Jewish family from Frankfurt/Oder in pre-WWII Germany. In order to escape Nazi Germany he volunteered, and was accepted, to work as a maintenance mechanic on export equipment delivered from Germany to China. But WWII started before he arrived to his final destination, and caught him in Hong Kong, where he was interned in a British camp for "enemy aliens". He was liberated from the camp by the local owner of the best luxury cars dealership who badly needed his outstanding mechanical skills. Ultimately he ended up as the best mechanic of the famous American Flying Tigers U.S. 14th Air Force in China (under General Claire Chennault), fighting against the Japanese invaders. His exceptional skills and outstanding work made him the General's favorite, who obtained for him the US citizenship, and promoted him to the rank of a sergeant. For the rest... you'll have to read this absolutely fantastic book!

eine sehr interessante Autobiographie, faszinierend zu erleben was ein junger Deutscher in einer sehr schwierigen Zeit unter unglaublichen Umständen aus seinem Leben gemacht hat

The Best Autobiography I have ever read, I loved this book, I read it two times from cover to cover.!