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It Was Fate: A War, A Massacre, A Romance
The World War II Memoirs of Nick Venturella

by GINA VENTURELLA MAGUIRE ©2017, Paperback, ISBN: 978-1-935232-47-6, 172 pp
 

Nick Venturella ensured that his memories of people and places were not lost. He entrusted a narrative of his life along with letters, photographs, documents, and newspaper articles to his granddaughter Gina, who, like a memorial candle, through his memoir, lights the way for future generations. Because of Gina’s work, Nick’s memoir will be a “precious legacy” not only for his descendants but also for the general reader.

 

Nick Ventrella’s memoir of WWII provides readers with a window into war, from both a personal and historical perspective. Readers will applaud the service and sacrifices of these soldiers and recoil at the atrocities they encountered during their slog through Germany.

 

These atrocities are memorialized by Nick’s unit, the 102nd Ozark Infantry Division.

 

Nick’s memoir, It Was Fate—A War, A Massacre, A Romance, is more than war and massacres.

 

Readers will witness the blossoming of love between “enemies,” between a German Fräulein and an American soldier, and will follow the two along the rocky road to the U.S.

 

Army’s marriage permission. Along this road too readers will learn about the war from a German perspective, for example, an anti-Nazi’s treatment by the Third Reich.

 

Most of all, readers will be inspired by Nick Venturella. Nick is a thoughtful and caring man, compassionate and kind. He certainly belongs among “the greatest generation”!

Introduction............................................................................................viii

Genealogy ...............................................................................................xii

Chapter One....................Emigration from Italy, 1913...............................1

Chapter Two....................Life in Brooklyn.................................................3

Chapter Three..................A Soldier’s Life, 1943.........................................9

Chapter Four....................Fate Again, August 1944..................................24

Chapter Five.....................The Siegfried Line, Fall 1944............................27

Chapter Six......................Schloss Tripps Castle, February 1945...............31

Chapter Seven..................Crossing the Roer, January to March 1945.......36

Chapter Eight..................Gardelegen, April 1945....................................39

Chapter Nine...................The Elbe River, April 1945...............................47

Chapter Ten.....................An Irony of War, May 1945.............................52

Chapter Eleven.................Meeting Herta Rose.........................................53

Chapter Twelve................Re-Education Camps.......................................56

Chapter Thirteen..............Courting Herta Rose........................................59

Chapter Fourteen ............Marrying Herta Rose........................................66

Chapter Fifteen................The Paint Changed Color.................................71

Chapter Sixteen................Honorable Discharge to AWOL, 1948.............72

Chapter Seventeen...........Home Life in Brooklyn....................................73

Chapter Eighteen.............Back to Weissenstadt........................................76

Chapter Nineteen.............The Passing of Herta Rose................................78

Chapter Twenty................The Passing of Nick .........................................81

Timeline...................................................................................................83

About the Title.........................................................................................85

Acknowledgments....................................................................................86

Works Cited.............................................................................................88

Endnotes..................................................................................................89

Photographs...........................................................................................119

Documents ...........................................................................................139

IT WAS FATE is an easy fast pace epic story on how true love can survive the evils of war( World War II).  You can tell  not only of the love between Nick and Rose, but also that  the writing of the book was an a act of love and not just a recount of the life of Nick and Rose.The story plot is simple boy falls in love, and after hardships marries his true love and lives happily ever after. However it is not a Romeo and Juliet  love story.  The writing style  and content  truly brings to life in a realistic manner not only the horrors of war, but more importantly reminds us all about the importance of family and our heritage. The black and white photos  of the Venturella family could be that of any family  during that time.  After reading the book I pulled out old family photos and it is amazing how similar they were. As you follow the trials and tribulations of the Venturella family, you get a better understanding why Tom Brokaw called Nick and Rose's generation the “Greatest Generation.”   - Tony Loscalzo Williamsburg, VA

 

 

This book is written in a way that allows the reader to accompany the writer on a personal journey. The attention to detail allows the reader to understand the time period being written about. This book is about a bravery, fortitude, love and a life well lived. It is a book that will remain in your mind long after the text is complete.   - Luann Normandia, Monroe, NJ

 

This book is an accomplished piece of literature which captures the life story of Nick Venturella.  It is written with pathos and personal insight.  Starting with personal background, it shows his sense of duty; enlisting after repeated rejection from the Army.  As a soldier he witnessed the horror of the Nazi regime but was able to reach out to individual Germans.  His empathy is apparent in the love for the young German girl and his role as a husband, father and grandfather.  His story is important because he truly represents the Greatest Generation.   - Terry Mullins, Florida

 

 

It Was Fate makes me wish that I had had the conversations with my father about his pre WWII and WWII life that Gina was able to accomplish.  The fact that his letters and documents were saved is amazing.  It is his generation that saved the world from a few madmen and it is great knowing that he passed on those memories.  Thanks for an enjoyable and memory filled read.  - Peter Wunsch, East Northport, NY

 

 

The amazing story of Nick Venturella, this memoir has something for everyone! The title sums it up perfectly, but only scratches the surface of his incredible life. Once you start reading, you'll be caught up in his story and the many surprising twists and turns it takes. Like most from "The Greatest Generation", Nick was a humble man who did not view his service during the war as anything special or extraordinary in any way, but it certainly was. This memoir pays wonderful tribute to everything he was, from son to soldier to great-grandfather, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  - Gordon McAvoy, Barnegat, NJ

 

 

I sat down with this book on Christmas evening and read until there were no more pages to read. What a great job in telling Nick's story! I met Nick on several occasions - and always felt kinship as we share the same birthday - but it wasn't until I read these stories that his life jumped at me. What a marvel, what an unassuming hero, what a story.  - Anna Norton, Illinois

It Was Fate: A War, A Massacre, A Romance

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