Legacy of a Green Devil: The Biography of "Jager" Franz Joseph Ferdinand Gayl

Legacy of a Green Devil: Biography of “Jager” Franz Joseph Ferdinand Gayl is a tribute to the profound life of a German patriot who grew up in Berlin during the Third Reich, volunteered to join the Fallschirmjäger, and served under General Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke in the Afrika Korps. Franz J. F. Gayl fought at the Battle of El Alamein and was subsequently captured by the British. As a prisoner of war, he spent time in the United States where he came to love this country as much as his own and where he spent the rest of his life leaving a legacy worthy of remembrance. For anyone who enjoys war history and learning about human life in key time periods, Legacy of a Green Devil is an extremely important book. It preserves little-known alternative German perspectives on the Third Reich and events of WWII through first person accounts and images. Readers will learn about the suffering in Berlin and the atrocities towards German citizens perpetrated by the victors as they entered with unbridled destruction and exploitation leading to shocking post-war suicide rates of German women and children. They will also learn of the heroic post-war efforts of a handful of idealistic German and international students to reject ideological, nationalistic and ethnic animosities in favor of a better, shared future. Their Eichkamp project, which Franz Gayl cofounded, was built on the ruins of Berlin immediately following the war’s end. Eichkamp reflected Franz’s peacemaker heart and sought to be a beacon of hope between nations by showing how a future world could and should be led. This book reveals how Franz Gayl’s fascinating approach to life in the midst of, and because of personal adversity became legendary. It teaches how greatness is found in weaknesses as well as strengths. It is loaded with captivating pictures on nearly every page that solidify the story, preserve history, and draw in the reader. In Legacy of a Green Devil a U.S, Marine son who inherited many of the same perspectives pays tribute to his father. The book is filled with many profound dichotomies. Franz Gayl eventually moved to the U.S. where he lived a remarkable life as an architect, futuristic designer, and insatiable adventurer. He was a community builder who was active in humanitarian projects and who worked for and protected nature with great passion. Although he lived most of his life in America, Franz never gave up his German citizenship and identity. Through it all, Franz Gayl was a “German’s German” who possessed such charisma and post-WWII novelty (enhanced by his deep German accent and vivacious spirit), that he was the subject of great curiosity with many newspaper articles written about him. Now, Franz Joseph Ferdinand Gayl is the subject of an epic book to be read by all generations. Available in full color, hardback, Legacy of a Green Devil is a beautiful coffee table book where the sizeable number of historical pictures can be enjoyed, large and in color. It is also available in the more affordable paperback with black and white interior as well as in full color on Kindle and other digital platforms. Legacy of a Green Devil is published by Triumph Press.