Release Date: February 1, 2021 

Gerta Schnirch was raised by a Czech mother and a German father in Brno, Czechoslovakia during Hitler’s rise to power. She always identified with her mother’s Czech values and often clashed with her father over his Nazi ideology. The war eventually shatters her parent’s relationship and her simple childhood. As the war winds down, the political climate of their country changes, and blame is cast on anyone with German heritage. 

Gerta is expelled from Brno and forced to march west to Austria.  Both German and Czech collaborators join her on this journey where they suffer greatly. Gerta manages to survive while others are killed or fall ill with dysentery. Her dreams of returning to her former home are also delayed when Czechoslovakia is invaded by the Soviet Union.

Gerta by Katerina Tuckova provides a different perspective on the aftermath of World War 2 and the continuation of hatred and punishment towards mankind.  Many of the survivors on both sides of the war were innocent bystanders who fell victim to extreme circumstances.