UPDATE: I have to second Mark’s reaction to this book. This has been a great read! Gerhard Neumann feels Forest-Gumpian at times, as his life bebops from adventures to mis-adventures. The jeep trip is a neat aspect to the book, and kudos to his good natured wife for suggesting it. But, his life story is so much more than just the jeep trip. His good natured attitude bubbles through his prose. And, don’t miss his tips and tricks, such as using horse manure to plug radiator holes. 

Here are two pics from the jeep trip:

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Originally posted Jun 27, 2021: Mark Doepel shared news on Facebook of a book he found at his local Goodwill called Herman the German: Just Lucky I guess. It’s an autobiography by Gerhard Neumann.  Mark really enjoyed the read.

A paperback version of the book is available on Amazon and you can probably find hard copies out there as well (I just bought a hard copy version). Here are some general reviews by a couple influential folks from the Amazon page:

“This fascinating and amusing account of his life is told by a colorful and highly capable German who became one of America’s most successful technical managers in the development of jet engines for aircraft.”-David S. Lewis ChairmanGeneral Dynamics Corporation.

“Not only has Gerhard Neumann’s life been filled with exotic and exciting adventures, but he was a highly successful engineer and executive-truly a superior individual and one of my favorite people.”-Sanford N. McDonnellChairman, McDonnell Douglas Corporation.

“Readers of Gerhard’s book will probably come to the same conclusion I formed while doing business with him; there is still room in industry for free spirits.” -T. A. WilsonChairman, The Boeing Company.

His colorful life included a jeep trip across Asia in 1947 documented in part by this 1948 Kansas City Times article from January 13, 1948:

This article about the release of Gerhard’s autobiography came out in the June 17, 1984, issue of the Cincinnati Enquirer:

This obituary was published following his death on November 6, 1997, in the Cincinnati Enquirer: