A German infantryman describes the path he has traveled along the roads of war since the Wehrmacht troops crossed the Western Bug from Poland to Russian territory in 1941. The author talks in detail about the heavy battles near Kiev, Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, about how, while retreating, parts of the German troops burned bridges, cities and villages. In October 1943, Soviet soldiers captured Skeja. He escaped, and from that day his wanderings began behind Soviet lines. However, the intelligence, good education, cunning and resourcefulness of a German infantryman helped him not only survive, but even gain the trust of the camp leadership when he was captured again. Many years after the war, Oscar Skeia's diary fell into the hands of his relative, Dan Chiarello, who processed and prepared the text for publication.