Castle of My Memories

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Kitty and Victor
Kitty and Stolz
Vienna in WWII
Tory and August
Vienna in WW11
Kitty and Victor on the US Europa

The Incredible True Story of

Ruth "Kitty" Taquey

Ruth Kitty Taquey
A Castle of My Memories

The incredible true story of Ruth "Kitty" Taquey, an American woman with an unbreakable spirit.

After following her heart to Austria to be with budding artist Victor Planckh, she found herself trying to live while war waged around her. She faced the Gestapo, American bombers, the Russian army in Vienna, starvation rations, and the loss of her two lovers during World War II. Through her Christian faith, ability to speak fluently four languages, and will to survive, Ruth managed to stay alive and even found love again after the war. This inspiring tale is a testament to the power of the human spirit and love to overcome even the toughest challenges.

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Years after the author passed away, her forbidden manuscript was found in the attic by her son. Finally published in March of 2023, at last her legacy and incredible artwork of her husband Victor Planckh can now be discovered . . .

“The reader will be drawn in to this compelling story of a young American from Mainline Philadelphia living with her husband, Austrian artist Vicktor Planckh, during the German occupation of Vienna. Throughout terror, deprivation and heartbreaking losses, the reader is exposed to the sheer savvy and benevolence of Ruth Planckh Taquey. She risked her life supporting the Allied effort as well as a cast of fascinating characters both civilian and military. If you are an enthusiast of the era and the boldness and ingenuity of a woman deftly maneuvering under dangerous circumstances, then you will love this true and historically significant book. Cover to Cover, A Castle of my Memories is a wonderful read.”

John G Link

Cast of Characters

Ruth Taquey
Read Bio

Ruth "Kitty" Taquey

  • Author of the book and marries the artist Victor Planckh. She marries Heinz Teschner and divorces him in 1947 and eventually marries Charles Taquey. She dies in 1994.
Victor Plankch
Biography

Victor Planckh

  • Kitty's husband who dies in Greece in 1941 of peritonitis, member of the Hagenbund.
August Herzongeberg

August Picot de Peccaduc Freiherr von Herzongenberg

  • Kitty's lover and German artist killed on the Russian front. He dies 21 February 1944. Click here to read his death notice.
Herbert Scholz

Herbert Scholz

  • Kitty's first lover but never marries him. He becomes a member of the SS in the Boston area before the start of WW2.
Claude de Sercey

Claude de Sercey

  • Kitty's young lover and friend. Ends up in a DP camp and eventually works for the Red Cross. He then transfers to hunting German collaborators in France. He died in 1981.
Heinz Teschner

Heinz Teschner

  • Kitty's second husband and divorces him in 1947. He lived in California.
Charles Taquey

Charles Taquey

  • Captain in the US Army, member of the OSS, and marries Kitty McVitty Planckh in 1947. He died in 1999.
Caroline Crosby

Caroline Crosby

  • Tory Planckh's first American lover and Kitty McVitty Planckh's best friend at Bryn Mawr College. Caroline’s failed expected marriage to Tory Planckh was the catalyst that caused Kitty Planckh to eventually marry him. Caroline died in the 1960's.
Herbert Boeckl - photograph by Barbara Hirschenhauser

Herbert Boeckl

  • Famous Austrian artist, lived in Vienna, Austria, between 1935 and 1966 he taught art at the Academy of Fine Arts and was manager from 1945/1946, died in 1966. Photograph by Barbara Hirschenhauser.
Julius Plankch

Julius Plankch

  • Kitty's husband's father retired officer in the Austrian-Hungarian Army and imprisoned in Russia during WW1 in Tomsk.
Stephanie Plankch

Stephanie Plankch

  • Victor Planckh's mother and settles into retirement in Munich, Germany.
Traudl Gruelich

Traudl Gruelich

  • Secretary in the office that Kitty works in.
Major Ben Ash

Major Ben Ash

  • American P-38 fighter pilot shot down over Austria. Kitty nurses him and his 8 men back to health while the men were stationed in Vienna, Austria. Photo used by permission of Ben Ash's son.
Micheline di Borgo

Micheline di Borgo

  • Marries Herbert Quentin McVitty and divorces him and she eventually marries Alan Jay Lerner, who wrote all the music for My Fair Lady and many other great songs from the American Songbook.
George Kennan

George Frost Kennan

  • American diplomat, writer, and eventually became American Ambassador to Russia in 1950.
Norbert Anschutz

Norbert Anschutz

  • Norbert Anschutz in uniform during the war.

We are searching for a screenwriter to bring this incredible story to film. Please contact us if interested.

discover@castleofmymemories.com