Omer Bartov
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195079036
- eISBN:
- 9780199854455
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195079036.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This study shows that the Wehrmacht was systematically involved in atrocities against the civilian population on the Eastern Front. Including quotes from letters, diaries, and military reports, this ...
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This study shows that the Wehrmacht was systematically involved in atrocities against the civilian population on the Eastern Front. Including quotes from letters, diaries, and military reports, this book aims to challenge the notion that the German army during World War II was apolitical and to reveal how thoroughly permeated it was by Nazi ideology. Focusing on ordinary German soldiers on the Eastern front, the book shows how government propaganda and indoctrination motivated the troops not only to fight well but to commit unprecedented crimes against humanity. This institutionalized brainwashing revolved around two interrelated elements: the radical demonization of the Soviet enemy and the deification of the führer. Consequently, most of the troops believed the war in the Eastern theater was a struggle to dam the Jewish/Bolshevik/Asiatic flood that threatened Western civilization. This book demonstrates how Germany's soldiers were transformed into brutal instruments of a barbarous policy.Less
This study shows that the Wehrmacht was systematically involved in atrocities against the civilian population on the Eastern Front. Including quotes from letters, diaries, and military reports, this book aims to challenge the notion that the German army during World War II was apolitical and to reveal how thoroughly permeated it was by Nazi ideology. Focusing on ordinary German soldiers on the Eastern front, the book shows how government propaganda and indoctrination motivated the troops not only to fight well but to commit unprecedented crimes against humanity. This institutionalized brainwashing revolved around two interrelated elements: the radical demonization of the Soviet enemy and the deification of the führer. Consequently, most of the troops believed the war in the Eastern theater was a struggle to dam the Jewish/Bolshevik/Asiatic flood that threatened Western civilization. This book demonstrates how Germany's soldiers were transformed into brutal instruments of a barbarous policy.
Konrad H. Jarausch
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195127799
- eISBN:
- 9780199869503
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195127799.003.01
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter deals with the Potsdam policy of demilitarization, which went beyond disarming the Wehrmacht and eventually led to a distancing from militarism.
This chapter deals with the Potsdam policy of demilitarization, which went beyond disarming the Wehrmacht and eventually led to a distancing from militarism.
Omer Bartov
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195079036
- eISBN:
- 9780199854455
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195079036.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter presents how the troops' perception of reality and understanding of their actions was distorted by the conditions and circumstances of their existence. The extent to which Nazi ideology ...
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This chapter presents how the troops' perception of reality and understanding of their actions was distorted by the conditions and circumstances of their existence. The extent to which Nazi ideology shaped the Wehrmacht into Hitler's army is illustrated. The chapter also highlights that it was the years of premilitary and army indoctrination which molded the soldiers' state of mind, prepared them for the horrors of war, and instilled into them such determination and ruthlessness. The chapter displays how Wehrmacht's propaganda relied on a radical demonization of the enemy and on a similarly extreme deification of the Führer. The astonishing efficacy of these images is shown by reference to a wide array of evidence presented and these played an important role in the distorted reconstruction of the memory and history of the war.Less
This chapter presents how the troops' perception of reality and understanding of their actions was distorted by the conditions and circumstances of their existence. The extent to which Nazi ideology shaped the Wehrmacht into Hitler's army is illustrated. The chapter also highlights that it was the years of premilitary and army indoctrination which molded the soldiers' state of mind, prepared them for the horrors of war, and instilled into them such determination and ruthlessness. The chapter displays how Wehrmacht's propaganda relied on a radical demonization of the enemy and on a similarly extreme deification of the Führer. The astonishing efficacy of these images is shown by reference to a wide array of evidence presented and these played an important role in the distorted reconstruction of the memory and history of the war.
David Wingeate Pike
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198203155
- eISBN:
- 9780191675751
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198203155.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter discusses the strategic importance of the Atlantic–Mediterranean land-bridge; the Germans intensifying their anti-guerrilla activities; the Todt Organization and its defaulters; escape ...
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This chapter discusses the strategic importance of the Atlantic–Mediterranean land-bridge; the Germans intensifying their anti-guerrilla activities; the Todt Organization and its defaulters; escape from the camps and prisons; the ‘ghost train’ to Dachau; the effect of D-Day on the southwest; the Wehrmacht’s problem with morale; Allied aid to the Resistance; effect of the July Plot on the Wehrmacht; the Franco–American landing at Saint-Tropez and its effect on the land-bridge; Hitler ordering the retreat of Army Group G: the liberation of Toulouse; retreat of the last German forces from the south; and the liberation of Paris.Less
This chapter discusses the strategic importance of the Atlantic–Mediterranean land-bridge; the Germans intensifying their anti-guerrilla activities; the Todt Organization and its defaulters; escape from the camps and prisons; the ‘ghost train’ to Dachau; the effect of D-Day on the southwest; the Wehrmacht’s problem with morale; Allied aid to the Resistance; effect of the July Plot on the Wehrmacht; the Franco–American landing at Saint-Tropez and its effect on the land-bridge; Hitler ordering the retreat of Army Group G: the liberation of Toulouse; retreat of the last German forces from the south; and the liberation of Paris.
David Wingeate Pike
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198203155
- eISBN:
- 9780191675751
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198203155.003.0012
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter discusses the Spanish communists taking charge of organizing resistance; the SS need of artisans and clerks; Juan de Diego becoming Lagerschreiber III; the arrival of the first ...
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This chapter discusses the Spanish communists taking charge of organizing resistance; the SS need of artisans and clerks; Juan de Diego becoming Lagerschreiber III; the arrival of the first guerrilleros; creation of a Spanish national committee and an international committee; the prisoners offering their freedom in exchange for service in the Wehrmacht; the Reds replacing the Greens and Blacks; Himmler’s instructions of May 1944 and April 1945; Mauthausen’s Kommandos converge on Mauthausen; the flight of the SS; the dawn of liberation; the arrival of the first Allied unit, and reactions of the inmates; Gusen and Ebensee liberated; revenge on the Kapos; and the hunt for the SS.Less
This chapter discusses the Spanish communists taking charge of organizing resistance; the SS need of artisans and clerks; Juan de Diego becoming Lagerschreiber III; the arrival of the first guerrilleros; creation of a Spanish national committee and an international committee; the prisoners offering their freedom in exchange for service in the Wehrmacht; the Reds replacing the Greens and Blacks; Himmler’s instructions of May 1944 and April 1945; Mauthausen’s Kommandos converge on Mauthausen; the flight of the SS; the dawn of liberation; the arrival of the first Allied unit, and reactions of the inmates; Gusen and Ebensee liberated; revenge on the Kapos; and the hunt for the SS.
Rolf-Dieter Müller
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780813167381
- eISBN:
- 9780813168111
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813167381.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Military History
Since the end of World War II, Germans have struggled with the legacy of the Wehrmacht—the unified armed forces that Adolf Hitler mobilized in 1935 to ensure the domination of the Third Reich in ...
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Since the end of World War II, Germans have struggled with the legacy of the Wehrmacht—the unified armed forces that Adolf Hitler mobilized in 1935 to ensure the domination of the Third Reich in perpetuity. Historians have vigorously debated whether the Wehrmacht’s atrocities represented a break with the past or a continuation of Germany’s military traditions. Now available for the first time in English, this meticulously researched yet accessible overview by eminent historian Rolf-Dieter Müller provides the most comprehensive analysis of the organization to date—illuminating its role in a complex, horrific era in history. Hitler’s Wehrmacht offers a unique character study of the Wehrmacht as an institution, from its secretive, unlawful beginnings, through its oath of loyalty to Hitler and its maturity as an armed force, to its total dissolution on 8 May 1945. Müller first examines the Wehrmacht’s overall leadership principles, organization, equipment, and training, as well as the front-line experiences of soldiers, airmen, Waffen SS, foreign legionnaires, and volunteers. He skillfully demonstrates how state-directed propaganda and terror influenced the extent to which the militarized Volksgemeinschaft (national community) was transformed under the pressure of total mobilization. Finally, he evaluates the army’s conduct of the war, from blitzkrieg to the final surrender and charges of war crimes. Brief acts of resistance, such as an officers’ “rebellion of conscience” in July 1944, embody the repressed, principled humanity of Germany’s soldiers; but ultimately, Müller concludes, the Wehrmacht became the “steel guarantor” of the criminal Nazi regime.Less
Since the end of World War II, Germans have struggled with the legacy of the Wehrmacht—the unified armed forces that Adolf Hitler mobilized in 1935 to ensure the domination of the Third Reich in perpetuity. Historians have vigorously debated whether the Wehrmacht’s atrocities represented a break with the past or a continuation of Germany’s military traditions. Now available for the first time in English, this meticulously researched yet accessible overview by eminent historian Rolf-Dieter Müller provides the most comprehensive analysis of the organization to date—illuminating its role in a complex, horrific era in history. Hitler’s Wehrmacht offers a unique character study of the Wehrmacht as an institution, from its secretive, unlawful beginnings, through its oath of loyalty to Hitler and its maturity as an armed force, to its total dissolution on 8 May 1945. Müller first examines the Wehrmacht’s overall leadership principles, organization, equipment, and training, as well as the front-line experiences of soldiers, airmen, Waffen SS, foreign legionnaires, and volunteers. He skillfully demonstrates how state-directed propaganda and terror influenced the extent to which the militarized Volksgemeinschaft (national community) was transformed under the pressure of total mobilization. Finally, he evaluates the army’s conduct of the war, from blitzkrieg to the final surrender and charges of war crimes. Brief acts of resistance, such as an officers’ “rebellion of conscience” in July 1944, embody the repressed, principled humanity of Germany’s soldiers; but ultimately, Müller concludes, the Wehrmacht became the “steel guarantor” of the criminal Nazi regime.
Omer Bartov
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195079036
- eISBN:
- 9780199854455
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195079036.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter proposes that the only way to approach the issues surrounding the Wehrmacht in the Third Reich is through a careful analysis of the anatomy of the German army. Four theses are given ...
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This chapter proposes that the only way to approach the issues surrounding the Wehrmacht in the Third Reich is through a careful analysis of the anatomy of the German army. Four theses are given which focus on the war experience, social organization, motivation, and perception of reality of Germany's soldiers. The chapter also asserts that by examining the attitudes of both the higher and the lower echelons of the army, the degree to which the Wehrmacht constituted an integral part of state and society in the Third Reich will be able to be gauged. This chapter concludes with an outline of the topics to be discussed on the succeeding chapters.Less
This chapter proposes that the only way to approach the issues surrounding the Wehrmacht in the Third Reich is through a careful analysis of the anatomy of the German army. Four theses are given which focus on the war experience, social organization, motivation, and perception of reality of Germany's soldiers. The chapter also asserts that by examining the attitudes of both the higher and the lower echelons of the army, the degree to which the Wehrmacht constituted an integral part of state and society in the Third Reich will be able to be gauged. This chapter concludes with an outline of the topics to be discussed on the succeeding chapters.
Omer Bartov
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195079036
- eISBN:
- 9780199854455
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195079036.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
Between the year 1941 and 1942, the Wehrmacht's combat units underwent a radical process of demodernization, just as the Third Reich's economy was being mobilized for a total industrial war. This ...
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Between the year 1941 and 1942, the Wehrmacht's combat units underwent a radical process of demodernization, just as the Third Reich's economy was being mobilized for a total industrial war. This chapter examines the contradiction between the Wehrmacht's image as the most modern army of its time, and the profound process of demodernization it underwent particularly on the Eastern Front. Through a detailed reconstruction of life at the front, the chapter demonstrates the effects of the immense material attrition on the troops' physical condition and state of mind. Strong emphasis is given on the winter of 1941–2, when the majority of Germany's soldiers were forced into trench warfare highly reminiscent of the Western Front of 1914–18, while facing, however, an increasingly modernized enemy. Several consequences of the demodernization of the front are also presented in this chapter.Less
Between the year 1941 and 1942, the Wehrmacht's combat units underwent a radical process of demodernization, just as the Third Reich's economy was being mobilized for a total industrial war. This chapter examines the contradiction between the Wehrmacht's image as the most modern army of its time, and the profound process of demodernization it underwent particularly on the Eastern Front. Through a detailed reconstruction of life at the front, the chapter demonstrates the effects of the immense material attrition on the troops' physical condition and state of mind. Strong emphasis is given on the winter of 1941–2, when the majority of Germany's soldiers were forced into trench warfare highly reminiscent of the Western Front of 1914–18, while facing, however, an increasingly modernized enemy. Several consequences of the demodernization of the front are also presented in this chapter.
Omer Bartov
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195079036
- eISBN:
- 9780199854455
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195079036.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
Cohesion in the German army was to a large extent maintained by a conscious and systematic nurturing of what has come to be termed as “primary groups”, a social organization with its roots tracing ...
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Cohesion in the German army was to a large extent maintained by a conscious and systematic nurturing of what has come to be termed as “primary groups”, a social organization with its roots tracing back to military tradition that expected soldiers to feel a special kind of bond and loyalty to their unit. This chapter explores the destruction of the “primary group,” the social unit which had traditionally constituted the backbone of the German army. The chapter explores how the tremendous losses in the fighting, the lack of replacements, and the rapid manpower turnover among combat units, diminished the Wehrmacht reliance on the “primary group” as the key for its cohesion. Further, the chapter displays how the widely accepted sociological theory of Shils and Janowitz, which states that the Wehrmacht avoided disintegration due to its social organization, is irrelevant in Eastern Front conditions.Less
Cohesion in the German army was to a large extent maintained by a conscious and systematic nurturing of what has come to be termed as “primary groups”, a social organization with its roots tracing back to military tradition that expected soldiers to feel a special kind of bond and loyalty to their unit. This chapter explores the destruction of the “primary group,” the social unit which had traditionally constituted the backbone of the German army. The chapter explores how the tremendous losses in the fighting, the lack of replacements, and the rapid manpower turnover among combat units, diminished the Wehrmacht reliance on the “primary group” as the key for its cohesion. Further, the chapter displays how the widely accepted sociological theory of Shils and Janowitz, which states that the Wehrmacht avoided disintegration due to its social organization, is irrelevant in Eastern Front conditions.
Omer Bartov
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195079036
- eISBN:
- 9780199854455
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195079036.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
While the intellectual combination of the old military tradition with modern fighting techniques can be regarded as one of the keys to the Wehrmacht's astounding military successes, the strict ...
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While the intellectual combination of the old military tradition with modern fighting techniques can be regarded as one of the keys to the Wehrmacht's astounding military successes, the strict compliance required from the troops, and the draconian punishments meted to offenders, as this chapter proposes, played a major role in maintaining unit cohesion under the most adverse combat conditions. However, the chapter also emphasizes that in the Third Reich, especially during the war, the soldiers' submission to a disciplinary system, led to their profound brutalization because they were unpunished for such atrocious actions. This in turn, created a convenient safety valve for the army which made it possible to demand strict combat discipline, and cohesion came to depend on a perversion of the moral and legal basis of martial law.Less
While the intellectual combination of the old military tradition with modern fighting techniques can be regarded as one of the keys to the Wehrmacht's astounding military successes, the strict compliance required from the troops, and the draconian punishments meted to offenders, as this chapter proposes, played a major role in maintaining unit cohesion under the most adverse combat conditions. However, the chapter also emphasizes that in the Third Reich, especially during the war, the soldiers' submission to a disciplinary system, led to their profound brutalization because they were unpunished for such atrocious actions. This in turn, created a convenient safety valve for the army which made it possible to demand strict combat discipline, and cohesion came to depend on a perversion of the moral and legal basis of martial law.
Omer Bartov
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195079036
- eISBN:
- 9780199854455
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195079036.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter concludes with an argument that in Germany, the popular memory of “Barbarossa” is based on the same inversion of reality which was common during the Third Reich, whereby the war's ...
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This chapter concludes with an argument that in Germany, the popular memory of “Barbarossa” is based on the same inversion of reality which was common during the Third Reich, whereby the war's military events and physical hardships are greatly overemphasized, while its truly unique aspect, namely its inherent criminality, is repressed and “normalized.” Cause and effect were reversed: barbarism was perceived as the outcome of the enemy's bitter resistance to occupation, not as its main trigger. Further, the chapter demonstrates that the central contention of this study is that just as we cannot speak of the Wehrmacht as an institution in isolation from the state, so too it is impossible to understand the conduct, motivation, and self-perception of the individual officers and men who made up the army without considering the society and regime from which they came.Less
This chapter concludes with an argument that in Germany, the popular memory of “Barbarossa” is based on the same inversion of reality which was common during the Third Reich, whereby the war's military events and physical hardships are greatly overemphasized, while its truly unique aspect, namely its inherent criminality, is repressed and “normalized.” Cause and effect were reversed: barbarism was perceived as the outcome of the enemy's bitter resistance to occupation, not as its main trigger. Further, the chapter demonstrates that the central contention of this study is that just as we cannot speak of the Wehrmacht as an institution in isolation from the state, so too it is impossible to understand the conduct, motivation, and self-perception of the individual officers and men who made up the army without considering the society and regime from which they came.
Richard Bessel
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199693627
- eISBN:
- 9780191741258
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199693627.003.0026
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter discusses how in 1945 Nazi Germany did not surrender when defeat became likely, or even when it became inevitable, but fought literally to the bitter end. Nazi ideology, allegiance to ...
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This chapter discusses how in 1945 Nazi Germany did not surrender when defeat became likely, or even when it became inevitable, but fought literally to the bitter end. Nazi ideology, allegiance to Hitler, guilt and fear of retribution, regime terror, and determination not to repeat what had happened in 1918 contributed to this hugely destructive outcome. However, surrender at local level did not occur uniformly: in some places there was dogged resistance to the end and the terror unleashed by the regime kept the population wedded to its strategy of self-destruction; in others German soldiers melted away, and German civilians hung out white sheets from their homes and tried to negotiate local surrenders when Allied soldiers approached. In the end, uncompromising Nazi ideology evaporated with the collapse of the Nazi regime, and the population finally embraced defeat and life after surrender.Less
This chapter discusses how in 1945 Nazi Germany did not surrender when defeat became likely, or even when it became inevitable, but fought literally to the bitter end. Nazi ideology, allegiance to Hitler, guilt and fear of retribution, regime terror, and determination not to repeat what had happened in 1918 contributed to this hugely destructive outcome. However, surrender at local level did not occur uniformly: in some places there was dogged resistance to the end and the terror unleashed by the regime kept the population wedded to its strategy of self-destruction; in others German soldiers melted away, and German civilians hung out white sheets from their homes and tried to negotiate local surrenders when Allied soldiers approached. In the end, uncompromising Nazi ideology evaporated with the collapse of the Nazi regime, and the population finally embraced defeat and life after surrender.
David A. Harrisville
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- May 2022
- ISBN:
- 9781501760044
- eISBN:
- 9781501760051
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501760044.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, Military History
This chapter looks at practices and attitudes toward death in the Wehrmacht during the Soviet campaign. It explores their contribution to the army's attempts to present itself as a morally worthy ...
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This chapter looks at practices and attitudes toward death in the Wehrmacht during the Soviet campaign. It explores their contribution to the army's attempts to present itself as a morally worthy organization and traces how the experience of death and day-to-day suffering contributed to a growing emphasis on victimhood in soldiers' writings that would go on to shape public memory. The chapter argues that, just as it had cast itself as a force for religious renewal or freedom from communist tyranny, the Wehrmacht also laid claim to the status of a civilized institution by using burial and memorial practices to demonstrate reverence for life and death. This chapter then shifts to demonstrate that most of the elements of the victimhood narrative scholars have identified as a primary feature of the Wehrmacht myth in the post-1945 period already permeated soldiers' writings by the later years of the war.Less
This chapter looks at practices and attitudes toward death in the Wehrmacht during the Soviet campaign. It explores their contribution to the army's attempts to present itself as a morally worthy organization and traces how the experience of death and day-to-day suffering contributed to a growing emphasis on victimhood in soldiers' writings that would go on to shape public memory. The chapter argues that, just as it had cast itself as a force for religious renewal or freedom from communist tyranny, the Wehrmacht also laid claim to the status of a civilized institution by using burial and memorial practices to demonstrate reverence for life and death. This chapter then shifts to demonstrate that most of the elements of the victimhood narrative scholars have identified as a primary feature of the Wehrmacht myth in the post-1945 period already permeated soldiers' writings by the later years of the war.
Mark Edele
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- July 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198798156
- eISBN:
- 9780191839375
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198798156.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History, Political History
Stalin’s Defectors is the first systematic study of the phenomenon of front-line surrender to the Germans in the Soviet Union’s ‘Great Patriotic War’ against the Nazis in 1941–5. No other Allied army ...
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Stalin’s Defectors is the first systematic study of the phenomenon of front-line surrender to the Germans in the Soviet Union’s ‘Great Patriotic War’ against the Nazis in 1941–5. No other Allied army in the Second World War had such a large share of defectors among its prisoners of war. Based on a broad range of sources, this book investigates the extent, the context, the scenarios, the reasons, the aftermath, and the historiography of front-line defection. It shows that the most widespread sentiment animating attempts to cross the front line was a wish to survive this war. Disgruntlement with Stalin’s ‘socialism’ was also prevalent among those who chose to give up and hand themselves over to the enemy. While politics thus played a prominent role in pushing people to commit treason, few desired to fight on the side of the enemy. Hence, while the phenomenon of front-line defection tells us much about the lack of popularity of Stalin’s regime, it does not prove that the majority of the population was ready for resistance, let alone collaboration. Both sides of a long-standing debate between those who equate all Soviet captives with defectors, and those who attempt to downplay the phenomenon, then, over-stress their argument. Instead, more recent research on the moods of both the occupied and the unoccupied Soviet population shows that the majority understood its own interest in opposition to both Hitler’s and Stalin’s regime. The findings of this book support such an interpretation.Less
Stalin’s Defectors is the first systematic study of the phenomenon of front-line surrender to the Germans in the Soviet Union’s ‘Great Patriotic War’ against the Nazis in 1941–5. No other Allied army in the Second World War had such a large share of defectors among its prisoners of war. Based on a broad range of sources, this book investigates the extent, the context, the scenarios, the reasons, the aftermath, and the historiography of front-line defection. It shows that the most widespread sentiment animating attempts to cross the front line was a wish to survive this war. Disgruntlement with Stalin’s ‘socialism’ was also prevalent among those who chose to give up and hand themselves over to the enemy. While politics thus played a prominent role in pushing people to commit treason, few desired to fight on the side of the enemy. Hence, while the phenomenon of front-line defection tells us much about the lack of popularity of Stalin’s regime, it does not prove that the majority of the population was ready for resistance, let alone collaboration. Both sides of a long-standing debate between those who equate all Soviet captives with defectors, and those who attempt to downplay the phenomenon, then, over-stress their argument. Instead, more recent research on the moods of both the occupied and the unoccupied Soviet population shows that the majority understood its own interest in opposition to both Hitler’s and Stalin’s regime. The findings of this book support such an interpretation.
Michael Geheran
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- May 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781501751011
- eISBN:
- 9781501751035
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501751011.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, Military History
This chapter analyzes the massive deterioration of the situation of Jewish veterans after 1938 and the intense debates between the higher echelons of the Wehrmacht, Schutzstaffel (SS), and Nazi Party ...
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This chapter analyzes the massive deterioration of the situation of Jewish veterans after 1938 and the intense debates between the higher echelons of the Wehrmacht, Schutzstaffel (SS), and Nazi Party officials over the remnants of the special status that they, at this stage, still enjoyed. It also examines Jewish veterans' ongoing attempts to preserve their honor as prisoners in the Nazi concentration camps following the mass incarcerations after Kristallnacht. As they were rounded up, physically and verbally assaulted, and deported to Dachau, Buchenwald, and Sachsenhausen, Jewish veterans not only relied on their military training and memories of the war to overcome the ordeal; they also remained committed to preserving their honor and their dignity. This also held true for those Jewish veterans deported to the ghettos of Lodz, Minsk, and Riga in late 1941.Less
This chapter analyzes the massive deterioration of the situation of Jewish veterans after 1938 and the intense debates between the higher echelons of the Wehrmacht, Schutzstaffel (SS), and Nazi Party officials over the remnants of the special status that they, at this stage, still enjoyed. It also examines Jewish veterans' ongoing attempts to preserve their honor as prisoners in the Nazi concentration camps following the mass incarcerations after Kristallnacht. As they were rounded up, physically and verbally assaulted, and deported to Dachau, Buchenwald, and Sachsenhausen, Jewish veterans not only relied on their military training and memories of the war to overcome the ordeal; they also remained committed to preserving their honor and their dignity. This also held true for those Jewish veterans deported to the ghettos of Lodz, Minsk, and Riga in late 1941.
Thomas Kühne
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300121865
- eISBN:
- 9780300168570
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300121865.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
Drawing on private letters and diaries of ordinary soldiers, this chapter shows how the strategy of community building through crime was expanded to the bulk of adult German men in the Wehrmacht. ...
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Drawing on private letters and diaries of ordinary soldiers, this chapter shows how the strategy of community building through crime was expanded to the bulk of adult German men in the Wehrmacht. From the beginning to the end of the war, soldiers, often naively, enjoyed the pleasures and the emotional closeness of comradeship. They still had some sense of right and wrong. Notwithstanding the after-the-fact myths of ignorance of the Holocaust on the part of ordinary Germans, most of these soldiers—seventeen million—had some idea that the war they waged went far beyond anything considered morally acceptable.Less
Drawing on private letters and diaries of ordinary soldiers, this chapter shows how the strategy of community building through crime was expanded to the bulk of adult German men in the Wehrmacht. From the beginning to the end of the war, soldiers, often naively, enjoyed the pleasures and the emotional closeness of comradeship. They still had some sense of right and wrong. Notwithstanding the after-the-fact myths of ignorance of the Holocaust on the part of ordinary Germans, most of these soldiers—seventeen million—had some idea that the war they waged went far beyond anything considered morally acceptable.
Alexander Prusin
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780252041068
- eISBN:
- 9780252099618
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252041068.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, Military History
Focuses on the German anti-guerrilla warfare in Serbia in 1941. Although German military and civil officials did not consider the Serbs as ideological enemies solely on the basis of race, the ...
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Focuses on the German anti-guerrilla warfare in Serbia in 1941. Although German military and civil officials did not consider the Serbs as ideological enemies solely on the basis of race, the outbreak of resistance elevated racial stereotypes to the forestage of occupation policies, particularly since the Germans did not have enough troops to suppress the resistance. In comparison to Poland or Ukraine, where maintaining security was the prerogative of Himmler’s SS and police, his forces in Serbia were too small for such a task. As a result, it was the Wehrmacht, which assumed the essentially police functions. The German officer corps’ commitment to the Nazi ideology ensured that it perceived its task through political prism and applied unrestricted terror as the most effective method for crushing the resistance.Less
Focuses on the German anti-guerrilla warfare in Serbia in 1941. Although German military and civil officials did not consider the Serbs as ideological enemies solely on the basis of race, the outbreak of resistance elevated racial stereotypes to the forestage of occupation policies, particularly since the Germans did not have enough troops to suppress the resistance. In comparison to Poland or Ukraine, where maintaining security was the prerogative of Himmler’s SS and police, his forces in Serbia were too small for such a task. As a result, it was the Wehrmacht, which assumed the essentially police functions. The German officer corps’ commitment to the Nazi ideology ensured that it perceived its task through political prism and applied unrestricted terror as the most effective method for crushing the resistance.
Derek R. Mallett
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780813142517
- eISBN:
- 9780813143064
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813142517.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Military History
The book examines the evolution of the relationship between American officials and the fifty-five Wehrmacht general officers who were held as prisoners of war in the United States between June 1943 ...
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The book examines the evolution of the relationship between American officials and the fifty-five Wehrmacht general officers who were held as prisoners of war in the United States between June 1943 and August 1946. The transformation of this relationship, wrought by the developments of the war and the national security concerns of the immediate postwar era, illustrates two important points. First, despite some similarities, the respective priorities of British and American authorities regarding their POW general officers differed significantly. British officials consistently interrogated and eavesdropped on all of their senior officer prisoners, primarily seeking operational and tactical intelligence to aid the Allied war effort. Once the war had been won, the operation was immediately discontinued. In sharp contrast to their British allies, the Americans initially had little regard for the value of Wehrmacht general officer POWs. Only after the success of the Allied invasion of Normandy did American authorities began to evaluate what, if any, role the generals in their custody might play in the reconstruction of postwar Germany. Second, following the German surrender, American authorities reconceptualized their German prisoner-of-war generals as potential “allies.” The needs of the war in the Pacific, American admiration for the German military model, and Western Allied fears of Soviet intentions transformed Washington’s relationship with Wehrmacht general officers in the immediate postwar era.Less
The book examines the evolution of the relationship between American officials and the fifty-five Wehrmacht general officers who were held as prisoners of war in the United States between June 1943 and August 1946. The transformation of this relationship, wrought by the developments of the war and the national security concerns of the immediate postwar era, illustrates two important points. First, despite some similarities, the respective priorities of British and American authorities regarding their POW general officers differed significantly. British officials consistently interrogated and eavesdropped on all of their senior officer prisoners, primarily seeking operational and tactical intelligence to aid the Allied war effort. Once the war had been won, the operation was immediately discontinued. In sharp contrast to their British allies, the Americans initially had little regard for the value of Wehrmacht general officer POWs. Only after the success of the Allied invasion of Normandy did American authorities began to evaluate what, if any, role the generals in their custody might play in the reconstruction of postwar Germany. Second, following the German surrender, American authorities reconceptualized their German prisoner-of-war generals as potential “allies.” The needs of the war in the Pacific, American admiration for the German military model, and Western Allied fears of Soviet intentions transformed Washington’s relationship with Wehrmacht general officers in the immediate postwar era.
Gerhard P. Gross
David T. Zabecki (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780813168371
- eISBN:
- 9780813168401
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813168371.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, Military History
Chapter 6 examines the rearmament of the German military from disorganization in peacetime (the Reichswehr) through the foundation of a centralized and unified military (the Wehrmacht) at the start ...
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Chapter 6 examines the rearmament of the German military from disorganization in peacetime (the Reichswehr) through the foundation of a centralized and unified military (the Wehrmacht) at the start of World War II. Although Schlieffen’s plan of swift annihilation and operational maneuvers had proven unsuccessful, the German military blamed this failure on the incompetence of individual commanders. As a result, the dogmatic adherence to quick, operational warfare independent of political considerations remained unquestioned. Instead, military leaders like Joachim von Stülpnagel and Hans von Seeckt debated the value of a total people’s war as a means of achieving a battle of annihilation in future conflicts. Not all of Germany’s failures in World War I were ignored, however. Wilhelm Groener noted the lack of cooperation between not only branches of the armed forces but also military and political leadership. He called for the centralization of command and control in a political body—a call that was answered by the rise of Adolph Hitler and the establishment of the Wehrmacht under Werner von Blomberg.Less
Chapter 6 examines the rearmament of the German military from disorganization in peacetime (the Reichswehr) through the foundation of a centralized and unified military (the Wehrmacht) at the start of World War II. Although Schlieffen’s plan of swift annihilation and operational maneuvers had proven unsuccessful, the German military blamed this failure on the incompetence of individual commanders. As a result, the dogmatic adherence to quick, operational warfare independent of political considerations remained unquestioned. Instead, military leaders like Joachim von Stülpnagel and Hans von Seeckt debated the value of a total people’s war as a means of achieving a battle of annihilation in future conflicts. Not all of Germany’s failures in World War I were ignored, however. Wilhelm Groener noted the lack of cooperation between not only branches of the armed forces but also military and political leadership. He called for the centralization of command and control in a political body—a call that was answered by the rise of Adolph Hitler and the establishment of the Wehrmacht under Werner von Blomberg.
Derek R. Mallett
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780813142517
- eISBN:
- 9780813143064
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813142517.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Military History
Chapter 1 relates the Allied capture of the German general officers who were eventually held as prisoners of war in the United States. The chapter begins with the first large group of generals who ...
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Chapter 1 relates the Allied capture of the German general officers who were eventually held as prisoners of war in the United States. The chapter begins with the first large group of generals who surrendered in Tunisia; hence the captors referred to their prisoners as Afrikaner. The chapter proceeds to recount the capture of the next large group of German generals to fall into Western Allied hands, the Französen, those captured following the successful Allied invasion of northwest France. The chapter examines the British relationship with these men, the interrelations of the prisoners themselves, and British perceptions of the prisoners’ respective political loyalties. It serves as a lens of comparison through which the American treatment of these prisoners can be viewed.Less
Chapter 1 relates the Allied capture of the German general officers who were eventually held as prisoners of war in the United States. The chapter begins with the first large group of generals who surrendered in Tunisia; hence the captors referred to their prisoners as Afrikaner. The chapter proceeds to recount the capture of the next large group of German generals to fall into Western Allied hands, the Französen, those captured following the successful Allied invasion of northwest France. The chapter examines the British relationship with these men, the interrelations of the prisoners themselves, and British perceptions of the prisoners’ respective political loyalties. It serves as a lens of comparison through which the American treatment of these prisoners can be viewed.