This myth of the wehrmacht as a haven from the regime was extended to include not merely the attitudes of the generals, but also the actions of the troops, that is the reality of the armys conduct in war and occupation. History, myth, reality explodes the clean hands myth by. The author of several books, and he has lectured on military history all over the. The standard german machinegun of the time was the 7. The myth denies the culpability of the german military command in the planning and preparation of war crimes. This is one of those modestly sized books on a large subject that. The myth and reality of german warfare operational thinking from moltke the elder to heusinger gerhard gross, edited by david zabecki. Debunking the notion that the wehrmact was separate from nazi ideology and was not part of the war crimes that were committed in the soviet union. They go over the wehrmachts conduct in serbia, the ussr, greece, and italy. The original germanlanguage book was translated into five languages. After the nazis demanded and won the allegiance of the junkers and the military, the conversion of the armed forces by the nsdap.
Historian concludes racism in germany had deep roots. German mountain troops by bruce quarrie, air organizations of the third reich. Full text of the wehrmacht history myth reality wolfram wette. Fritz leading german military historian wolfram wette has written the equivalent of an extended lawyers brief arguing for a fundamental revision of the popular conception of the role of the german army during world war ii. The stories of my grandfathers in the wehrmacht and waffen ss. The luftwaffe by roger james bender, gestapo chief. It was his strategic brilliance that allowed the germans to force france to surrender in only. Their wehrmacht was better than our army washington post. Without this book to refer to, you wont be able you cant call yourself a reenactor. Full text of the wehrmacht history myth reality wolfram.
Sniper variations of the german k98k rifle by by richard d law and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The stories of my grandfathers in the wehrmacht and. The german genius for war idea has rattled around military historiography for some time. But the relative power compared the german opponents had decreased year by year from 1942 to 1945. The illustrated history of the german army in wwii by john pimlot, christopher ailsby, john pinot hardcover 176 pages march.
History, myth, reality, wolfram wette, h i s t o r y, g u n t e r g r a s s has written, the history we germans have repeatedly mucked up over the course of the twentieth cen tury, is a clogged toilet. How powerful was the wehrmacht at the beginning of 1945. Hundreds of thousands of german soldiers had died, many were suffering from frostbite, and the red army had captured thousands more. Until very recently, the standard story avowed that the ordinary german soldier in world war ii was a good soldier, distinct from hitlers rapacious ss. The myth of the clean wehrmacht is the fictitious notion that the regular german armed forces the wehrmacht were not involved in the holocaust or other war crimes during world war ii. So if youre looking for a history of for example the campaigns of the wehrmacht, this book will disappoint you.
This book is a profound reexamination of the role of the german army, the wehrmacht, in world war ii. The wehrmacht wolfram wette harvard university press. Panzers of the wehrmacht includes all the usual suspects and also takes a look at some of the design concepts and prototypes that never made it on to the production lines. The wehrmacht was used as a tool of state policy in the second world war, for both military and political aims. The gestapo the myth and reality of hitlers secret police by frank mcdonough 309 pp. The german wehrmacht remains one of historys most effective fighting force. The wehrmacht and the myth of clean hands harvard university. One of the most educational books on world war ii i have read. Until very recently, the standard story avowed that the ordinary german soldier in world war ii was a good soldier, distinct from hitlers rapacious ss troops, and not an accomplice to the massacres of civilians. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices.
No doubt if you are at all familiar with world war two and the fandom that follows the conflict around, you have no doubt come across the idea that the wehrmacht was a professional fighting force that fought for the honour and glory of germany and stayed within the laws of war set out by the geneva convention. Tank books are always a nightmare because they are, like music and football, open to intense subjectivity. Hitler therefore could pressure his opposition into defeat with the threat of violence and war, a tactic that is consistently present in hitlers lebensraum policy german prewar expansion. Is there a subject that you would like us to cover. The illustrated history of the german army in wwii.
University press of kentucky, lexington, kentucky, 2016, 464 pages. Based on three decades of solid research, wette debunks the myth, created by former wehrmacht officers and continued by their allied counterparts, that the german military fought a clean war in the east 194145. The last time i heard about this was with german troops in ww1, there was a simple explanation then, too. Historian concludes racism in germany had deep roots sfgate. The wehrmachts last stand analyzes the german totenritt, or death ride, from january 1944with simultaneous allied offensives at anzio and ukraineuntil may 1945, the collapse of the wehrmacht in the field, and the soviet storming of berlin. He became a member of the wehrmacht german army at a young age, and worked his way up the ranks to field marshal. The german military in world war ii, which is a booklength compilation of essays by both german and nongerman historians. They were using less and less veterans and more and more raw troops who just could not cut it. The wehrmacht books on the german army of wwii from broughs military books. There is considerable controversy over the allegations that the wehrmacht was found to be significantly rather than incidentally involved in the holocaust,especially because the elements of the ss involved in the holocaust were not the waffenss and not under the control of the okw. The absolute wehrmacht power was indeed still very powerful at the beginning of 1945. Wolfram wette, a preeminent german military historian, explodes the myth of a clean wehrmacht with devastating clarity.
Accompanied by detailed text, this brandnew photobased book covers the equipment, weapons, and accessories used by the german wehrmacht from 1935 to 1945, with an emphasis on support weapons like mortars and nebelwerfers as well as personal weapons including the hand grenade, panzerfaust, and the heavy demolition remotecontrolled goliath. By day it is an enormous cloud of burning, blinding smoke. At the battle of stalingrad in january 1943, the german wehrmacht looked hopeless. Dimensions of a war of annihilation, 19411944 documents the participation of the wehrmacht in crimes committed during world war ii, taking as its starting point contemporary international humanitarian law and the laws and customs of war. The street is no longer measured by meters but by corpses. The english title history, myth, reality is rather misleading since this book does not cover the military history of the wehrmacht but that of its purported antisemitism. If anything, the myth said, the wehrmacht was a victim of the same outlaws hitler, gobbels, himmler, etc responsible for the war and holocaust. He is the author or editor of over forty books, including the wehrmacht. History, myth, reality is a 2002 book by german historian wolfram wette which discusses the myth of the clean wehrmacht. The german title is accurate but it was poorly translated. After the end of world war ii, the generals and senior officer corps of.
Is there an article that you would like to contribute. About 45 percent of the wehrmacht was committed to combat divisions, against 21 percent for the u. This is a powerful book, provocative, enlightening, disturbing. Heer, world war, 19391945, world war, 19391945, nationalism. The wehrmacht heer army and ss was probably equally or perha. Known for the discipline of its men, the legendary stiffness of its prussian officer corp, and the daunting tasks to which this organized fighting force would commit itself to on all the major fronts of the european theater, earning the admiration of both friend and foe alike, the wehrmacht remains yet to be. The wehrmacht books on the german army of world war two. It tells what the german soldier got up to during the war. On august 2, 1934, hitler required all members of germanys reemerging military to take an oath of allegiance to his regime.
Yet in the soldiers private correspondence, many ordinary troops expressed an undying loyalty and belief in adolf hitler. Wolfram wette, a preeminent german military historian, explodes the myth of a. Top american libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity heritage library childrens library. The waffenss was considered to be the wehrmachts fourth branch, since it rapidly grew from three regiments to thirtyeight divisions by the end of world war ii. Expansion of the wehrmacht grade 11 history rise of. The wehrmachts institutional honor survived, and grew into a legend of noble, heroic service innocent of crime. Until very recently, the standard story avowed that the ordinary german. Even though the waffenss was independent and considered to be adolf hitlers elite force, it did work concurrently with the wehrmacht. Professor at the albertludwigsuniversitat in freiburg. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. Below are significant events that led to the german wehrmacht expanding from a. The wehrmacht history, myth, reality is a must for each and every serious ww2 reenactor. History, myth, reality harvard university, translated by.