Gerhard gross believes this idea is built on a deeply flawed analysis of history, and he thinks the worst offenders are americans. Keyword title author subject isbnissn all ishare libraries local catalog only search options. It has long been standard to proclaim that the german army, or wehrmacht, was not like other institutions under the third reich. 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. Heer, world war, 19391945, world war, 19391945, nationalism. History, myth, reality is a profound reexamination of the role of the german army, the wehrmacht, in world war ii. Citino is available at in several formats for your ereader. When first looking at the title of this book i thought it would encompass much of what previous others usually do, mainly outlining what the wehrmacht did in terms of mass murder or other genocidal acts, including which ss or. The wehrmacht existed from 1935 to 1945 and consisted of the unified armed forces of germany, including the heer army, kriegsmarine navy, and luftwaffe air force. Wolfram wette, a preeminent german military historian, explodes the myth of a clean wehrmacht with devastating clarity. Remembering the wehrmachts war of annihilation ebook by. And of course guy sajers the forgotten soldier which is quoted extensively.
Gross, bundeswehr, head of the department of german military history before 1945 at the bundeswehr center of military history and social sciences in potsdam, germany, is the author of numerous books and coeditor of the schlieffe. The wehrmacht history, myth, reality is a must for each and every serious ww2 reenactor. He takes on a study by dupuy were dupuy found that germans had a great superiority in fighting power. This myth, known to some as the clean hands version of the wehrmacht s history, contends that the german army fought a relatively fair fight during world war ii and avoided the atrocityladen conduct associated with more notorious units like the schutzstaffel, or. Aug 04, 2017 the german genius for war idea has rattled around military historiography for some time. Operational thinking from moltke the elder to heusinger is indispensable reading for any student of the topic. Until very recently, the standard story avowed that the ordinary german soldier in world war ii was a good soldier, distinct. Operational thinking in the reichswehr and the wehrmacht between reality and utopia pp. The clean wehrmacht myth was something that was advanced by both the westgerman and the western allied governments after the war within the context of the budding cold war. It aims to debunk the legend of the wehrmacht s clean hands. The full text of this article hosted at is unavailable due to technical difficulties.
History, myth, reality is a translation of the original german text published by s. This is a powerful book, provocative, enlightening, disturbing. The text reveals the wehrmachts prejudices against jews, slavs, and bolsheviks, beliefs that predated the. The two main sources i kept close by while writing this post were hitlers army by omer bartov and wehrmacht. Surrounded by potential adversaries, nineteenthcentury prussia and twentiethcentury germany faced the formidable prosp. To see the foreword, the introduction, a generous selection of sample pages, and more, visit the website the wehrmacht website. History, myth, reality would also be a good adjunct to chapter 8 trying to change the world about racialism and antisemitism in the wehrmacht. This book reveals the wehrmacht s longstanding prejudices against jews, slavs, and bolsheviks, beliefs that predated the prophecies ofmein kampf and the paranoia of national socialism.
Wolfram wette, a preeminent german military historian, explodes the myth of a. Oct 22, 2012 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. The last battle, when gis and the wehrmacht fought the ss stephen harding. Parameters the books us publisher deserves high marks for producing this solid uncredited translation of the 2012german original, equipped with many highquality maps and a substantive. The luftwaffe actually had their own ground forces which included tank divisions.
For almost a decade after 1933, hitler enjoyed a remarkable degree of popularity among the great majority of the german people. 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. His many books include the multiawardwinning the wehrmacht retreats. Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. Citino is the samuel zemurray stone senior historian at the national world war ii museum. Wolfram wette the wehrmacht history, myth, reality. The making and breaking of the nazi economy clean wehrmacht. Deborah lucas schneider this is a reexamination of the role of the german army, the wehrmacht, in world war ii. History, myth, reality by wolfram wette 2006, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The text reveals the wehrmacht s prejudices against jews, slavs, and bolsheviks, beliefs that predated the.
This book is a profound reexamination of the role of the german army. 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. As stated in the last video, the german army has a reputation of being vastly superior tactically and operationally to the red army on the eastern front of. 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. The myth and reality of hitlers secret police are great because they are so attention holding, i mean you know how people describe the gestapo. 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. The myth and reality of german warfare ebook by gerhard p. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the wehrmacht. The wehrmacht wolfram wette harvard university press. Read the myth and reality of german warfare operational thinking from moltke the elder to heusinger by gerhard p. Nov 02, 2007 the wehrmacht history, myth, reality is a must for each and every serious ww2 reenactor. This book is a profound reexamination of the role of the german army, the wehrmacht, in world war ii.
Thus the army was portrayed both as immune to nazi ideological influences, and as a professional organisation preoccupied. Jun 19, 2006 the wehrmacht, the name for all of germanys armed forces, not only became a highly effective instrument of hitlers desire for world domination but also an embodiment of his racist ideology. Jun 30, 2009 wolfram wette, a preeminent german military historian, explodes the myth of a clean wehrmacht with devastating clarity. Pdf 400 pages 3,3mb this book is a profound reexamination of the role of the german army, the wehrmacht, in world war ii. History, myth, reality wolfram wette, deborah lucas schneider. Though the sixteenmillionmember german army is often portrayed as a victim of nazi mania, we come to see that from. It tells what the german soldier got up to during the war. Militargeschichtliches forschungsamt research institute for military history. Until very recently, the standard story avowed that the.
Until very recently, the standard story avowed that the ordinary german soldier in world war ii was a good soldier. Although many people use the word wehrmacht to specifically refer to the german army, originally, the word. History, myth, reality, wette wolfram cambridge, ma. The myth denies the culpability of the german military command in the planning and preparation of war crimes. Full text of the wehrmacht history myth reality wolfram wette. Timeline world history documentaries 1,254,770 views. The wehrmacht book gail borden public library district. Blitzkrieg is a particularly successful synergy of correspondence and interviews, archival material from four countries, and the massive body of published literature addressing one of warmakings greatest surprises. So if youre looking for a history of for example the campaigns of the wehrmacht, this book will disappoint you. The original germanlanguage book was translated into five languages. There was its own eastern german version of it but since the western narrative is far more influential, ill focus on that. Wette destroys that myth in his book, an indictment of the german army for its involvement in atrocities against jews and people in eastern europe.
International perspectives on the german strategy for world war i. Without this book to refer to, you wont be able you cant call yourself a reenactor. History, myth, reality kindle edition by wette, wolfram, schneider, deborah lucas. History, myth, reality wolfram wette, author, deborah lucas schneider, translator, trans. The myth and reality of hitlers secret police by frank mcdonough good books by saying they cant stop reading them, well, i really could not stop reading. Wettes work detailed the wehrmacht offensives on the eastern front, which he characterized as nothing less than a campaign of extermination against bolsheviks, jews, and slavs. Gross, a colonel in the bundeswehr, offers his book, the myth and reality of german warfare, as a corrective.
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. David t zabecki surrounded by potential adversaries, nineteenthcentury prussia and twentiethcentury germany faced the formidable prospect of multifront wars and wars of attrition. 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. In this unique volume, expert tim ripley introduces the reader to the world of the german army, covering in detail concepts such as mobile defense and the formidable blitzkrieg, and explains why the wehrmacht was able to fight so long, with such fearsome effectiveness. Even where the perpetration of war crimes and the waging of a war of extermination, particularly in.
Gross, bundeswehr, head of the department of german military history before 1945 at the bundeswehr center of military history and social sciences in potsdam, germany, is the author of numerous books and coeditor of the schlieffen plan. History, myth, reality is a 2002 book by german historian wolfram wette which discusses the myth of the clean wehrmacht. However dramatic and spectacular his political career, concentration on hitlers character and personality in some respects bizarre, in others downright mediocre and wholly unpleasant can nevertheless do little to explain the magnetism of his popular appeal. This book reveals the wehrmacht s longstanding prejudices against jews, slavs, and bolsheviks, beliefs that predated the prophecies of mein kampf and the paranoia of national socialism. Behind his strong hold over the german people lay the hopes and perceptions of the millions who adored him and consequently imbued him with largerthanlife characteristics.
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