Petke, Stefan Muslime in der Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS : Rekrutierung - Ausbildung - Einsatz

Tens of thousands of Muslims fought in the ranks of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS in almost all theatres of the Second World War. Units were deployed that differed considerably in size and objectives. What they all had in common was the assumption on the German side that Muslims were particularly suitable and brutal soldiers because of their "natural characteristics".

Recruitment, training and deployment of the units did not follow a fixed Islamic programme, but developed within different phases, as this study can show. For the first time, a precise picture of the units and all the actors involved can be drawn.

From the review by Konstantin Sakkas:
Stefan Petke's dissertation "undoubtedly has the potential to become a standard work. For Petke, the Muslim soldiers in German service were part of the colonial tradition: they were regarded less as brothers-in-arms with equal rights (even if this was often invoked by the higher levels of command) than as 'askaris', as 'primitive natural people' who were instrumentalised for one's own goals. With this classification, which he substantiates with a wealth of sources, Petke inscribes himself in the postcolonial discourse, which is highly topical at the moment. At the same time, he does not leave it at an account of the events in the Second World War, but draws a bow to their world-historical background: the colonisation of the Middle East by the British and French here, imperial Russian and then Stalinist imperialism in the Caucasus and Central Asia there. [...]
One does not have to go along with all his interpretations; but Stefan Petke has undoubtedly succeeded in producing a relevant, very thorough and erudite reference work on the guilt and fate of Muslims in the service of Nazi Germany with this book. May it find its readers outside the specialist circles as well."
Review by Konstantin Sakkas, in: Islamische Zeitung, August 2021, p. 18