This fascinating collection of personal accounts challenges the view that all Germans knew about the crimes of the Third Reich and were complicit. The five accounts recall the lives of people born in the 1920s who refused to join the SS, were horrified by the atrocities or otherwise remained true to their principles. They range from their early lives during the rise of the NSDAP to their youth during the war and the early post-war years, offering a compelling perspective on the different experiences and beliefs of Germans of the war generation. From Wehrmacht infantrymen to an air force officer to a young woman on the home front, the accounts range from the relative comfort of German-occupied territories to the harrowing front lines against the Soviets. Among the standout stories are Heinz Polke's vivid description of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and three accounts of the often overlooked aspect of being a prisoner of war in the USSR, which offer valuable insights into the German post-war experience. This collection, compiled by journalist Klaus Förg and completed by historian Roger Moorhouse, is an impressive and worthy addition to the literature on the Second World War.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Förg, Klaus
Title
Escaping Madness. Eyewitness Accounts from World War II
Details
English text. 220 pages.
State
new
Greenhill Books 83 Bedford Rd London N2 9DB Vereinigtes Königreich
