The first English language account of deserters from the German army during World War II
The German military executed between 18,000 and 22,000 of its personnel in World War II on the charges of desertion and "undermining the military spirt." This book examines who these Wehrmacht deserters were, why they deserted, what punishment they could expect, and how German military justice operated. The German army was not apolitical, but rather a pillar of the Nazi state. Although much attention has been devoted to officers within the military who resisted Hitler--particularly those associated with the July 1944 attempt on Hitler's life--far less attention has been paid to those who refused military service or deserted during the war. While providing a full account of what constituted desertion, how it was punished, and how many were convicted for the crime, the book makes the Wehrmacht deserter its main subject. It examines their motivations and the paths they took to evade military service, ranging from hiding in the Third Reich, deserting at the front line, or fleeing to neutral Switzerland or Sweden.
After the Second World War, Germans began a generation-long debate about the status that should be accorded Wehrmacht deserters. The topic would be debated between the two Germanies and engaged survivors and perpetrators, playwrights, and judges, those who had stayed in the ranks and those who had not. Was the Wehrmacht a coward, a victim, or a role model? The book's discussion of this postwar debate has no equivalent in English, as it explains how and why Germany finally decided to overturn military court-martial verdicts from the Second World War fifty years after its conclusion.
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Deeply researched and vividly written, this book skillfully interweaves the stories of Wehrmacht deserters, the military justice system that brutally punished them, and the postwar German societies that struggled to come to terms with the wartime past. Douglas Carl Peifer makes valuable contributions to both the literature on Germany's war effort and on the long shadow of the Nazi period in divided and reunited Germany after 1945. * Adam R. Seipp, Texas A&M University * Douglas Carl Peifer provides a riveting account of German deserters during World War II, some 20,000 of whom were tried and executed. Piecing together disparate sources, Peifer presents fascinating studies of individual deserters, their motivations, and their court-martial proceedings. He shines a light on the many reasons for the ultimate form of dissent, and the terrible price paid for it. * Norman JW Goda, author of The Holocaust: Europe, the World, and the Jews, 1918-1945 * In postwar Germany it took almost 60 years to recognize Nazi injustice, overturn military court-martial verdicts, and rehabilitate the reputations of deserters. In this long-awaited study, the renowned military historian Douglas Carl Peifer provides a multifaceted survey of desertion in the Third Reich. It offers intriguing insights into the social, legal, and political roles of the military and its gradual re-evaluation after 1945. * Joerg Echternkamp, editor of Germany and the Second World War, vol. 9/1-2 * Deeply researched and vividly written, this book skillfully interweaves the stories of Wehrmacht deserters, the military justice system that brutally punished them, and the postwar German societies that struggled to come to terms with the wartime past. Douglas Carl Peifer makes valuable contributions to both the literature on Germany's war effort and on the long shadow of the Nazi period in divided and reunited Germany after 1945. * Adam R. Seipp, Texas A&M University * Douglas Carl Peifer provides a riveting account of German deserters during World War II, some 20,000 of whom were tried and executed. Piecing together disparate sources, Peifer presents fascinating studies of individual deserters, their motivations, and their court-martial proceedings. He shines a light on the many reasons for the ultimate form of dissent, and the terrible price paid for it. * Norman JW Goda, Author of The Holocaust: Europe, the World, and the Jews, 1918-1945 * In postwar Germany it took almost 60 years to recognize Nazi injustice, overturn military court-martial verdicts, and rehabilitate the reputations of deserters. In this long-awaited study, the renowned military historian Douglas Carl Peifer provides a multifaceted survey of desertion in the Third Reich. It offers intriguing insights into the social, legal, and political roles of the military and its gradual re-evaluation after 1945. * Joerg Echternkamp, Editor of Germany and the Second World War, vol. 9/1-2 * This invaluable volume not only translates and interprets an enormous subject in one volume, but sheds all sorts of lights on the Nazi war machine and ideology. * Richard Lofthouse, QUAD * A well-told tale, one that manages to humanise the victims of Nazi military justice and embed their individual narratives in a thorough examination of the world at war. * Kristin Semmens, History Today * This work not only documents the range of German deserter experiences but also serves as a valuable prism through which to discuss the history of German military institutions and culture, and their place in Germany generally. * R. Spickermann, Choice *
Douglas Carl Peifer is a Professor of Strategy and History at the US Air War College. His teaching and research interests focus on European history, contemporary European security issues; the World Wars; and mutiny, desertion, and dissent. Peifer's books include Choosing War: Presidential Decisions in the Maine, Lusitania, and Panay Incidents; Genocide, Airpower, and Intervention; and The Three German Navies. His articles have appeared in Contemporary European History, European Security, German Studies Review, Journal of Military History, Naval War College Review, Orbis, War and Society, and War in History.
Autor*in
Professor of History and StrategyProfessor of History and Strategy, US Air War College
Preface
Chapter 1: Putting a Face to the Numbers
Chapter 2 Overall Contours
Chapter 3 Deadly Blend: "Lessons Learned" & Nazi Ideology
Chapter 4: Ideology, Mindsets, and Military Law
Chapter 5: More Figures and Faces
Chapter 6: Molding Military Loyalty
Chapter 7: Reasons for Desertion
Chapter 8 Deserter Destinations and Reception
Chapter 9 Situating the Deserter in Post-War German Consciousness
Epilogue
Bibliography
