War of Extermination: The German Military in World War Ii, 1941-1944 (War and Genocide)

Among the many myths about the relationship of Nazism to the mass of the German population, few proved more powerful in postwar West Germany than the notion that the Wehrmacht had not been involved in the crimes of the Third Reich. Former generals were particularly effective in spreading, through memoirs and speeches, the legend that millions of German soldiers had fought an honest and "clean" war and that mass murder, especially in the East, was entirely the work of Himmler's SS. This volume contains the most important contributions by distinguished historians who have thoroughly demolished this Wehrmacht myth. The picture that emerges from this collection is a depressing one and raises many questions about why "ordinary men" got involved as perpetrators and bystanders in an unprecedented program of extermination of "racially inferior" men, women, and children in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union during the Second World War. Those who have seen these terrible photos of mass executions and other atrocities, currently on show in an exhibition in Germany and soon to be in the United States, will find this volume most enlightening. Contents 5 Abbreviations 8 Preface 12 Notes 18 Introduction: Hannes Heer and Klaus Naumann 21 Notes 31 1. The Concept of the War of Annihilation: Clausewitz, Ludendorff, Hitler 33 Notes 53 Part I: Crimes 57 2. “Coming Along to Shoot Some Jews?”: The Destruction of the Jews in Serbia 59 Notes 72 3. Killing Fields: The Wehrmacht and the Holocaust in Belorussia, 1941-42 75 Notes 94 4. Soviet Prisoners of War in the Hands of the Wehrmacht 100 Notes 110 5. The Logic of the War of Extermination: The Wehrmacht and the Anti-Partisan War 112 Notes 140 6. Men of 20 July and the War in the Soviet Union 165 Notes 179 7. Military Violence and the National Socialist Consensus: The Wehrmacht in Greece, 1941-44 184 Notes 206 8. Civitella della Chiana on 29 June 1944: The Reconstruction of a German “Measure” 213 Notes 246 Part II: Formations 255 9. Local Headquarters Liepaja: Two Months of German Occupation in the Summer of 1941 257 Notes 272 10. On the Way to Stalingrad: The 6th Army in 1941-42 275 Notes 302 11. Incident at Baranivka: German Reprisals and the Soviet Partisan Movement in Ukraine, October-December 1941 310 Notes 340 12. Korück 582 360 Notes 371 13. How Amorality Became Normality: Reflections on the Mentality of German Soldiers on the Eastern Front 375 Notes 388 14. Emptying the Gaze: Framing Violence through the Viewfinder 391 Notes 420 Part III: Aftermath 425 15. Forward Defense: The “Memorandum of the Generals” for the Nuremberg Court 427 Notes 442 16. Whose History Is It, Anyway? The Wehrmacht and German Historiography 446 Notes 460 17. The “Unblemished” Wehrmacht: The Social History of a Myth 463 Notes 474 Contributors 476 Appendix 479 Index of Names 490 Index of Places 500 The Concept Of The War Of Annihilation : Clausewitz, Ludendorff, Hitler / Jan Philipp Reemtsma -- Coming Along To Shoot Some Jews? : The Destruction Of The Jews In Serbia / Walter Manoschek -- Killing Fields : The Wehrmacht And The Holocaust In Belorussia, 1941-42 / Hannes Heer -- Soviet Prisoners Of War In The Hands Of The Wehrmacht / Christian Streit -- The Logic Of The War Of Extermination : The Wehrmacht And The Anti-partisan War / Hannes Heer -- Men Of 20 July And The War In The Soviet Union / Christian Gerlach -- Military Violence And The National Socialist Consensus : The Wehrmacht In Greece, 1941-44 / Mark Mazower -- Civitella Della Chiana On 29 June 1944 : The Reconstruction Of A German Measure / Michael Geyer -- Local Headquarters Liepaja : Two Months Of German Occupation In The Summer Of 1941 / Margers Vestermanis -- On The Way To Stalingrad : The 6th Army In 1941-42 / Bernd Boll And Hans Safrian -- Incident At Baranivka : German Reprisals And The Soviet Partisan Movement In Ukraine, October-december 1941 / Truman Anderson -- Korück 582 / Theo J. Schulte -- How Amorality Became Normality : Reflections On The Mentality Of German Soldiers On The Eastern Front / Hannes Heer -- Emptying The Gaze : Framing Violence Through The Viewfinder / Bernd Hüppauf -- Forward Defense : The Memorandum Of The Generals For The Nuremberg Court / Manfred Messerschmidt -- Whose History Is It, Anyway? : The Wehrmacht And German Historiography / Omer Bartov -- The Unblemished Wehrmacht : The Social History Of A Myth /klaus Naumann Edited By Hannes Heer And Klaus Naumann. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes.