Definitely good choices!by Dschop
Definitely good choices!
Well done. These two books are the state of the art. I mostly buy books in German, even though I live in the US.
I want to look at a book before I buy it, and hold it in my hand. The odd habits of old men.
When a book has the phrase "new history" in its title, one can be stringent in one's analysis, since in many cases, there is nothing new at all.
This generalization is untrue, however, for these works I cite in German, which are new and remarkable.
Andreas knows them, for instance, the analysis of how the myth and legend of the Waffen SS was created,
which I doubt has been translated, but it would be a good tonic for many in the English speaking world who recycle contemporary propaganda
in their interest of whatever kind in the SS.
The analysis is first rate. There are also very good works comparing the army and the Waffen SS, whereby the former stands out and the latter
has none of its nimbus or aura left intact.
The new biography of Eicke is also first rate, since it mostly deals with his early career which is most revealing of the man.
I think Andreas knows it.
I could go on. I have been reading what I can since the middle 1960s, when like many of you, I became interested in the topic.
Andreas is a very careful and wise reader, so follow his recommendations.
The biography of Peiper, especially his life in the post war world, is also very well done.
In reality, many of these Waffen SS persons had abysmal military training of any kind, and were lousy soldiers by any solid professional criteria.
I realize this statement will discomfit many, but if you have any adult connection to professional military education, as some of us do, then
reflection on this generalization is very germane.
May I also say that certain of the recent big illustrated collector works on the SS, especially, in some cases are a candidate to be pulped.
Certain of these books are full of editorial errors and they have just recycled the mistakes found on line, because to some extent they are based
on these militaria fora. Not good.
I believe in the editorial process, but don't quote me.
Sure do. FB is referring to the Eicke biography by Niels Weise.
(Top left, with some other picks from my bookshelf.)
The fact that the legend lives on and that the Waffen-SS is still considered to be superior to the army by so many (and not just those with a radical right-wing political agenda, mind you) is testament to the efficiency of period propaganda and the lasting power of SS iconography, isn't it?
Also, it is interesting to note that the disproportionately high losses of the Waffen-SS (although in reality, not even this is true for all of its units) is endlessly cited by the uninformed as a clear indicator for its elite status, which is just faulty thinking.
Sure, throughout military history, there have been enough instances when true elite soldiers, driven by iron discipline, a selfless sense of duty and a brilliant esprit the corps have stood their ground and fought and died when others would have fled or surrendered, but it is safe to say that in the great majority of cases throughout history, exorbitant losses were the result of irresponsible and/or incompetent leadership, poor training, bad communication, organisational and logistical faults or any combination thereof.
You gentleman both have an impressive library and I am very grateful for all the advice you have provided. All these books look interesting and I wish my German was a little better. But who knows..
If you are Dutch, then the German is hardly a big hurdle, but what do I know?
I listen to Dutch carefully on television and radio, and, also, when I worked there, so
you should try. The books I have suggested are scholarly, so they are not easy even for many Germans,
but if you are really interested in learning, they are the key.
I have lived with these books since I went to college at the beginning of the 1970s and have collected them ever since.
I aspire to have most of the scholarly books on the SS in my library, but a library is considered by most of a certain age to be a fussy, old absurdity.
On the contrary, if you look at websites on the SS, you generally have mistakes compounded by other mistakes, especially on many of the regalia sites.
There are others with hobby researchers who can find very arcane details, but the results are average to mostly poor.
One of my favorites is the Historical Dictionary of Bavaria, on line, which has super articles. They are superb.
But that is the exception.
Andreas is as much at home on line as he is deepened in the literature in German and in English.
He is a very fine historian in his own right, though he would deny it to me, he really is.
We have some very fine people here, but there are surely fifty books to read on this topic which are key,
and they are not from Schiffer or from Bender, even though Wim's books are from Bender.
The Rest Militaria house in Vienna publishes very excellent militaria books, but none on the NS period for their own reasons,
since the law in Austria is intensely strict, more so than in the FRG.
"Sure, throughout military history, there have been enough instances when true elite soldiers, driven by iron discipline, a selfless sense of duty and a brilliant esprit the corps have stood their ground and fought and died when others would have fled or surrendered, but it is safe to say that in the great majority of cases throughout history, exorbitant losses were the result of irresponsible and/or incompetent leadership, poor training, bad communication, organisational and logistical faults or any combination thereof. "
Since I am in this business, Andreas speaks a great truth which is routinely neglected also by persons who have no experience at arms or who have just the slightest
inkling what any of this means in real life. It is my hobby horse, and I will ride it vigorously.
Last edited by Friedrich-Berthold; 04-28-2018 at 12:38 AM.
A great point FB. Many who commanded the SS got there because they were loyal old street fighters not for military prowess. Just one example is Theodor Eicke, a school drop out, who served in WW1, but had no officer training on military strategy and tactics when appointed commander of SS Totenkopf Division. He couldn't even read a military map.
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