Nazi or German WWII Non-Fiction Recommendations

I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for but one that comes to mind is In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson.

Hi,

You're looking for works focusing on a specific topic such as "resistance" or the rise to power? Or, on a military operation such as Normandy and the liberation of France, or the Eastern Front?

Most good books I know aren't about the region you will visit, but anyway:

Weimar Republic, rise of the Nazis:
Hans Fallada - Little Man, What Now? (Berlin)

Third Reich:
Victor Klemperer - I Will Bear Witness: A Diary of the Nazi Years (Dresden)
Hans Fallada - Every Man Dies Alone (Berlin)

After WW2:
Anonyma - A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City (Berlin)

The Arms of Krupp is a good book about the contribution of German industry in World War II and post war Germany. It actually covers about 500 years of this family business.

I enjoyed the book, "Destined to Witness" by Hans Massaquoi. It presents a very unique view of growing up in nazi Germany.

Sophie Scholl would be an excellent book to read. Wish more people knew who she was. She is the most admired woman in Germany.

Time Life published a book called "Prelude to War, World War II" which has a lot of photos, as well as text.

I went to see the movie 'The Book Thief'. An excellent and moving account of a young girl experiencing the rise of the Nazi movement in a small German town.

Mauthausen (outside Linz) has a unique character, with more emphasis on memorials than some other camps. Still very moving experience. You might consider adding Dachau for a different perspective.

Thank you for all the suggestions. I've found a number from this list that I think will work.

Zoe, I appreciate your suggestion of Dachau. We've been there several times already and are looking forward to a slightly different experience this time.

I have some additional suggestions. They are specific to your region, but were excellent non-fiction books about WWII.

First, German Boy by Wolfgang Samuel. He starts his story just before the bombing of Dresden and takes us through to his final departure to the US. He father was in the Wehrmacht and he ultimately becomes a general in the US Air Force.

One of the harshest stories I read was A Women in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diary. It's a very controversial book. Here's one review. The story of it's publication is even interesting.

Lastly, it's not WWII, and it's more of a straight history, but I liked Frederick Taylor's The Berlin Wall.

Pam

Hi,

If you're focusing the reading on the military resistance per se, here are a few I heartily recommend, classics in the field.

1. Harold Deutsch, "The Conspiracy Against Hitler in the Twilight War." (covers the resistance from Sept '39 to May '40 when it was headed by the Abwehr, (Army military intelligence).

2. Peter Hoffmann, "History of the German Resistance." trans. from the German: "Widerstand, Staatstreich, Attentat." 2nd ed.

3. Philipp Freiherr von Boeselager, "Valkyrie: The Story of the Plot to kill Hitler by its Last Member." with Florence and Jerome Fehrenbach. trans. from the French: "Nous voulions tuer Hitler."

On the Army itself, one I'd choose (depending on your focus and interests) is Albert Seaton, "The German Army."

If you want something less focused on the madness that ruled the country, you might try: "The Lion's Bridge: A Girl's Life In Hitler's Wurzburg" by Rosemarie Scheller Rowan. I hate the subtitle as it was not Hitler's Würzburg, but that sells books. It is available at Amazon.

There is an U-Boat Memorial in Möltenort near Kiel too? Thanks for the info. I went to the one at Laboe not far from Kiel, the Marine Ehrenmal. . That was in 1977. You can go by ferry to Laboe, catch it not very far from Kiel Hbf.

I was amazed by Where Ghosts Walked by David Clay Large. It's about Munich's road to the third reich. Many of the important places are still there and the guidebooks don't tell you about them.

Thanks for the suggestion, Larry. I just ordered Where Ghosts Walked and look forward to reading it.

@ Jeff....Another museum with the focus on Prussian-German naval history is that at Strasund, the "Marine Museum Dänholm." Unlike Laboe it's one I have not seen yet. Doing Möltenort as a day trip is very easy. .

Drive through small villages and look for the local war memorial and look at the immense numbers of ordinary Germans that left never to return.

There were many casualties among those who stayed at home, too.

Here is a photo of a memorial on the grounds of the Schleißheim palaces, just north of Munich, listing names from the small community of Oberschleißheim.

Under "Fallen - 1914-1918" there are 42 names; under "Fallen - 1939-1945" there are 98; and under "Missing - 1939-1945" there are 60. There are 37 more under the category "Victims of Aerial Bombardment - 1942-1945". By April 1945 over 230 air raid warnings had been sounded. Due to its proximity to a major Luftwaffe base, Oberschleißheim was the most heavily-targeted area on the north side of Munich.

"...many casualties among those who stayed at home."

To see one of the mass grave sites in Berlin of civilian losses, victims of the strategic bombing, at the Invalidenfriedhof (walkable from Berlin Hbf, ca 30 mins taking the Invalidenstraße exit, turn right), one of the oldest Prussian military cemeteries in Berlin, go to the very back wall where the memorial is.