Hitler's Police Battalions: Enforcing Racial War In The East (Modern War Studies) [Hardcover]

Edward B. Westermann (Author), Dennis Showalter (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Modern War Studies | Publication Date: May 27, 2005

When the German Wehrmacht swarmed across Eastern Europe, an elite corps followed close at its heels. Along with the SS and Gestapo, the Ordnungspolizei, or Uniformed Police, played a central role in Nazi genocide that until now has been generally neglected by historians of the war.

Beginning with the invasion of Poland, the Uniformed Police were charged with following the army to curb resistance, pacify the countryside, patrol Jewish ghettos, and generally maintain order in the conquered territories. Edward Westermann examines how this force emerged as a primary instrument of annihilation, responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousands of the Third Reich's political and racial enemies. In Hitler's Police Battalions he reveals how the institutional mindset of these "ordinary policemen" allowed them to commit atrocities without a second thought.

Westermann reveals initiatives pursued before the war by Heinrich Himmler and Kurt Daluege to create a culture within the existing police forces that fostered anti-Semitism and anti-Communism as institutional norms. Challenging prevailing interpretations of German culture, he draws on extensive archival research-including the testimony of former policemen-to illuminate this transformation.

Purged of dissidents, indoctrinated to idolize Hitler, and trained in military combat, these police battalions repeatedly conducted actions against Jews, Slavs, gypsies, asocials, and other groups on their own initiative, even when they had the choice not to. In addition to documenting these atrocities, Westermann examines cooperation between the Ordnungspolizei and the SS and Gestapo, and the close relationship between police and Wehrmacht in the conduct of the anti-partisan campaign.

Throughout, Westermann stresses the importance of ideological indoctrination within specific groups. It was the organizational culture of the Uniformed Police, he maintains, and not German culture in general that led these men to commit genocide. Hitler's Police Battalions provides the most complete and comprehensive study to date of this neglected branch of Himmler's SS and Police empire and adds a new dimension to our understanding of the Holocaust and the war on the Eastern front.

This book is part of the Modern War Studies series.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Seminal. A highly readable work for specialists, graduate students, and general readers alike." --Holocaust and Genocide Studies

"Westermann adds another important piece to our growing understanding of how Nazi racial policy was implemented." --America Historical Review

"A well-written addition to the corpus of literature on Germany and the war, especially on the Eastern Front." --World War II

"A thoroughly objective account of one more cog in Hitler's killing machine." --German Studies Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

"The is the first truly comprehensive analysis of how the German police came to be transformed into an essentially militarized murder machine in the service of National Socialist ideology. An outstanding work of scrupulous research, profound insight, and balanced judgment."-Gerhard L. Weinberg, author of A World at Arms

"An important study that helps us understand the institutional dynamics of Nazi mass murder and how ideology is transformed into action."-Christopher R. Browning, author of Ordinary Men and The Origins of the Final Solution

"A superbly written work that takes us inside the Nazi mind."-Donald M. McKale, author of Hitler's Shadow War

"Destined to become a classic in the field of Holocaust Studies."-Alexander B. Rossino, author of Hitler Strikes Poland

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 329 pages
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Kansas; 1 edition (May 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0700613714
• ISBN-13: 978-0700613717
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,320,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Edward Westermann received his PhD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 2000. He was a Fulbright Fellow at the Free University of Berlin, a German Academic Exchange Service fellow on three occasions, as well as a fellow at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. He has published two books and numerous articles and book chapters on topics dealing with military history, the Holocaust, and air power history. He is also a retired US Air Force Colonel with 25 years of service.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterfully written as well as the most balanced history of the Police Battalions, August 9, 2006

By 

Scot L. Heminger "Franziskaner lieber" (Southern Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hitler's Police Battalions: Enforcing Racial War In The East (Modern War Studies) (Hardcover)

Over the last 10 or so years since the Publication of Hitler's Willing Executioners reignited the smoldering debate over the role of ideology in the prosecution of a genocidal war there have been many published books on the subject. These have accomplished their stated goals of either minimizing or arguing for the role of ideology with varying degrees of skill and hence success. Of the dozen or so that I've read thus far this one is head and shoulders above the rest. Edward B. Westermann's book is a classic in the field of Holocaust studies.

What Westermann looks at here is whether or not ideology was an important motivation for individuals in the Police Battalions to commit mass murder and how were the Uniformed police organizations structured by the Nazis to reinforce their brand of racial and political ideology. In other words he looks at the methods with which the Uniformed Police were handled by Hitler, Himmler and Daluege in order to attain THEIR ideological goals. His conclusions and research are both insightful and masterfully explained. What makes it easily read is his grasp of the human element here and his semi-chronological approach to telling the story with small subsections for the important details of issues covered. What's more, in the process of arguing for the role of ideology in the commission of genocide by the members of the organization he takes a 'from the ground up approach' do explaining it, not as Goldhagen did, assuming a racist outlook in the very blood of these men because they were german. Professor Westermann uses the entire first half of this book detailing the various efforts to creat political soldiers, as he refers to them and then in the second half goes on to describe the resulting actions taken in Poland, the Baltic states and the USSR by the men in these units.

The first chapter is devoted to the deep background of the Uniformed police and following through to the Nazi seizure of power and the party's early efforts to gain control of the police throughout Germany, starting with Prussia. Here he describes the traditions of violence within the police going back as far as the 1870's. He clearly shows an evolution of disdain and in fact hostility towards socialism and leftist politic's which were a threat to the status quo that they were to protect. This evolution became rapidly more evident during the chaos of the early Weimar years during which time the Uniformed Police and the paramilitary `Freikorps' worked together in many instances to violently put down leftist attempts to seize political power throughout Germany. The Nazi's were well aware of this general attitude, contends Westermann, and once they were in power they quickly moved to solidify the hold of right or nationalist high ranking officers by removing those who were less politically reliable.

In his second and third chapters he goes on to explain the efforts that Himmler and Daluege made to create both a militarized and ideologically trained force within the Uniformed Police(UP) that would be linked to Himmler's SS. Westerman gives example after example of military and ideological training that was the norm within Nazi Germany as well as less obvious methods of bringing about the desired change. As well as their infantry style training the men within the UP were clothed in military dress and given military style awards. Physical fitness standards were almost fanatically enforced and military pageantry was also observed. The author shows convincingly as well the effort put into putting ideological training into even the most innocent appearing recreation activities such as evening get togethers and trips to the cinema. This was in addition to actual training sessions and classes on race and global politics. He also, quite convincingly details the efforts made by Himmler to join the police with the SS both ideologically and in practical application as well.

In the second half of the book Professor Westermann focuses on the actual manifestations of the Nazi effort to reshape the police outside of German territory. He shows how the racial war in the east (Poland, the Baltic and the USSR) and the enforcement of occupation policies that followed were proof of Himmler's success in creating political soldiers who would willingly murder men, women and children in pursuit of pacifying the conquered territories. This is the key issue here. Westermann for once and for all does away with Stanley Milgram's model of unsure pawns simply accepting orders from an authority figure. He gives example after example of police volunteering for or taking initiative in mass murder of Jews, Gypsies and Slavs. He shows how in many cases although they may not have all tortured their victims, by and large they continued to volunteer to do their murderous duty and even suggest methods to make their tasks more efficient and take the initiative to include more victims than were intended in many instances. On the other hand he does not portray the majority of all German policemen as the bloodthirsty ideologues from birth that Daniel Goldhagen did with his landmark book. Rather, Professor Westermann carefully documents the myriad efforts of the Nazis over many years to create a political soldier and brother to the men of the SS and their, tragically, very successful results.

This is an absolute 'must-have' book for anyone who has an interest in the first phase of the 'Final Solution'. My one complaint, if it can be called that, is that his treatment of occupation policy was a bit brief considering the duration of time that the UP served as an occupying pacification force. Nonetheless this is an absolutely fantastic piece of work.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hitler's Police Battalions - Edward B Westermann, June 17, 2009

By 

Steven Reinisch (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hitler's Police Battalions: Enforcing Racial War In The East (Modern War Studies) (Hardcover)

This book is well written and thoroughly researched. Mr. Westermann has looked not only at the actual Battalions and Regiments involved but also the surrounding Nazi structure that put them in place and drove them. From a historic perspective, this book is invaluable to those who are trying to understand this little know aspect of the Holocaust and to get an appreciation of the enormity of the crimes committed and the mindset that was involved.

I highly recommend this book to those interested in the topic and want to learn more that just the headlines. It provides detailed information that helps us understand the development of the Police force and their transformation into a large killing machine that devastated an innocent population of Jewish and perceived enemies of the Nazi regime.

Please be aware that by the very nature of the subject, it has some graphic written depictions of atrocities that may upset some.

Highly recommended.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review, November 15, 2007

By 

Stephen Campbell "Author" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hitler's Police Battalions: Enforcing Racial War In The East (Modern War Studies) (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book. I would suggest reading "Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland" first. The role of the German Police in the Holocaust is still little known in America. Unlike the SS they were not declared a criminal organization by the allies at Nurnberg. Most of their work was done in Eastern Europe where since it was behind the "Iron Curtain" little became known of it.

This book is an excellent introduction to the creation of "Political Soldiers" and an excellent argument for not doing so in a democracy. This is one of those books that upon finishing it, you will find it will lead you down a lot of different reading roads in the search of more information.