Nazi Science: Myth, Truth, And The German Atomic Bomb [Paperback]

Mark Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2001

In this book, Mark Walker - a historical scholar of Nazi science - brings to light the overwhelming impact of Hitler's regime on science and, ultimately, on the pursuit of the German atomic bomb. Walker meticulously draws on hundreds of original documents to examine the role of German scientists in the rise and fall of the Third Reich. He investigates whether most German scientists during Hitler's regime enthusiastically embraced the tenets of National Socialism or cooperated in a Faustian pact for financial support, which contributed to National Socialism's running rampant and culminated in the rape of Europe and the genocide of millions of Jews. This work unravels the myths and controversies surrounding Hitler's atomic bomb project. It provides a look at what surprisingly turned out to be an Achilles' heel for Hitler - the misuse of science and scientists in the service of the Third Reich.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Walker's (German National Socialism and the Quest for Nuclear Power, 1939-1949, Cambridge Univ. Pr., 1989) latest work examines whether most German scientists during Hitler's Third Reich embraced Nazi tenets or entered into a "Faustian pact" for financial support. One intriguing portion of the book deals with the German atomic bomb: "The German atom bomb is like the unicorn. It never really existed." "Hitler's bomb" has spawned a strong debate that should be of interest to anyone studying the questions raised by Nazi Germany. One side states that if there had been a bomb, the core of German scientists would have kept it away from Hitler. The other side states that the German scientists involved would have done whatever was necessary to win the war. Walker shows how the debate continues to be relevant today. Although scholarly, this will be accessible to general readers. Recommended for all academic and large public libraries.
Dennis L. Noble, Sequim, Wash.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (August 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738205850
• ISBN-13: 978-0738205854
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,155,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding and Insight of NAZI Science, May 9, 2010

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Experience "LivingExperience" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Nazi Science: Myth, Truth, And The German Atomic Bomb (Paperback)

The book is an invuable resource for people interested in the reality of the behavior of German scientists under Hitler, and their program for their self-serving propaganda afterward. The author was remarkably even-handed and even generous.

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, September 28, 2011

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R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nazi Science: Myth, Truth, And The German Atomic Bomb (Paperback)

This well written book is a thoughtful examination of the experience of German physicists during the Third Reich and is essentially a series of essays on the relationship between German science and the Nazi regime. There is strong topical integration of the essays and some overlap in content, though not to the point of being pointlessly repetitious.

Walker opens with a discussion of the career of Johannes Stark, the prominent experimental physicist who was a fervent Nazi and leader of the "German Physics" movement that regarded relativity and quantum theory as mistakes. Despite his professional prominence and early commitment to the Nazi movement, Stark and his supporters did not fare as well as expected under the Third Reich. His efforts to become the Fuhrer of German physics fell afoul of both professional resistance and vicious bureaucratic politics of the polycratic Nazi state. Over time, the Nazi leadership came to prefer less overtly Nazi physicists like Heisenberg, whose work promised useful technology.

Walker discusses Heisenberg's involvement with Nazis at length, showing his considerable involvement with the regime, including the PR tours he made in occupied Europe to bolster Nazi prestige. In a complementary discussion, Walker describes the Aryanization and subordination of the prominent Prussian Academy of Sciences to the Nazi state. Overall, this is an interesting discussion of what Walker describes as scientists as "fellow travelers." While not themselves Nazis, many, many prominent scientists were co-opted by the regime and served it faithfully. This occurred partly as a result of professional ambition and partly as a result of misdirected patriotism, though many of these individuals, like Heisenberg, were reactionary and nationalistic in their personal politics.

Walker concludes with an interesting discussion of the German nuclear project, Heiserberg's role, and the myths that grew up around the project after the war. Summarizing some of his prior work, he emphasizes that the German leadership elected, for several reasons, not to commit large resources to nuclear weapons development. The post-war actions of Heisenberg and other German physicists in obfuscating their roles during the war is discussed very well.

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not easy to work within a oppressive government, May 31, 2008

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Mike Pierce (Tillamook, Oregon) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nazi Science: Myth, Truth, And The German Atomic Bomb (Paperback)

The author does a very good job of showing that not everything is black and white. The only comment that I can add is that what people do or say while they are working under an oppressive government can not always be used to prove how any individual really feels or thinks. In Germany, at that time, if an individual of Heisenberg's status spoke openly against the government then he would be risking more than just his job. At the very least he would have had all of his communications monitored, he and his family would have been watched, his travel would have been restricted and at most he could have been jailed or he could have quietly disappeared. If he did not try and sell the idea of continuing the work on either the reactor or some form of nuclear weapon then he would see his funding getting pulled and his position would be diminished.

As the author points out, it is never easy to clearly understand the thinking of an individual by what they say or even do. At one point Heisenberg felt that Hitler would win the war, so I am sure that he felt that he would have little control over the out come and he might as well take the most of any opportunity that could come up. Once it was clear that Hitler was not going to win then he had to rethink his strategy for keeping funding and making sure that his position in the scientific community did not diminish.