Customer Reviews

The Oster Conspiracy of 1938: The Unknown Story of the Military Plot to Kill Hitler and Avert World War II

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a professor of history, Terry Parssinen was asked by a student, "Professor, what was the last time that Hitler could have been stopped from starting the Second World War?" He could only speculate; he had heard about a 1938 German military plot to bring Hitler down, but he had to spend time in the library to find out more about it. Most historians had neglected or scorned the little-known plot. Eventually Parssinen was lucky enough to find the papers of Harold Deutsch, a historian who had interviewed participants in the plot and their family members, but had died before writing up his results. Parssinen took over, and has produced _The Oster Conspiracy of 1938: The Unknown Story of the Military Plot to Kill Hitler and Avert World War II_ (HarperCollins). It was a failed conspiracy, just as was the much more famous bomb that failed to kill Hitler in 1944 (there were other failed plots as well), but it is worth examining as a check against the picture of Hitler as universally popular among Germans at the time, and as a point of reflection. How might the world be different now if Hitler had been killed before starting hostilities? After all, Parssinen writes that the evidence "... shows that the 1938 conspiracy was well planned and had reasonably good prospects for success."

Parssinen has built up the drama concerning the conspiracy by a meticulous, sometimes hour-by-hour, reconstruction of events in London and Berlin. Except for the ending of the plot, the tension is considerable even though we know the outcome. The chief conspirator, Lieutenant Colonel Hans Oster, was second-in-command at Abwehr, the intelligence division for the German military. He was shocked by the imprisonment of religious figures and political dissidents, and by the first concentration camps. It was not until the "Czech Crisis" of 1938, however, that significantly more officials began to agree with him. The generals knew that Russia and France were pledged to defend Czechoslovakia, and that if Germany tried to take it, the British would probably come in as well. They despaired that they would be deployed in a war they could not win. The conspirators knew that they could only rely on popular support if Hitler were about to start a war for which the German people had no enthusiasm, and they tried to have their contacts in England keep up the pressure so that no appeasement happened. Eventually Chamberlain accepted Hitler's pledge that no further European territories would be demanded; in the words of a conspirator at the Department of the Interior, "Chamberlain has saved Hitler." The conspirators could not act. They made several later assassination attempts, foiled by bad luck. In 1943 the Gestapo discovered Oster's scheme to smuggle Jews into neutral Switzerland; he was arrested and sent to a concentration camp. In 1945, a few days before the American troops liberated his camp, Oster was hanged.

_The Oster Conspiracy of 1938_ is a detailed examination of a particular period and chain of events that led up to the war. It is exciting at times, and of course sad. Parssinen indulges in some speculation about what might have happened. The conspirators were interested in setting up a government based on Britain's; it might have been conservative, but it would have been broadly representative of German popular opinion. No war, no Holocaust, no Cold War are among the contingencies that might have occurred (although of course some other horrors would have erupted). But above all, fifty million people died in the war, and they would not have. "It might have been" has never been sadder.

The Oster Conspiracy is an informative and compelling book. It carefully details the complexities of a pre-World War II conspiracy within the upper ranks of the German military while skillfully applying a portion of its energies to the fragile political climate in a Europe haunted by the specter of World War I. Many other depictions of pre-World War II Nazi Germany leave us with the impression that nationalistic hysteria pervaded almost every mind, that this was a nation of Adolph Eichmanns blindly following their fuhrer. This book focuses on individuals who in the middle of the Nazi madness assert their individuality and honor--resisting Hitler's suicidal tidal wave for the sake of their nation and humanity. It also emphasizes the initial reluctance of the German populace to enter into another war.

Moreover, it is the paralyzing fear of another war that helps render Britains leadership inept in dealing with Hitler. In treating the actions of Chamberlain and Halifax, Mr. Parssinnen is especially skillful. With a well crafted narrative he delineates Britains tragic role in the failure of Osters plan to overthrow Hitlers regime. He tastefully handles the what if factor of this moment in history giving the reader space to let his imagination search the possibilities of a 20th century with only one World War.

Mr. Parssinen has written a succinct and exciting account of the 1938 plot by a small group of German military officers, civil servants and civilians to remove Adolf Hitler from power. Colonel Hans Oster, the deputy to Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head of German military intelligence, the Abwehr, inspired and coordinated this effort. For whatever reason, many historians have overlooked the significance and heroic quality of this plot. Some prior authors, such as Anthony Cave Brown in Bodyguard of Lies, have looked at the subject, and the "Schwarze Kapelle" (Black Orchestra) consisting of German military officers and conservative anti-Nazis has been the subject of prior literature. No author that I am aware of, however, has focused so specifically upon the 1938 plot or argued as persuasively as to its potential for success in a Germany not necessarily as enamored of Adolf Hitler as many think (because of concern over another war more than the immorality and barbarous conduct of the Nazi regime). Mr. Parssinen uses the materials gathered by another historian that he found in storage in military archives to make his case.

A significant element of the book is the short-sighted and ignorant nature of the British leadership, so devoted to the policy of "appeasement" that it ignored the multiple requests of Oster's representatives (including German diplomats) to stand against Hitler's plans for an invasion of Czechoslovakia. The author makes a strong and persuasive case for the position that, if Neville Chamberlain, Horace Wilson, Neville Henderson and the like, had done as the German conspirators requested, the downfall of a shaky Nazi regime might have occurred. Indeed, Mr. Parssinen even notes that in late September a team of commandos stood ready to storm the Reich Chancellery and capture or assassinate Hitler, when the British derailed Oster's plans with the Munich Accord.

The book, however, does not fully develop or convey the strength of character and conviction possessed by Oster or other members of the conspiracy, such as Abwehr attorney Hans von Dohnanyi. The author really only addresses the humanitarian impulse driving some members of the conspiracy in the Epilogue. A more extensive exploration of their personalities and motivations would be most welcome. I hope Mr. Parssinen will cover this in a follow up to his excellent work.

An interesting book about a fascinating "what if" of history. Parssinen makes a convincing case that the plotters of 1938 were closer to success then is generally credited. His case also illuminates the tragedy of appeasement for Great Britain, Germany and the rest of the world.

I learned a lot I did not know about Hans Oster, who comes off as an extremely admirable person and plotter.

Few history books raise to the high bar of objectivity that we're expecting from sciences in general. And objectivity in this context has mainly to do with the broader political context of the times in question rather than just a selective exposition of facts. Too many times, focusing on a certain historical issue without the proper context leads to erroneous interpretations.

Interpretation is not only an academic concern, especially when applied to political sciences. The meaning assigned to facts, the interpretation given has practical consequences, and the book "The Oster Conspiracy of 1938 : The Unknown Story of the Military Plot to Kill Hitler and Avert World War II" points out to little thus far known details about those times, about the framework, internal and international in which Hitler operated, about the blown chances to recognize the opportunity (when it presented itself) to deal with the hitlerite threat in a much less fatal fashion.

The account in this book is fundamentally different than in a typical "what if" book. "What if" books border on fiction. Their premise or starting point is fictitious. This book's premise is not fictitious at all. It's researched facts. The only "what if" part of it is the argumentative interpretation of the British politicians both a priori and a posteriori of the chances of a coup d'etat in Germany, had they agreed to send an unmistakable signal that they do not accept to be bullied and made a joke of in front of the whole world at gunpoint.

A good, objective and reflective read. At times it feels just like a novel and not a researched history text.

It's shocking to me that the events in this book aren't chronicled in every high school and college World History class. The fact that, as Hitler resolutely thrust Germany toward war in September 1938, nearly all his troop commanders had decided to revolt against a war they were certain would mean the destruction of Germany, casts a long and dark shadow on modern-day attempts to deal diplomatically with fanatical national leaders.

Ironically, Hitler's generals had realized what the leaders of the Western democracies had not: that Germany stood to be quickly and decisively defeated in a war against England, France, and Czechoslovakia. On the very morning that Chamberlain, in a pitiful "if Daddy says no, ask Mommy" display of desperation, was grovelling with Mussolini for a peace conference to negotiate German occupation of western Czechoslovakia, armed men were positioned to storm the Reich Chancellery and kill Hitler at the first announcement of war.

More than just a surprising lesson in history, this work speaks volumes to today's leaders of free and peaceful nations in dealing with hostile regimes in the Middle East or Chinese aggression toward Taiwan. Peace kept by capitulation and appeasement is a peace that cannot last, and serves only to sustain and embolden expansionist, warmongering tyrants.

I had the pleasure of being a student of Terry Parssinen around the time this wonderful story was released. Needless to say, I couldn't be any more prouder as to what he has uncovered. It is a refreshing book to read in regards to his opinion as to what might have happened; And I'm not just saying that because I was once his student. Excellent read!

To see how close WWII could have been stopped at least in the European Theatre, this book keeps you on the edge, even though you know the outcome. Excellent.

Professor Parssinen has written a great read of the conspiracy by the German Army for a coup de etat against Hitler. The stage was the Sudetenland crisis of 1938 and the German generals were against a new war. They were hesitant against launching some thirty odd divisions against the Czechs and having to defend the Western Front with nine divisions. If the French and British had stood their ground, the German military would have overthrown and killed Hitler. Instead Chamberlain backed down, the Sudetenland was taken over, and six months later, the Germans completed the occupation of Czechoslovakia. The German generals were in no mood to overthrow the government since all had gone well with Hitler. Colonel Oster was the Abwehr second in command who organized the elements who would have overthrown Hitler.
Parssinen feels the coup would have taken place. I am not so sure Hitler would have been so easily overthrown. At this stage, people still believed in the Nazis and Hitler. Parssinen feels that German people were antiwar and would not have supported the government if there was an alternative. However, the book shows the extent of the Nazi resistance in Germany.
A great read.

This is a little known story of a man and his allies who sacrificed it all trying to stop Hitler. Not all of the Germans were going along with his program. This is a good book to read after seeing the movie Valkyrie with Tom Cruise. If you were intriqued by the movie, as I was, this gives you some great background on it.