Customer Reviews

The Shipwreck of a Nation: Germany: An Inside View

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

 

 

The Shipwreck of a Nation by H. Peter Nennhaus is an attempt (and a very good attempt, I might add), to record the thoughts, feelings and, as his introduction informs us, the overall mindset of the average German citizen before, during and immediately post World War II. I was drawn to this work for two reasons. First is the fact that I belong to one of those families who was unfortunate enough to have had member fighting on both sides of this conflict; a father and number of uncles on the Allied side and a number of uncles and cousins fighting on the German. My second reason is the fact that I am a bit of a European History nut and will read anything that I think might add to my knowledge in this area. Now that being said...

Dr. Nennahaus was a young boy upon the outbreak of hostilities in Europe during this time frame. His family consisted of average German citizens, no more involved in politics than most, and leading rather solid, ordinary, middle class lives. All of this of course changed drastically. Now due to the fact that the old saying that "the winner gets to write the history books," stories such as the one being presented here are few and far between and those that are written are usually not read by "the other side."

The main thrust of this autobiography does not delve into the motivations behind the Nazi movement, but rather focuses upon what the average German citizen felt; what his or her perceptions were as to events as they unfolded. The author is very specific in his feelings as to his feelings in regard to the atrocities committed at that time. He goes to great lengths to note that he is not speaking to us through hindsight, but rather from a real time point of view. Of course he does address the issues as to the cause of the war, the development of the war and its conclusions. Again though, it must be remembered that we are seeing it through his eyes, a young German boy/man. There are two sides to every story and this is his side.

Now there are several things that need be kept in mind when reading this work. First, the reader must keep everything in historical context; in its proper sequence, and travel with the young writer as if the reader were actually there. That is, one must put themselves into the writer's shoes for a bit. Secondly, the reader, as pointed out by another reviewer her, must have at least a working knowledge of European history going back to at least the mid 1800s. This is quite important. Some of the subjects the author addresses will be just a bit difficult to fully understand unless this history is known to the reader. Third and I feel very importantly, the reader must approach this work with an open mind. There are indeed statements in this book that might offend if not placed in the proper order and context. There are numerous statements made by the author that can (and I am sure will, as this work is read), be questioned and there is great potential for some heated debates here. That, as far as I am concerned, is a good thing. A good example of this would be the author's statements as to the justification for the invasion of Poland. We get to see how the man on the street viewed pivotal event. The book will make you think.

One of the best parts of this work is when the author, Dr Nennhaus takes us inside his family and gives us glimpses of their private lives. The author does this through recounts drawn from his memory and via letters from friends and family. Many of these family scenes are quite touching and heartwarming. Actually I felt this was the best part of the book.

This is a well written autobiography; the author is a good writer and once you become acquainted with his syntax, the work becomes quite readable. Nennhaus is quite informed as to his history and explains things quite well. The author takes great pains to be as neutral as possible while telling his tale, something I feel would be quite a challenge under the circumstances.

The author does make some very good points, many of which I personally agree with. His feelings of what was done to Germany by the French and English at the Treaty of Versailles I pretty much agree with. The statements and his attitude toward the Soviet Union under the leadership of Uncle Jo are absolutely spot on as far as I am concerned. Other statements...well we could go on with that at length here, but that is not the purpose of this review.

All in all this is an excellent work and a highly informative, if not always enjoyable, read. War, any war, is the height of human stupidity and the author is quick to point this out. It is sometimes difficult to read about such things. Informative, yes, always enjoyable, no. This is a thoughtful read and certainly should be on your bookshelf.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

The author was born in February 1929 and lived in Berlin while a youth, getting into an army-like situation when he turned 16 in February 1945. His account of his growing up years is full of interest, and he does a good job explaining why the Nazi propaganda took him in, though it is encouraging to note that his parents became disenamored with Hitler long before the end of the war. The account of his family and the war years in Berlin I found consistently interesting. Reading this book will give an insight which helps to explain how so many Germans supported Hitler for so long, and it is encouraging that the author knowing what he does now sees the evil that Nazidom was--although he also points out the horror which Germany went thru at Russian hands at the ending of the war and the castastrophe of Leipzig. This book will make you see that some Germans were not depraved even though they supported their country.

Dr. Peter Nennhaus has written a human interest story, a family story about survival, it is a true story about how World War II had impacted his family. This is a book which would interest anyone who wants to know what it was like living in Germany just prior to World War II and during the war itself. Originally, the author had written this book for his son who was born in America so that he could understand more about his German ancestry and learn about his family's history. By expanding the book to include world history and events which led to World War II, the author has created a book with a broader appeal for a wider audience. Using both his personal recollections as a child growing up in Germany and his mother's diary that he later discovered after she passed away, the author softens and brightens the sometimes dark events of the times. Initially, the book reads very much like a novel which describes a nearly idyllic life on a farm on an island called Rügen on the Baltic Sea. Alongside his family's story, the author seamlessly weaves historical events throughout the book and provides his interpretations of how and why the world proceeded on the disastrous course called World War II. Anyone interested in a family's story of survival during these difficult times would benefit from reading this very well written book. I found the author's writing style both erudite and captivating. He provides an insider's world view of how the average German citizen was impacted by the decisions made by the leaders of his country.

It is clear that after World War I, Germany was made to suffer huge reparations. Historians have written many books covering this subject. It is my opinion that Germany was more severely punished after World War I than the conditions of the time warranted. It is also my opinion that the Soviet Union has not been fully held accountable for the atrocities it waged against the citizens of many countries that were forced to collectivize their farms, especially the Ukraine. The author also has recorded how the Soviet Army (i.e. Russians) perpetrated many atrocities on helpless citizens during World War II, especially women. This book gives some examples of their barbaric behavior. It is not easy reading but honest books that describe the actions during any war never are. The more sensitive reader can omit these sections and still gain a great deal of understanding and insight into life before, during and after World War II. The author provides many unique interpretations of historical events which makes this a very excellent book. Sadly, the author's brother Dieter did not return after the war and was initially labelled as "missing in action" and later presumed dead. Despite the difficulties of recovery after the war, the author describes some fortuitous events which provided him the opportunity and privilege to attend medical school and achieve his life long ambition to become a physician. While at times this book is difficult to read mainly because it contains so much dense historical detail, over all it is an excellent treatment of a very important subject. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

This is one of the most difficult books I've ever had to review. I remember WWII and history class from my adolescent years. I've read memoirs written by death camp survivors. I have had rammed into my head time and time again the evils of Hitler and Germany during this time period. What I've never read, is WWII from the German standpoint.



The reason this review is so difficult is that it's hard to judge the content of this book without getting into some severe politics and my personal beliefs. Also, it's quite difficult to not judge our school systems harshly for not providing us with alternate views. I shall do my best, so please bear with me.



From the German point of view, Nennhaus has done an amazing job. Not only does he have all of his facts and figures straight, he cites his sources religiously so as to leave no doubt as to where he's obtained his information. Nennhaus makes a point of not going into the atrocities at the death camps because it's been so publicized that we all know it. What he does go into great detail on are things like the Resistance, the way that Hitler portrayed the war to the German peoples, the way that the war impacted the German peoples both during and after the war.



Though this reads similar to a textbook, Nennhaus adds enough personal information that it sucks the dryness right out. We get to hear all of his thoughts and views on both the war and all of it's peoples. There are copies of actual letters printed in the book, as well as a few sporadic pictures. Nennhaus goes into great detail about what his family and friends are doing throughout the war and after.



Though I strongly don't recommend this for light reading, it's a definite must for anyone interested in history or WWII specifically. The entire book is written in a factual manner with a touch of humanity. A few months ago I did a review for Thomas Buergenthal's A Lucky Child and I have to say this book is the perfect compliment to that one. Where one is written from the viewpoint of a child taken hostage during the war, the other is the viewpoint of a child of the captors.

What causes a country to embrace a monster as its leader? "The Shipwreck of a Nation" is a look back at history at someone who lived in Berlin during the rise of one Adolph Hitler. Giving a glimpse of the German people during this time, author H. Peter Nennhaus delivers a perspective not often seen when discussing World War II and thus adds a fascinating side to the debate. "The Shipwreck of a Nation" is well worth the read especially for World War II history buffs.

Read this book and "walk a mile" in the shoes of a German between WW I and WW II. You will understand many of the reasons why the Germans made some of the decisions they made. By and large, they felt the "Versailles Diktat" was unfair and reacted negatively to it. A graduate school history professor made the statment in the 1960's that America should have stayed out of WW I and let the Europeans settle their differences politically. In this book, the Germans could not understand why the US got involved in WW I or WW II. If you can understand the average street German's thinking, then you can apply that lesson to what is happening in many other countries where the US claims to have THE ANSWER and seeks to impose its will on that society...and cannot understand why the poeple do not agree.

THE SHIPWRECK OF A NATION by H. Peter Nennhaus is a study of how it was like to live as a German in Nazi Germany. He was a young boy when Hitler became chancellor and he explains how life changed while living in Berlin. Although, he wasn't old enough to enter the military, he talks about his two brothers that fought in the war. He questions the disappearance of his Jewish friends, remembers bombing of the city and how the struggle for his family to survive. I have read books about the war and the Holocaust, but never from the eyes of a German. My grandmother lives in Germany and will not speak of what her life was like during this time, and after reading the book, I see why. This book showed me some insight on what was going on.

THE SHIPWRECK OF A NATION--Germany: An Inside View--proves why the study of history should never be removed from our nations' curriculums. To do so is to risk repeating history. Already the United States under the Bush Administration has mimicked the Nazi regime's treatment of prisoners in its "War on Terror," but unlike the tyranny of Nazi Germany, the U.S. is still a republic and subject to the people's review. When the people don't approve of their government, they can vote it out of office. The media still has the power to reveal hidden and secret or `black' agendas. None of this was available to the average decent German living under Hitler's propaganda machine and hush-hush agenda. For this reason, the memoirs of Dr. Nennhaus provide a critical and unique comment on history from the ordinary German's point of view. He helps us live through what he lived through and answers why decent Germans didn't know about the Holocaust.

Unlike the United States, Europeans have always been well steeped in its own history and that of the world. For them, the study of history has not been an option as it is today in Canada and the United States. Canadians and Americans fighting in the two great world wars of the 20th Century did so with a naïve understanding of what was at stake and who their enemy was. Without this understanding of history, many readers today will still not understand the Germans' terror of the Bolshevik horde beyond Germany's eastern borders nor what a beast Stalin truly was against his own people as well as his enemies.

Dr. Nennhaus rightfully analyzes that the lust for power and economic dominance among the prevailing `empires' were more responsible for the root causes of the two world wars than Germany's actions alone. France and England feared the emergence of Germany as a thriving economic force in Europe once the Germans united into a single empire in 1871 and raced ahead in scientific, economic and military achievement. Like the Jews, they excelled at capitalism. Whatever they set out to do, they did it better than anyone else, and that created a worldwide demand for their goods and services at the expense of the prevailing, less efficient `empires.' Once crushed, Germany had to be removed as an economic threat.

Many readers are now aware of the harsh and unreasonable conditions imposed on Germany under the Versailles Treaty after World War One and do understand why Germans were gullible at first when Hitler drew them out of substandard living conditions and provided jobs that reinstated their dignity and pride. Under the conditions of an economic depression today, the same hope drives people to seek leaders who can lead them back to prosperity.

I have to take issue with some reviewers of this book who criticize Dr. Nennhaus' facts. He did not claim Poland began the war. What he tried to do was explain why the German people so easily believed Goebbels' propaganda that Poland invaded Germany when the SS staged the attack in Gleiwitz. This raid heard all over German radios gave Hitler his manipulated `justification' to invade Poland. There is a difference here in perception. If we heard the same thing on our radios, we would not hesitate to take offense and go on the attack. The movie, "Dogs of War," showed how easy it is to create the need to fight an imaginary enemy, just as we learned that the reasons for the Allies staging the Gulf War in the early 90s and the U.S. invasion of Iraq is entirely suspect today. History has repeated itself. Only the culprits have changed.

Because of this one German's memoirs, we gain insights and truths we've either ignored or buried. As a result, the conclusion Dr. Nennhaus draws is the only argument I have read that makes rational sense of the need for world order: to prevent future cataclysmic world wars. To him, it is simple. Unfortunately, so were the principles of Communism, but demonic leaders turned the theory into an instrument of horror and scorched the earth. THE SHIPWRECK OF A NATION belongs on every school curriculum because it balances the sterilized versions of history fed to us for so long and because it makes us aware there are no simple answers to any political agenda.

If you do not have detailed knowledge of the history of Europe, specifically Germany, from 1870 until 1940 there are many aspects of this narrative that will puzzle and may even offend you. The author was a youth when Adolph Hitler rose to power and fortunately for him, he did not reach military age until the Second World War was over. His family consisted of proud Germans yet like what was probably the majority of Germans, lukewarm towards the Nazi political movement. Their goal was to have a strong nation once again; capable of standing against the fearsome Asiatic horde that was the Stalinist Soviet Union. Therefore, they were supportive of the rising of Germany to being a powerful nation once again, having lived through the humiliating defeat in the First World War as well as the subsequent disastrous economic times.
Nennhaus makes many valid points, providing significant insight into the mindset of the German populace as it was being steered towards the colossal disaster that was World War II. For example, he rightly points out how popular the annexation of Austria was, both in Germany and in Austria. There was a strong outpouring of emotion among the people of both nations, as they truly believed that it was a momentous day of triumph for a people that had been downtrodden for far too long. Additionally, he correctly explains the innate fear of the orderly German people for the brutal dictatorship of Stalin's Soviet Union, where enormous numbers of people were systematically killed via bullets and starvation. In the modern American mind, Adolph Hitler is the model for murderous dictators, yet in sheer numbers, even when you include the Holocaust, Stalin's actions led to the deaths of far more people.
There are some gaps in the rendition however; the most glaring is his downplaying of the fact that Germany started the war by invading Poland and first declared war on the United States, not the other way around. Nennhaus expresses puzzlement that Britain refused to enter peace negotiations after Germany defeated France on the continent, which is at best naive. For nearly a decade, Hitler had taken the territory of another country, announced that this was the end of all territorial demands, only to shortly after make a new demand on a different country. It was clear to all but the most blind to reality that Hitler could not be trusted to keep his word, even when written on the paper of a treaty.
There is plenty of insight into the German mindset of the 1930's and early 1940's in this book, but it must be read with clear knowledge of the historical context. With the hindsight of knowledge of the Holocaust and other brutality, it is easy and justified to loathe the Nazi regime. However, when seen through the eyes of a defeated and humiliated people, the story is a strong and accurate one, at least relative to their position.

This book is a "must read" for anyone who has ever wondered how Hitler was accepted as the leader of Germany by Germans during the Second World War. The author lived in Germany as an older boy during the war, observing his family and friends and the surrounding population. He was an astute observer, even though his age, and the secrecy of the Nazi Regime, kept him from understanding everything happening around him at the time. However, the author has obviously studied the war years ever since and has good insights into the war -it's causes and progression. The reader will also learn about the author's family and care about them.