Customer Reviews

Voices From The Third Reich: An Oral History

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

 

 

This was perhaps the best of Johannes Steinhoff's books, since it does not deal with his own stellar yet tragic WW II and post war career. The insights of the average person living in Germany are of great importance to both social and military historians alike. Steinhoff offered this collective testament as a warning to all of us regarding war and the rise of a dictator. As Johannes said in an interview, "It is always the civilians who suffer the most, yet are remembered the least."

This book is an excellent work that shows the German side of World War II. Through many accounts, the tome reveals slices of German life from the rise of Hitler to the toppling of the Reich. It shows that the German people, even during the monstrous horrors of the Holocaust, were still just people trying to survive. It is a fine work and is worthy to be included in any library.

The book allows us to witness World War II through the experiences of German soldiers and civilians. These first hand accounts are remarkable and somewhat chilling at the same time. For example, there are accounts that talk about the success of the German military in Europe, and accounts that describe the Russian front in great detail. I found the accounts on about the Russian front to be very disturbing. The soldiers suffered through many ordeals that its amazing they survived at all. Overall, this novel would be a welcome addition to anyone's library.

I guess that it's an easy enough idea, write a book about people who actually lived during the war. It seems to me that books of this kind have been of great interest, especially to us who find WWII the most fastinating period in our history. I thought that the book was needed, however, I didn't think that the overall character of the book was all consuming. The best part of the book is hearing the reactions of people who had experienced the Third Reich first hand, it was very interesting hearing how they felt about the world that was crumbling around them. It is my hope that all of these people leave a record of their lives, especially for future generations to read. This book has made me understand something about people.

I have always enjoyed oral histories of warfare and this one told from the German point of view did not disappoint. The book is a perspective of the war based upon interviews with young boy-soldiers, housewifes, the typical adult soldier as well as political prisoners held by the German state.

The most interesting chapters dealt with the submarine warfare and the stories told by the soldiers who fought at the Russian front. I was surprised to learn that not all Germans treated Russians like animals, and vice versa.

However, the book has a major flaw that, I think, takes away from the overall flow of the book. There are way too many people interviewed for the book. Consequently, some of their stories come across as rather disjointed and much too precise to offer any good reading. I would have preferred longer stories which would have lead to a more cohesive story. Some people tell their story in one part of the book and then part of their story is related in another chapter. The problem with this is that when the person is first introduced, there is a very short biography of the person. When that particular person's text is related later, the biography is omitted which forces the reader back to the original location of the person relating the story in order to re-read their bio. Hence, the three star rating.

All in all, the book is definitely worth reading for the WWII buff.