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Endkampf: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Death of the Third Reich Schutzstaffel - Wikipedia The Schutzstaffel (SS; also stylized as with Armanen runes; German pronunciation: [tstafl] ; literally "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary ... Volkssturm - Wikipedia The Volkssturm "uniform" was only a black armband with words Deutscher Volkssturm Wehrmacht with a series of silver collar pips pinned to the wearer's collar. Briefing Room The White House Briefing Room. The White House provides timely and accurate information about the President's latest events and public statements. Here you'll find photos video and ... Rank: #1362045 in eBooksPublished on: 2004-10-08Released on: 2004-10-08Format: Kindle eBook 10 of 11 people found the following review helpful.Valuable insights into the powder keg of defeated GermanyBy EndSiegThe first chapter explains the US decision to abandon the drive towards Berlin but it is not the common explanation of avoiding US losses in conquering a city assigned the Soviet zone.By March 1945 the majority of allied leaders believed in an alpine redoubt ("Alpenfestung"). Its biggest potential danger was the genesis of an "undefeated Nazi" myth, similar to the 1918 "undefeated KaiserHeer" myth. The Allies did not want to repeat the mistake of 1918 (hence the policy of total unconditional surrender). By March 28, Eisenhower informed Stalin, Marshall and Montgomery that they would drive towards the South/Southeast instead of Berlin, a decision bitterly protested by the British.The next five chapters describe what happened in Franconia during April 1945 but are so detailed that they may loose the reader's interest (which is why I did not rate the book higher, despite the very interesting first and last two chapters, but that is subjective).Those chapters give a glimpse into the nature of life in that crumbling Nazi regime when soldiers and civilians were terrorized and executed by party functionaries and SS commanders ("Goetterdaemmerung"). They also document the hard battles faced there by the GIs who, hoping to survive the final stage of the war, made full use of their artillery at the first sign of resistance, prompting the civilians to beg the Wehrmacht and SS not to put up a defense point in their villages, which led to numerous conflicts between civilians and SS/Nazi officials (e.g. the "Weibersturm" of Windsheim).The last two chapters, the more interesting ones in my opinion, document and explain the tensions and violence between GIs, Jewish and other DPs (displaced persons), German civilians and returning POWs, and the German resistance ("Wehrwolf").The formation of the Wehrwolf was announced on the "Deutschlandsender" on April 1st. By late November US troops had arrested 3000 Germans and seized large stores of ammo. A large national and organized Wehrwolf did not develop in part because of the vigilance of US forces but small local Wehrwolf activities occurred until early 1947 and caused several thousand deaths.The fraternization between GIs and German females was resented by returning German POWs ("the German soldier fought for six years, the German woman for only five minutes", p208) and led to some violence against fraternizing GIs in 46/47.Another source of tension was the perceived criminality of Jewish DPs which led to a strong rise in anti-Semitism and pro-Nazism. There were 6 to 8 million DPs (surviving Jews, POWs and slave laborers) wandering and looting in the countryside of the western zones at war's end, creating more violence than the Wehrwolf. After being housed in DP camps, they became the brokers in the black-market triangle between GIs (suppliers) and Germans (buyers). The black-market was the only way for Germans to avert slow starvation given their meager 900 to 1500 cal/day rations. The minority of Jewish DPs (145,000 in the American zone) was a special and explosive situation: they were still housed in camps with poor food and sanitation. After the Harrison commission, their food rations were raised to 2500 cal/day (double that of the Germans) and they were housed in requisitioned German homes. That understandably created German-Jewish tensions and rekindled anti-Semitism. The Germans blamed the Jewish DPs for the black-market, for the shortages of food and housing, and the international Jewry for their misery (p241). There was also a high level of anti-Semitism among the GIs and even among US officers, as best illustrated by Patton who in September 1945 characterized the Jews as "lower than animals"(p243). Open hostilities broke out between GIs and Jewish DPs in the first half of 1946 during crackdown operations on the black-market and all violence lasted until the DP camps were closed.32 of 34 people found the following review helpful.A Pleasant Surprise about an Unpleasant TopicBy M. PitcavageStephen G. Fritz's "Endkampf" was an unexpected surprise. While I began reading the book with low expectations--the University Press of Kentucky has published a number of 2nd rate works of military history--I soon realized that there was much here that had not been previously explored in any detail.What Fritz does, and what makes his book worthwhile, is that he concentrates on the triple relationships of U.S. Military versus German Military (and sometimes Nazi leadership), of U.S. Military versus German Civilians, and German Military/Nazi leadership versus German Civilians, all in the context of a rapidly changing military situation and a collapsing Reich. As the U.S. Army drove through Franconia like a tsunami (although sometimes sharply resisted by the remnants of the German Army and SS), German civilians found themselves freed--sometimes unwillingly--from the coccoon of the Reich. The decisions they would make might come back to haunt them, as the local military situation swept back and forth. To place a white flag from a building might save your life in one situation, or mean certain death in another.By focusing sharply on one small region--Franconia--Fritz is able to go into great detail and to tease out some of the nuances, as well as supporting anecdotes, that makes this civil-military study special. While he occasionally goes on unwelcome detours--such as tracing the Niebelungen--in general, the book is a pleasure to read, full of information most readers--even military historians--are unlikely to have come across before. Also pleasing is the fact that his account does not stop on May 8, 1945, but continues for some time. His account of post-war German resistance reveals a Germany not nearly as pacified as the official U.S. Army volume on the occupation of Germany suggests.In some cases, however, his sharp local focus leaves the reader awash in a sea of small towns, with no overall context. Although Fritz sets a context at the beginning of the book, discussing the mythical Alpine Redoubt in the minds of Allied military planners, that is the last time he looks at commanders. Even corps level and divisional level contexts are not typically provided--action is usually at the battalion level. This often provides confusion, especially as the situation was unusually fluid. The maps, alas, are almost useless in helping the reader sort this out.Still, I could not help but be impressed by this study, which definitely is a worthy addition to our understanding of the late war campaigns in the west, as well as to our understanding of the last days of the Reich.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.Marching through Nazi Franconia... The tragedy of last months of WWII in one German region. A very precious, well written studyBy Darth MaciekI am glad that I bought and read this book as it made me think and I also learned a lot. I count it as one of my most important recent readings in non-fiction. Below, more of my impressions.This is a detailed story of last months of World War II and first years of allied occupation in the region of Franconia, which nowadays is situated mostly in Bavaria, with some smaller parts belonging to Baden-Württemberg, Thuringia and Hesse länders. The most important city of this region is Nuremberg.The book begins by the description of Alpenfestung hysteria which seized many allied commanders, beginning with Eisenhower, in the last months of war. It is a very useful introduction to the Franconian campaign, as it explains why Americans attached so much importance to advance as rapidly as possible towards the Alps. I also learned quite a lot from it.The real story starts however at the page 31, with chapter 2, aptly titled "Fearful are the convulsions of defeat". From that moment on, until the page 195, follows a very well written, dramatic and tense description of the last three months of war in Franconia, with American juggernaut advancing and German defenders trying to slow it down, by a desperate but very tenacious resistance – quite frequently to the last bullet… It may come as a surprise to many, that even at that last stage of WWII, German armed forces still could bite back in a very, very nasty way and not only with infantry weapons, but also with artillery, tanks and planes – including jets… The resistance was reinforced both by the cruel repression by dying Nazi regime but also by the fear of unpredictable behaviour of Americans, who occasionally killed German prisoners as soon as they surrendered.The last two chapters are particularly interesting as they describe little known and poorly explored topics. German resistance against American occupation in Franconia is the subject of chapter "Struggle until five after twelve" – it deals with the Werwolf groups and local saboteurs but also with the much more important unarmed and non-violent reactions against occupiers. The issue of difficult relations between Germans and former Nazi slaves from occupied countries (including Jews who survived the Holocaust) is the subject of the last chapter "There can be no return to normality" – and it is a particularly tough subject.The subject treated in "Endkampf 1945" is of course quite nightmarish, with heart-breaking human suffering present on every single page, but still it is a very readable book, not only comprehensively researched but also very well written. I learned a lot from it. It also clearly inspired more research on the issue. The famous study "The End. The defiance and destruction of Hitler's Germany 1944-45" by Ian Kershaw clearly owns A LOT to this book and I would advise to read "Endkampf 1945" before "The End".I am very glad that I bought and read this book and I am definitely going to keep it. A precious, recommended reading to anybody interested in WWII.See all 8 customer reviews... Briefing Room The White House Briefing Room. The White House provides timely and accurate information about the President's latest events and public statements. Here you'll find photos video and ... Schutzstaffel - Wikipedia The Schutzstaffel (SS; also stylized as with Armanen runes; German pronunciation: [tstafl] ; literally "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary ... Volkssturm - Wikipedia The Volkssturm "uniform" was only a black armband with words Deutscher Volkssturm Wehrmacht with a series of silver collar pips pinned to the wearer's collar.
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