Disobedience and conspiracy in the German Army, 1918-1945 / by Robert B. Kane ; with a foreword by Peter Loewenberg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kane, Robert B., 1951-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Germany. Heer--Officers--History--20th century.

Germany.

Germany. Heer.

Loyalty oaths--Germany--History--20th century.

Loyalty oaths.

Allegiance--Germany--History--20th century.

Allegiance.

Conspiracy--Germany--History--20th century.

Conspiracy.

World War, 1914-1918--Germany.

World War, 1914-1918.

World War, 1939-1945--Germany.

World War, 1939-1945.

History.

Physical Description:

xix, 259 pages : illustrations ; 27 cm

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, [2002]

Summary:

This work examines, among other topics, the personal oath of loyalty that the officers of the German army swore to Adolf Hitler on August 2, 1934. It discusses how the majority of officers--those who did not become conspirators against him--complied with Hitlers orders until May 1945 despite his cruel treatment of soldiers, militarily unsound strategy and tactics, and the widespread destruction and crimes he and his forces committed. The oath taken by the officers had a strong psychological effect among a proud corps with a long history of obedience and honor, causing them to follow Hitler until the end even though they knew they were fighting a losing battle. The author also examines why and how only a few officers, the conspirators, began to break away, lose trust in Hitler, oppose him and finally stage an assassination attempt. The work traces the development within the German army from 1918 of the phil

Contents:

German Army Officer Ranks and American Army Officer Equivalents xvii

1 The Military Oath of Loyalty: Theoretical and Historical Background 13

The Military Oath of Loyalty, Obedience, and Disobedience 13

Historical Background: Prehistory to the 1660s 19

Historical Development: Prussia-Germany, 1660s-1918 26

2 The Army and the Weimar Republic, 1918-1930 40

Defeat and Revolution 40

The Kapp Putsch 46

Organization and Development of the Reichswehr 49

The Hitler Putsch 54

The Reichswehr After Seeckt 59

3 The Army and National Socialism, 1930-1934 69

The Leipzig Trial 70

The Army and Hitler, 1930-1933 76

The Army and Hitler: The First 18 Months 80

The Rohm Purge and Its Aftermath 84

4 The Army and the Nazi Regime, 1934-1939 97

Continuation of the Nazification Process 98

Rearmament and Its Effects 102

The Impact of Nazi Education, the Hitler Jugend, and the Reich Labor Service 106

The Development of the Oberkommando Wehrmacht (OKW) 108

The Creation of the Waffen SS 111

5 The Beginning of the Military Opposition, 1936-1939 120

The First Signs of Opposition 121

The Blomberg-Fritsch Crisis 124

The Military Opposition and the Road to War 131

The Military Opposition and Hitler's Domestic Policies 138

6 The Army at War, 1939-1945 147

The Senior Officers and Hitler 148

The Lower-Ranking Officers and Enlisted Personnel, and Hitler 158

The Army and War Crimes 160

7 The Military Opposition During the War, 1939-1945 178

The Evolution of the Military Opposition, 1939-1943 179

Stauffenberg and the Military Opposition, January 1943-June 1944 183

The July 20, 1944, Assassination Plot and Aftermath 186

Aftermath of the July 20, 1944, Coup 189

8 Conspirators, Nonconspirators, and Followers 197

Comparison of Conspirators, Nonconspirators, and Followers 198

Influence of Education and Family Background 199

Effects of Familial and Collegial Relationships 207

Origins 218

Consequences 219

Significance 223

Appendix A. Prussian-German Military Oaths 227

Appendix B. Political Justice in Weimar Germany 229

Appendix C. German Treatment of Soviet POWs in World War II 233

The Treatment of Western POWs 237

The Treatment of Russian POWs during World War I 239.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-250) and index.

ISBN:

078641104X

OCLC:

48140594