Hitler's Deserters: Breaking Ranks with the Wehrmacht - Hardcover

by Douglas Carl Peifer (Author)

The first English language account of deserters from the German army during World War II

The German military executed between 18,000 and 22,000 of its personnel in World War II on the charges of desertion and "undermining the military spirt." This book examines who these Wehrmacht deserters were, why they deserted, what punishment they could expect, and how German military justice operated. The German army was not apolitical, but rather a pillar of the Nazi state. Although much attention has been devoted to officers within the military who resisted Hitler--particularly those associated with the July 1944 attempt on Hitler's life--far less attention has been paid to those who refused military service or deserted during the war. While providing a full account of what constituted desertion, how it was punished, and how many were convicted for the crime, the book makes the Wehrmacht deserter its main subject. It examines their motivations and the paths they took to evade military service, ranging from hiding in the Third Reich, deserting at the front line, or fleeing to neutral Switzerland or Sweden.

Author Biography

Douglas Carl Peifer is a Professor of Strategy and History at the US Air War College. His teaching and research interests focus on European history, contemporary European security issues; the World Wars; and mutiny, desertion, and dissent. Peifer's books include Choosing War: Presidential Decisions in the Maine, Lusitania, and Panay Incidents; Genocide, Airpower, and Intervention; and The Three German Navies. His articles have appeared in Contemporary European History, European Security, German Studies Review, Journal of Military History, Naval War College Review, Orbis, War and Society, and War in History.