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Binding: Hardcover

See also more books from:
   Alexander Dallin

See also more books on the same topic(s):
   Germany: International relations
   Germany: Occupied territories
   International relations: Fronts and campaigns
   Russian Liberation Movement
   Russo-German War, 1941-1945
   Russo-German War, 1941-1945: Politics and diplomacy
   Soviet Union: Occupation, collaboration, and resistance
   Soviet-German relations

Feedback from visitors

Feedback from Dale S. J. Mylne on Monday, 28 August 2006

Rates this book:

Alexander Dallin addresses issues rarely considered in even specialized studies of "Nazi Germany". The real issue for the Germans was the effort to overthrow communism. Dallin does not delve into the details of the source, purpose, and nature of the violence in the German states and on the German states preceding the National-Socialist Revolution. What he does address, with incredible finesse, fairness, and persuasiveness, is the relation of Germany to the people of the so-called occupied territories. This turns out to be a very complex relation.

Hitler and others close to him argued against deviation from official policy. They did not usually want any exceptions made for or leniency shown towards the people in the conquered territories -- no deviation from official policy. The army commanders, however, were impressed with the sincerity and desperation of many such peoples -- cossacks, Russians, and so on. Line troops often had "their own Ivan", a Russian 'house-boy' who helped themwith various domestic and other chores.

The various peoples were willing to cooperate with the Germans because they considered their previous masters -- Stalin and the communist leadership -- as much worse than the Germans. They fought with desperation. As Germany was pushed back, large formations attempted to move southwards to evade capture by the Soviet army. The Germans planned for at least one autonomous region (for cossacks), despite opposition from Himmler and other ideological hard-liners. Success at Stalingrad and Moscow would surely have given the less dogmatic leaders the time they needed to fully establish at least this one region, and probably others. Failure at Stalingrad and Moscow hindered the development of the variouslegions of native citizens who had been freed from Stain's control.

The soldiers in these legions numbered in the thousands. Though Dallin believes no order of battle was drawn up, units were in fact formed and equipped with uniforms, patches, and hardware. These units came from Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Byelorussia, Stalin's home-republic of Georgia, and all other liberated soviet republics. Many units were found on the coasts of France as late as 1944.

Dallin is a keen observer. He possesses an acute awareness of factional and departmental interests, and has sympathy for the native peoples caught between the ideology of Moscow and the counter-ideology of Berlin. He gives a brilliant presentation of humanity within the German as well as non-German peoples, which humanity proves more compassionate and cooperative than is admitted by most books dealing with the liberated/occupied territories.

Dallin describes clearly the various, often generous, alternatives considered by the Germans for dealing with the peoples in the liberated/occupied territories. Sometimes several alternatives were applied simultaneously! The predictable, resultant confusion caused more problems and turned some potential allies away from German interests.

Positive relations between the German army and native units continued late into the war. Some groups, in fact, were still operating independently even after the final surrender by Admiral Doenitz.

This is an excellent work. Pray that someone who appreciates honest academic enterprise republishes it because dealers' prices are currently through the roof.

D.S.J.M.

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