{"product_id":"hitlers-deserters-breaking-ranks-with-the-wehrmacht-9780197539668","title":"Hitler's Deserters: Breaking Ranks with the Wehrmacht","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe first English language account of deserters from the German army during World War II\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAfter the Second World War, Germans began a generation-long debate about the status that should be accorded Wehrmacht deserters. The topic would be debated between the two Germanies and engaged survivors and perpetrators, playwrights, and judges, those who had stayed in the ranks and those who had not. Was the Wehrmacht a coward, a victim, or a role model? The book's discussion of this postwar debate has no equivalent in English, as it explains how and why Germany finally decided to overturn military court-martial verdicts from the Second World War fifty years after its conclusion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDouglas Carl Peifer\u003c\/strong\u003e 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 \u003cem\u003eChoosing War: Presidential Decisions in the\u003c\/em\u003e Maine, Lusitania, \u003cem\u003eand\u003c\/em\u003e Panay \u003cem\u003eIncidents\u003c\/em\u003e; \u003cem\u003eGenocide, Airpower, and Intervention\u003c\/em\u003e; and \u003cem\u003eThe Three German Navies\u003c\/em\u003e. His articles have appeared in \u003cem\u003eContemporary European History\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eEuropean Security\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGerman Studies Review\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eJournal of Military History\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eNaval War College Review\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eOrbis\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eWar and Society\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eWar in History\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50878033887506,"sku":"9780197539668","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_99620952-8809-4f3d-8f8c-a34126ffc5a5.jpg?v=1738190140","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/hitlers-deserters-breaking-ranks-with-the-wehrmacht-9780197539668","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}