In addition to providing a colourful account of his experiences, Kindler also provides a very valuable insight into the social; experiences and politics that brought the Nazis to power and for much of WWII earned them the wholehearted support of the overwhelming majority of Germans. Hitler tapped into a catalogue of fears, aspirations and prejudices that combined with militarism and patriotism that produced such a deadly cocktail that was not confined to a few fanatics but spread through a nation. As Kindler demonstrates, those feelings and beliefs were not expunged in 1945 but have continued in the fabric of German society, embers ready to be fanned into fresh life. reviews.firetrench.com adn.firetrench.com nthn.firetrench.com bgn.firetrench.com ftd.firetrench.com
NAME: Obedient Unto Death, A Panzer Grenadier of the Leibstandarte – SS Adolf Hitler Reports CATEGORY: Book Reviews DATE: 220414 FILE: R1954 AUTHOR: Werner Kindler PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword BINDING: hard back PAGES: 194 PRICE: £19.99 GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: SS, Panzer troops, Eastern Front, WWII, 1939-1945, Leibstandarte, Guards Divisions, armoured warfare, 1941-1944, Oberscharfuhrer, NCO, Sergeant ISBN: 978-1-84832-734-4 IMAGE: B1954.jpg BUYNOW: http://tinyurl.com/kc7oxap LINKS: DESCRIPTION: Much of the output of Second World War histories have been written by historians and those who were senior officers serving at the time. This new book has been written by an NCO and published first in German in 2010. This edition has been translated into English and set out in Pen and Sword's Frontline imprint format with two interesting plate sections in illustration the lively and personal style of the author reads well. As the personal experiences of an NCO in the Waffen SS, it sheds new life on this military formation that sought to mirror the Wermacht and become the prestigious German land force. The natural bias of Allied propaganda, horror of the Holocaust, and determination to stamp out the Nazi Party, combined to produce many misconceptions about the relationship of the SS to the Regular German Army and the way in which personnel were recruited, trained and deployed. Many of the most valuable commentaries have come from NCOs and troopers who may have had only a poor understanding of the wider tactical and political picture, but have provided an incite that cuts through the misconceptions. The author was drafted into the SS-Totenkopf in 1939, serving with a motorized unit in Poland. It is clear that Kindler was a dedicated Nazi and member of the SS, holding his views through life. Having lived in the Polish Corridor, he welcomed the invasion of Poland, seeing it as a war of liberation. In 1939, the SS was being a development process that would see it as an elite land force that was operated alongside the regular army and equipped in a very similar manner. That process also saw a dramatic expansion from a handful of ultra-loyal bodyguards providing close protection for Adolf Hitler, to a significant military force that distinguished itself on the battlefield, often winning actions because its commanders were prepared to throw men at the enemy and where the men were happy to be used in this way without question. Kindler's social and political views are firmly embedded in the story, but he provides an unparalleled and vivid account of the most brutal campaigns of WWII, where much of his service was on the Eastern Front and the terrible war of attrition that saw millions slaughtered on both sides, and where the civilians suffered the same massive casualties. Transferred to the Western Front and the retreat from France, Kindler was to become the last soldier of the Leibstandarte to surrender to the Americans in whose sector he was fighting. In addition to providing a colourful account of his experiences, Kindler also provides a very valuable insight into the social; experiences and politics that brought the Nazis to power and for much of WWII earned them the wholehearted support of the overwhelming majority of Germans. Hitler tapped into a catalogue of fears, aspirations and prejudices that combined with militarism and patriotism that produced such a deadly cocktail that was not confined to a few fanatics but spread through a nation. As Kindler demonstrates, those feelings and beliefs were not expunged in 1945 but have continued in the fabric of German society, embers ready to be fanned into fresh life.