Quest: Searching for Germany's Nazi Past: A Young Man's Story

Wheels within wheels: The truth is always the first casualty What happened at the conclusion of WW2 in Europe? Frank Brandenburg's Quest is an excellent investigative journey into a sordid world where truth is always the first casualty. We know who won WW2 but what happened to the vanquished and what is the real truth of those nagging history mysteries surrounding the major players of the Nazi party. History is written by the victors and sometimes reality is fudged to make it more palatable. The truth is out there and it took the perseverance of a young man to find it, regardless of how ugly and where it led. I enjoyed Mr. Brandenburg's book and am happy that he made the journey. His conclusions are today fairly self-evident and right on the mark, whereas 60+ years ago they were the stuff of the original suspense thrillers: Old Nazis never die they just end up in a Robert Ludlum, John le Carre, Greg Iles, or Joseph Heywood novel. Quest is a good read and I recommend it for those interested in WW2 history. As George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Young Brandenburg did what few thought to do, and what would have been impossible only a few years later - to interview influential nazis still alive in the late 70's early 80's. The book provides an eye-opening look into the mentality and sensibility that fostered naziism, but the show was not without cost, and the author is almost drawn into the maelstrom of the self-serving dogma of fanaticism, and the insensitivity to the suffering that it produces. In the end, I found myself wondering if it was worth it - to speak firsthand with the leaders of this demented movement provided valuable historical insights - and yet, by pretending to go along with the nazi mentality in order to gain their trust, the author both allows them another venue to promote their caustic dogma, and finds himself befriending some of the most reprehensible emenies of human brotherhood, peace, and dignity - all the while claiming to abhor their agenda while admiring their "courage". The author manifested great personal courage also, if courage means to risk personal danger in the commitment to a cause. But what of moral courage? Brandenburg's quest for truth is rooted in moral courage, and might parallel the courage it truth for many americans to question the warren commission, and look long and hard at the facts supporting a high-level govenment conspiracy and coup. Yet, somehow the moral issues got derailed along the way, although the final act, of actually publishing the book, seems to be in defiance to the tangent, a final-ditch effort at absolution for compromises along the way. The book raises some deep and disturbing issues, while itself being content to deal with the more superficial aspects of the nazi regime. Definitely worth reading, if for nothing other than the human touch of gritty reality that it lends to an almost abstract historical era.