Voices from the Third Reich

Steinhoff, Pechel, and Showalter's Voices from The Third Reich contains more than 200 gripping oral histories from people who survived and/or supported Nazi Germany.In an effort to show the intricacies of such a perplexing part of world history, the editors present an incredibly diverse group of voices: Jews who supported Nazis, Germans who hated Nazis, and people who simply joined the Nazis to be part of a social circle. With chapters as varied as Jews Get Out, The Children's Crusade, and German Women in Total War, readers learn from those in the Reich of why they participated in such a tyrannical regime. Often, the answers are too human to believe.Voices of the Third Reich presents a horrific history by those who lived it and almost answers the question of "How could it have happened?"

The book allows us to witness World War II through the experiences of German soldiers and civilians. These first hand accounts are remarkable and somewhat chilling at the same time. For example, there are accounts that talk about the success of the German military in Europe, and accounts that describe the Russian front in great detail. I found the accounts on about the Russian front to be very disturbing. The soldiers suffered through many ordeals that its amazing they survived at all. Overall, this novel would be a welcome addition to anyone's library.

This was perhaps the best of Johannes Steinhoff's books, since it does not deal with his own stellar yet tragic WW II and post war career. The insights of the average person living in Germany are of great importance to both social and military historians alike. Steinhoff offered this collective testament as a warning to all of us regarding war and the rise of a dictator. As Johannes said in an interview, "It is always the civilians who suffer the most, yet are remembered the least."

This book is an excellent work that shows the German side of World War II. Through many accounts, the tome reveals slices of German life from the rise of Hitler to the toppling of the Reich. It shows that the German people, even during the monstrous horrors of the Holocaust, were still just people trying to survive. It is a fine work and is worthy to be included in any library.

I guess that it's an easy enough idea, write a book about people who actually lived during the war. It seems to me that books of this kind have been of great interest, especially to us who find WWII the most fastinating period in our history. I thought that the book was needed, however, I didn't think that the overall character of the book was all consuming. The best part of the book is hearing the reactions of people who had experienced the Third Reich first hand, it was very interesting hearing how they felt about the world that was crumbling around them. It is my hope that all of these people leave a record of their lives, especially for future generations to read. This book has made me understand something about people.