Deutsche Krieger

A lieutenant of the Empire, an officer of the Wehrmacht, and a squad leader of the Task Force Kunduz from 2010 have more in common than we think. This surprising conclusion is drawn by Sönke Neitzel, who examines German warrior culture in all its facets. His assessment: Soldiers follow the internal logic of the military; they are meant to fight and also to kill. This applies to the major battles of World War I, the criminal invasion of the Wehrmacht, and also to the foreign deployments of the Bundeswehr. In a comprehensive historical analysis, Neitzel traverses the tension between society and the military, showing how the culture of war has changed over the epochs. Seventy-five years after the end of the war, it is about redefining the ambivalent relationship of Germans to their army. This book provides the foundations.