Siegfried Knappe (1917–2008)

2490 Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier 1936-1949, by Siegfried Knappe and Ted Brusow (read 4 Feb 1993) This is the story of a German officer from 1936 to 1949. I fond it very interesting reading because it is so authentic. He was wounded in France, Russia, and Italy. and was in Berlin in April 1945. He spent five years as a Russian prisoner and studied in the US in 1952-1953 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1954. He lives in Ohio. He tells a story that shows him not very critical of Hitler till the Germans started to lose. I wonder what he really thinks. He is smart, though the book is not a literary masterpiece. But it was well worth reading.… (lisätietoja)

"Soldat" by Siegfried Knappe with Ted Brusaw. When I started reading this book I didn't really know what to expect. Even knowing German people personally, I couldn't imagine how the author would justify the atrocities attributed to the German's during W.W.II. This however seemed more like the German people I know. The typical soldier was not the stereotypical Nazi, the German people wanted to overcome the adversity inflicted on the country by the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler, took advantage of this situation and the culpability of allowing his rise to power can be much debated, That is the situation Knappe was faced with, as a professional soldier, he was not political. AS he rose in rank and exposed to more of the effects of the Nazi propaganda machine, he became more conscious of the morality of the effect the propaganda had on his compatriots. This became clearer as the war turned, and Germany suffered as their conquests had suffered under Nazi conquest. Yes the Wehrmacht caused pain and suffering, the worst came from the SS. The SS was every where, always looking for victims they could torture and murder under the guise of seeking anti-German activity. It was the SS and the Nazi upper echelon that pursued the worst ways to punish their perceived enemies. The author learned the hard way that following orders was not always the best course of action. To read this memoir is to learn the importance of understanding and analyzing the actions of the people in power. The danger posed by an ignorant or illiterate population is stressed by the author and is as important today as ever.… (lisätietoja)