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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
Some may be disappointed that book does not cover in detail the plot of killing Hitler. I still think it's a great read to show that the Germans did have some humanity about them, even if the majority of the political machine went down a dark path.
This book was fascinating. Although it is called valkyrie it is more of a chronological diary of a man's life from joining the Army, discovering the truth about Hitler and plotting to kill him.
Although he was a German, the book demonstrates that there were members of the German army who didn't want to be nazis. Towards the end of the book when he is informed (after the failed assassination attempt) that the army must use the Nazi salute he informed his unit that they will not be doing that! The book shows his disgust towards the brutal slaughter of the Jewish and the barbaric crimes of the SS and explains how this led him, and others, to start the conspiracy to kill Hitler and surrender to the allies. This is a book written by a solider, not a German or a Nazi, someone who answered the call of their country.
The assassination attempts were avoided by Hitler many times and it makes you wonder if he just lived in perpetual suspicion of everyone and everything.
If I had one gripe it would be that he comes across as a typical "blue blood" army officer. The only names referenced are those of officers and everyone else is just referred to as "the non- commissioned officer" or similar, almost discrediting them for not being one. With the amount of people killed in the war you'd think the pomp would have taken a step back in mutual respect of everyone involved.
That aside I really enjoyed this book and it was a brilliant eye opener for me!
Although he was a German, the book demonstrates that there were members of the German army who didn't want to be nazis. Towards the end of the book when he is informed (after the failed assassination attempt) that the army must use the Nazi salute he informed his unit that they will not be doing that! The book shows his disgust towards the brutal slaughter of the Jewish and the barbaric crimes of the SS and explains how this led him, and others, to start the conspiracy to kill Hitler and surrender to the allies. This is a book written by a solider, not a German or a Nazi, someone who answered the call of their country.
The assassination attempts were avoided by Hitler many times and it makes you wonder if he just lived in perpetual suspicion of everyone and everything.
If I had one gripe it would be that he comes across as a typical "blue blood" army officer. The only names referenced are those of officers and everyone else is just referred to as "the non- commissioned officer" or similar, almost discrediting them for not being one. With the amount of people killed in the war you'd think the pomp would have taken a step back in mutual respect of everyone involved.
That aside I really enjoyed this book and it was a brilliant eye opener for me!
Other people have pointed out that, though they went into the book looking for a hero of anti-Nazism, they came out with something more patriotic than that. There are mentions of the horrors of Nazi anti-Semitism, and it /is/ the most mentioned motivation that Philipp gives for his own rebellion against Hitler's regime. But the thing is, the Boeslegaers and Tresckow and Kluge all stayed in the German army. After the assassination attempts end, Philipp keeps fighting for Germany - not for Nazi Germany, I have to assume, but for "the boys" in the cavalry, the ones he is determined to get home alive, at the expense of Soviet (and, presumably, other) lives. There's no defection, no determination to stop being a part of Hitler's army.
It's interesting! I'm neither condemning nor praising von Boeselager for why he did what he did. He mentions himself that the deepest horrors of the Nazi regime were frequently unknown even to higher-ranking officials like Kluge. I think it's easy to look for black-and-white heroes and villains in the nightmare that was World War II, the way we get in the movies. I think it's easy and even moral to /need/ heroes against something as heinous as the anti-Semitism, racism, and other inhumanities that allowed WWII to happen. Maybe it's equally necessary and moral, though, to realize that most people aren't heroes. Sometimes people do good things for complicated reasons. All we can do now is appreciate their efforts, any efforts, against evil, and maybe try to do a little better ourselves.
It's interesting! I'm neither condemning nor praising von Boeselager for why he did what he did. He mentions himself that the deepest horrors of the Nazi regime were frequently unknown even to higher-ranking officials like Kluge. I think it's easy to look for black-and-white heroes and villains in the nightmare that was World War II, the way we get in the movies. I think it's easy and even moral to /need/ heroes against something as heinous as the anti-Semitism, racism, and other inhumanities that allowed WWII to happen. Maybe it's equally necessary and moral, though, to realize that most people aren't heroes. Sometimes people do good things for complicated reasons. All we can do now is appreciate their efforts, any efforts, against evil, and maybe try to do a little better ourselves.
“The Valkyrie: handmaidens of the gods, choosing who will live and who will die, sparing the most heroic from an agonizing death.”
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First time I have read a book about World War II from the German point of view this is the story of operation Valkyrie the conspiracy to assassinate Hitler, the author Philipp Von Boeslager the main conspirator along with his brother was the sole survivor and kept it a secret even from his wife until the end of the war. Very enjoyable read which I recommend.