Includes bibliographical references (pages 419-444) and index.
Contents:
Introduction -- Going home -- Political chaos -- Nazi stirrings -- Elections, elections -- Opening Pandora's box -- Nazi versus Nazi -- The new era -- Young, bold and blond -- God and Hitler -- Towards war -- Blitzkrieg -- Theodor Weissenberger, in memoriam -- Barbarossa -- Turning point -- Mount Elbrus -- Total war -- Camps -- To the bitter end -- The Jews -- Collapse -- Surrender -- Aftermath -- The reckoning -- A village in the Third Reich: the back story -- Uncovering Oberstdorf's past.
Summary:
"From the author of the international bestseller Travelers in the Third Reich comes A Village in the Third Reich, shining a light on the lives of ordinary people. Drawing on personal archives, letters, interviews and memoirs, it lays bare their brutality and love; courage and weakness; action, apathy and grief; hope, pain, joy, and despair. Within its pages we encounter people from all walks of life -- foresters, priests, farmers and nuns; innkeepers, Nazi officials, veterans and party members; village councillors, mountaineers, socialists, slave labourers, schoolchildren, tourists and aristocrats. We meet the Jews who survived -- and those who didn't; the Nazi mayor who tried to shield those persecuted by the regime; and a blind boy whose life was judged "not worth living." This is a tale of conflicting loyalties and desires, of shattered dreams--but one in which, ultimately, human resilience triumphs. These are the stories of ordinary lives at the crossroads of history"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.