Author Neitzel, Sönke
Title Abgehört. English
Tapping Hitler's generals : transcripts of secret conversations, 1942-45 / Sönke Neitzel ; translated by Geoffrey Brooks ; introduction by Ian Kershaw
Imprint Barnsley, Yorkshire : Frontline Books, 2007
book jacket
LOCATION CALL # STATUS OPACMSG BARCODE
 Fu Ssu-Nien WTN LANG BK  D810.S7 N417 2007    AVAILABLE    30530001194505
Descript 416 p. : ill., ports. ; 24 cm
Note "This edition ... includes an updated Introduction, Notes and Biographies, and a new Foreword by Ian Kershaw."--T.p. verso
Includes bibliographical references (p. 394-409) and index
INTRODUCTION. Observations on research and sources -- Secret monitoring of prisoners of war in Great Britain and Trent Park PoW Centre -- The main subjects of discussion. Politics, strategy and the different camps at Trent Park; 'We have tried to exterminate whole communities.' War crimes in Trent Park conversations; The insurrection of conscience. Reactions to 20 July 1944 -- Concluding observations -- THE DOCUMENTS. Politics, strategy and the different camps at Trent Park -- 'We have tried to exterminate whole communities.' War crimes in Trent Park conversations -- The insurrection of conscience. Reactions to 20 July 1944
Between 1942 and 1945 the British Intelligence Service undertook an extraordinary surveillance operation. In the sedate surroundings of Trent Park, a large mansion with extensive grounds in North London, they used state of the art bugging equipment to listen in on the private conversations of captured high-ranking German officers. Unlike the countless postwar interrogations, these were unstructured conversations held freely among the officers, during which they touched upon the most sensitive issues. The officers discuss the July Plot of 1944, the failed attempt to assassinate Hitler, collaboration with the enemy, and their experience of German war crimes. In this major new work Professor Neitzel has examined these incredible transcripts in depth for the first time. His findings address important questions regarding the officers' attitudes towards the German leadership and Nazi policies: How did the German generals judge the overall war situation? From what date did they consider it lost? How did they react to the attempt on Hitler's life in July 1944? What knowledge did they have of the atrocities, either through their own experiences or based on the reports of others? Includes biographies of all the German officers who appear in the transcripts. This research is a must for any serious scholar of the period and anyone interested in exploring the truth behind the image of an 'unblemished Wehrmacht'.--Jacket cover
Translated from the German
Subject Germany. Heer -- General staff officers
Germany. Heer -- History -- World War, 1939-1945 -- Sources
World War, 1939-1945 -- Prisoners and prisons, German
World War, 1939-1945 -- Military intelligence -- Great Britain