Stauffenberg: A Family History, 1905-1944, Third Edition

This detailed and copiously footnoted biography of would-be Hitler assassin Claus Schenk, Count vin Stauffenberg (and to some degree of his brothers Berthold and Alexander) is a must-read for anyone interested in WW II in general, and in the history of the German anti-Nazi underground in particular. The latter is the academic speciality of the author, Prof. Peter Hoffman at McGill U. in Montreal.There are a few technical issues with the e-Book to be aware of (see the end of my review)—I would give the technical production 3.5 stars at best, but the book itself is an unequivocally 5-star.This book was an eye-opener in many ways, even as I consider myself well-read on the subject. Let me single out just five aspects that were new to me:(a) The degree to which Stauffenberg and his brothers (Berthold was hanged for his involvement in the conspiracy; classics professor Alexander managed to avoid the noose) were involved with, and influenced by, the inner circle around German "national renewal" romantic poet Stefan George. Contrary to what one might think, George had several Jewish associates, such as the historian Ernst Kontorowicz (biographer of Frederick II). (As told by Hoffman, George openly admitted same-sex attraction but chose to remain celibate.)George's visionary poetry was a constant companion and inspiration to the brothers. One poem Claus kept reading to people he tried to recruit to the conspiracy was the eerily prescient "Der Widerchrist" (The Antichrist).(b) In 1942, well before Stalingrad, Claus v. St. had concluded that Hitler [y"sh] needed to be removed, and tried to recruit various senior commanders such as Field Marshals von Manstein and von Kluge to take his place. (Apparently ,Claus was vocal enough that some decided he needed to be transferred for his own safety—as is well known, he ended up as a divisional staff officer in North Africa, where he was severely wounded when his command car was strafed.) This happened well before the war was obviously lost—what swayed Claus were mass murders of Jewish and Slavic civilians and Red Army POWs that happened behind the lines of his own front sector (Army Group Center).(c) The "Desert Fox", Erwin Rommel, was apparently much deeper involved in the conspiracy than I thought — well beyond quietly "wishing well". Had he not been severely wounded in the hospital following a July 17, 1944 strafing attack, he would have had a key role.(d) Melitta Schenk, Countess von Stauffenberg—wife of his brother Alexander — was a well-regarded test pilot and aeronautical engineer, the second German woman (after the legendary Hanna Reitsch) to be given the title of Flight Captain. Her father was actually Jewish— but because of the importance of her work, she sought and obtained reclassification from "1st Degree Mischling" to "Declared of German Blood" and was then able to protect her Jewish relatives. This appears to have been another factor that predisposed the Stauffenberg brothers.(e) Berthold v. St., the younger brother, was a specialist on international and marine law assigned to the Navy (to which another co-conspirator, military intelligence chief Admiral Canaris, belonged). In Greece, Berthold saw the human misery created by Nazi food confiscations (which led to a famine in the 1941-2 winter) and was involved with coordinating safe conduct for humanitarian grain shipments from Allied and neutral parties. What he saw convinced him that the regime's general contempt for human life and dignity extended ultimately to all human beings (including the Greeks), not just those deemed "Untermenschen".The brothers, especially Claus, were devout Catholics (and found theological justification for tyrannicide). Yet as unfamiliar as they likely were with Pirkei Avot, Claus especially personified the maxim: "... and in a place where there are no [morally upright] humans, strive to be one".TECHNICAL AND EBOOK CONVERSION ISSUES:The e-book appears to have been produced by OCR from a paper original: "ü" with umlaut rendered as "ii" is a dead giveaway. In a few places, unusual diacritical marks were mistakenly detected and the affected snippet of text is rendered as an image.Also, it took me a moment to get used to Hoffman mapping the German ranks onto English ones with equivalent seniority: so, for instance, I was surprised to see "Brigadier so-and-so" when there was no rank of Brigadegeneral between Oberst (Colonel) and Generalmajor (General-Major): similarly "Generalleutnant" is translated as "Major-General", "General" as "Lieutenant-General", and "Generaloberst" as "General". This is actually logical and consistent, but a little disorienting. Also, Prof. Hoffman systematically uses idiomatic English translations instead of the original German names for organizations, so "Secret State Police" instead of "Gestapo" (Geheime Staatspolizei), "State Security Head Office" instead of RSHA, General Army Office instead of Allgemeines Heeresamt, etc.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the Stsuffenberg's formative years, their writings, comraderie and the ultimate price paid by the brothers and their families. The distracting point is the extensive number of typographical errors.

I was extremely impressed with Dr. Hoffman's research and presentation of a noble warrior who assumed the lead in the attemptto assassinate Hitler on 20 July 1944. Claus was a man of high morals and a capable member of the General Staff of OKW. He fought in Africa and was severely wounded, but his adherence to the cause remained bright. The bomb was set in the Gaster-barack in the Wolfschanze in E. Prussia, but was inadvertently moved away from Hitler's position and put behind a heavy support.The bomb went off and Stauffenberg assumed that the destruction had killed the Furher. Stauffenberg, along with four other menwere shot in Berlin, but the rest were rounded up by the Gestapo and hung for their complicity.The book was flawed by errors in the translation, not by the author. General Oberst Franz Halder is constantly referred to asFranz Haider, a photo with Reinhard Gehlen is mis-identified,and in the middle of the book is an erroneous word left by itself.I was working on my Masters in German History when Dr. Hoffman was at the U. of Northern Iowa in the 60's and 70's.

If you saw the History Channel program on Valkyrie the weekend the film was released this winter, you've seen this author interviewed. This is what I would call college-level reading, not that I'm criticizing that. It's very well-written. It can be very intense reading, especially for Americans (some Americans) who are not used to European aristocracy, the titles, and variations in titles between family members, etc. The labels sometimes (not often) confused me, but that is certainly not the author's fault. He makes every effort to keep this family history detailed, but comprehensible. Excellent photos are included of family members and key "players" in the Stauffenberg story. I greatly enjoyed reading this, while trapped in my home for 4 days by subzero temperatures and a major snowstorm this winter. If you are a History fan, especially related to WW II and the Nazis, I highly recommend this book.

Peter Hoffman's, "Stauffenberg, A Family History, 1905-1944," will ever be valued for its insights into Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, the highest echelons of the German army during the 1939-1945 war in Europe, the German nobility which existed in that era, the German opposition to Hitler, the German oppositions' actions and the Hitler assassination attempts, the biography of the brothers von Stauffenberg and all their family and - especially - Claus von Stauffenberg who led the planning for a coup d'etat and who attempted the assassination of Hitler. Some reviewer tagged, "Stauffenberg," a work of erudition. Surely it is that; there are (nearly) 150 pages of appendices, notes and index. Hoffman is a scholar, not a fine writer, and he lays out more German army units, more names - titles and ranks - than nearly anyone could want. In total, the work is fascinating. Amazon Verified Purchase.

I couldn't put this book down. I felt so inspired by the writer's analysis of Claus' pure soul. It was a great juxtaposition to another book that I was reading about young FDR. Claus seemed spiritual as FDR seemed carnal. Two great men. Two brave and privileged men. Highly recommend to readers that love detail and richness like Thomas Mann novel.

subject will done by the writer

The best

Questo libro di Peter Hoffmann che è uno dei massimi storici della resistenza tedesca al Nazismo,è considerato un'opera di enorme erudizione ed in effetti basta vedere le numerose e accurate note e la vasta bibliografia per avere un'idea di quanto studio e tempo abbia richiesto un'opera del genere.Il libro è il frutto di una accuratissima ricerca storica che si basa anche su carteggi privati,raccolte di lettere e su interviste rilasciate all'autore da parenti e amici di coloro che parteciparono alla congiura del 20 Luglio 1944.Devo però ammettere che un po' di delusione mi è rimasta: il titolo originale tedesco in italiano suona tipo "I Fratelli Stauffenberg",ma,di fatto,l'autore si concentra su Claus che egli considera un cavaliere senza macchia e senza paura,quasi un principe azzurro rinascimentale che pare uscito da una fiaba.Degli altri fratelli,Bertholt che coinvolto nella congiura verrà sommariamente processato e impiccato a un gancio da macellaio con una corda di pianoforte e Alexander che non parteciperà all'attentato perchè informato solo a fatti avvenuti,non veniamo a sapere un granchè.E' molto interessante la prima parte del libro dove Hoffmann ci illustra la Germania Segreta, il circolo del poeta Stefan George e gli ideali romantici di cui erano imbevuti i personaggi di questo libro.La seconda parte è piuttosto faticosa da seguire perchè c'è veramente da perdersi tra i nomi,i gradi e i battaglioni con relativi corpi a cui appartenevano i congiurati,l'autore poteva farcene grazia.In ogni caso,questo libro non può mancare nella biblioteca di chi è interessato a sapere qualcosa di più sulla resistenza tedesca e che si rifiuta di considerare tutto il popolo tedesco e soprattutto la sua élite esclusivamente come una massa di mostri e carnefici.

Biografia molto interessante e ben scritta, ma un po' corposa; l'autore punta inoltre l'attenzione su alcuni aspetti della formazione culturale e politica di Stauffenberg (il rapporto con Stefan George e ciò che esso comportava) che, per quanto li ritengano importanti, altri biografi relegano ad un ruolo meno fondamentale.

Libro muy cuidado y bien documentado de la familia Stauffenberg.

2ª mano pero impecable y como todos los libros de Hoffmann, los más completos sobra la figura de Stauffenberg.