Nazi Policy on the Eastern Front, 1941: Total War, Genocide, and Radicalization

Abstract

The German war of extermination in the East has already been addressed in countless monographs, publications, exhibitions, TV documentaries and radio broadcasts. So when a team of editors decides to publish a fresh volume on the topic, the crucial question must be: what value does it add? In this case, the question can be answered quickly: a team of predominantly junior historians, reinforced by some renowned experts, presents the state of the art in the field. Most contributions are the result of recent research projects that are not—or not yet—available in English. That the authors’ field is so international—as Christian Streit, the nestor of historiography on German crimes against Soviet POWs, points out in his foreword, they originate from seven different countries (p. x)—is perhaps not even the decisive issue here. Much more, it is their willingness to address themes that have been treated in rather cursory manner—if at all—in earlier publications.