Eastern Front, 1941–45, German Troops and the Barbarisation of Warfare

OMAR BARTOV is John P. Birkelund Professor of European History at Brown University, USA.

'Omer Bartov's book is an extremely useful addition to the valuable Macmillan/St Antony's series of monographs on modern history and politics...Bartov is extremely good in recounting the nature and forms of, and responses to, the ideological instruction carried out in the armed forces during the war...' - John P. Fox, International Affairs Vol. 63 Nr 1 Winter 1986-87, pp. 123-4 'Omer Bartov's The Eastern Front...is...an original and flesh-creeping social history of German soldiers at the sharpest end of the Second World War which no serious student can afford to ignore.' - David Englander, British Book News 'excellently researched and well written...' - Geoffrey Jukes, Soviet Studies, vol. XXXIX 1987, pp. 158-159 'The merit of Bartov's book is that he investigates the barbarisation process at grass-roots level by looking through the microscope at the activities of three front-line divisions on the eastern front. Using material from divisional files Bartov draws a vivid picture of the appalling conditions and heavy casualties which subjected ordinary soldiers to intolerable stress and strain turning them into brute beasts indifferent to human values.' - W.Carr, History, Autumn 1987, pp.554-5 'after Bartov's book, it will be even more difficult than before to argue that only a small minority of the German army was involved in the extermination policy in the East.' - Christian Streit Mannheim, German Historical Institute London Bulletin

• List of Tables Preface Preface to Second Edition List of Abbreviations Introduction PART 1 LIFE, HARDSHIP AND DEATH AT THE FRONT The Military Events Manpower and Casualties Physical Hardship Discipline and Morale PART 2 THE OFFICERS: BACKBONE OF THE ARMY Introduction The Sample Data Analysis PART 3 INDOCTRINATION AND THE NEED FOR A CAUSE Introduction Forms and Intensity of Ideological Instruction The Enemy as 'Untermenschen' The Efficacy of Indoctrination PART 4 BARBARISM AND CRIMINALITY Introduction The Maltreatment of Russian POWs Fighting Partisans and Murdering Civilians Exploitation, Evacuation and Destruction Conclusion Appendix: Maps References Bibliography Index