Book: "D Day Through German Eyes", by Holger Eckhertz

[JGW]

All - I read a very interesting book by Holger Eckhertz recently: "D Day Through German Eyes - The Hidden Story of June 6th, 1944". I had never before read about D Day from a German perspective, and when I stumbled on the book I became quite interested. It, and its follow up (Book 2) are both are available to read for "free" if you have "Kindle Unlimited" with your Amazon account.

Holger Eckhertz is the grandson of Dieter Eckhertz, a Great War veteran who worked as a journalist during WW II. In Spring, 1944, he visited the Atlantic Wall and the Normandy area to obtain source material for a feature article about the invincibility of the Atlantic Wall, the German soldiers and Luftwaffe, and the Wehrmacht generally. Shortly after conducting the interviews, June 6, 1944 occurred, making it impossible to write the intended article.

Ten years later, Mr. Eckhertz tracked down many of the soldiers he spoke with in 1944, and interviewed them about their "D Day" (it was not known as "D Day" in Germany). Then . . . Herr Eckhertz did nothing with his notes, statements, verbatim witness accounts, etc. After his death, his grandson, Holger Eckhertz, found these materials and compiled them into this book, which is largely written in the format the interview or "question / answer" format found in the notes. What results is a fascinating look into what the common soldier, engineer, etc. was thinking and experiencing during "D Day". The books are an easy read, since written to record interview questions / answers, soldier-by-soldier.

Several of the main insights into the thoughts and minds of the German soldier were:

1. "No Horses" - There was the realization that America was invincible, and Germany finished, when we did not offload pack animals to the beaches, but only mechanized vehicles. This revealed that America was so vast, had so many natural resources (ores for steel and oil for gas, etc.), she did not have to rely on animals but could use an endless supply of motor vehicles. Germany lacked this ability and was stuck with relying upon "grass-fed" transport to a significant degree.

2. "Break and Replace, Not Fix" - A similar revelation occurred when it was observed that when one of our jeeps, trucks, transports, machinery, etc. broke down, we would abandon it and a new replacement brought up. When a similar break down occurred in the Wehrmacht ranks, they had to fix it or lose its use. This again pointed to the vast resources of America compared to those available to Germany.

3. "Tinned Meat" - There was similar astonishment as to how well we were provisioned with food. Instead of having to scavenge the countryside for food, as they did, we delivered boxed meals to our troops with tinned meats, meals, chocolate, etc. This was another sign of the incredible wealth and organization of America such that defeat of "The Fatherland" was inevitable.

4. "Defenders of France and of a United Europe" - Germany did not invade France. Instead, Germany liberated France. It was not a hostile or aggressive act, but one of unifying European brothers to protect them from invasion, communism, etc. They were welcomed by and aligned the legitimate French Government (i.e., the Vichy, not the traitorous "Free French" led by de Gaulle after the capitulation of the French forces and government in only six weeks). Beyond France, Germany was seeking to unite Europe for the "good" and "protection" of all Europe, protecting them from communism.

5. "America Would Have Stayed Out of the War" - Hitler's declaration of war was the single biggest mistake of the war, because otherwise America would have left Europe alone to solve her own problems. It was incomprehensible that we would join the war since the German motivations were not in conquering land and peoples, but in defending Europe from Communism; that America and Americans are much like Germany and Germans; etc.

[From my understanding there is some truth to this. America was extremely isolationist; federal law prohibited us from selling war material to the combatants; "lend-lease" was severe "stretch" of legality under the law; Roosevelt won re-election on a strict isolationist platform; the public did not want see its men sent off to come back maimed or dead, as in The Great War; etc.]

6. "Amazement of the Number of Vessels" - The sheer number of boats, ships, landing craft and other water vessels that approached Normandy was incomprehensible. Soldiers recalled so many vessels that they could not be counted, and stretched from horizon to horizon.

[This, like the 1,000 + plane bombing missions into the heart of Germany, is something that I can only try to imagine, and that the world will never, thankfully, see again. Talk about "shock and awe"!!!]

There is much, much more of interest and note in this book, and in its follow up "Book 2". The interviewees' statements stand unvarnished by the author, who does not try to make them politically correct for either a 21st century audience, or a post-Third Reich audience. Some of the statements and thoughts of the interviewees (particularly in Book 2), come across as (and are) still defiant and stereotypical Nazi: racist, arrogant, unfeeling, lacking in empathy, superior, etc. Even with the ten year period of time from 1944 to 1954, some of the interviewees still held such views that we condemned then and now. Many, many more, however, had come to understand the culpability of the Reich which they were serving, the evil that was Hitler and his Nazi party, etc. Nevertheless, as to the common soldier he believed he was doing his duty to his country, even though his country may have been led into evil by the Nazis.

Highly recommended.

JGW

[canes7]

Sounds interesting.

Declaring war on America was a mistake. So was invading Russia. We were going to get involved at some time. Hitler could have put that off until other German goal were reached. Early and often successes clouded the true capabilities of the German war machine making Hitler think his forces were greater than what they were. Hitler was destined to trip himself up.

I find the thought of the Vichy French government being the legitimate government of France as being a way of justifying their actions and disingenuous. The Vichy government didn't form until 1940, or after the Germans invaded.

[JGW]

CANE7 - I absolutely agree. Hitler got "greedy" and (from a military success standpoint) and tried to do too much, too quickly. Throughout this book I / you / we / 21st Century historians can easily see that Hitler's propaganda machine was at work all over, including selling the lie to German soldiers that they were "liberators", not "conquerors"; that they are supporting the "true" French government; etc. All pretext for conquering of course, since Vichy came about as a puppet government after the fall of France.

I think it is important to remember how controlled information / media was as to the common German soldier (and even the officer corps), and that a significant part of the ranks of German infantry came from agrarian and/or factory-type backgrounds which, at that time in Germany was certainly not synonymous with high education. And, perhaps as importantly, the German / Austrian / Prussian culture was (is?) very top down and accept / believe what your leader / superior tells you.

None of my comments on the book or above are intended as "sympathy" or acceptance of excuses. Merely, interesting insights into what the German foot soldiers were thinking and why.

JGW

[Zorba]

Thank you for this - I'm off to Amazon to get it. I consider myself a student of this time period, and read everything I can...