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Alison Morton
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Military or civilians? The curious anomaly of the German Women’s Auxiliary Services during the Second World War Kindle Edition

by Alison Morton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 out of 5 stars 8 ratings

Reviews


'...and I have found Alison's book invaluable for giving me a fascinating insight into the way that Aryan German women were regarded by themselves and by men in the Nazi state, the ways their role in Nazi society changed as the war progressed, and how they themselves experienced this difficult time - something which is normally hidden from British history.'
Anne Booth, author and children's literature and creative writing lecturer

Praise for the original dissertation…
‘Firstly, congratulations on a really good piece of historical writing. You demonstrate, most of all, what a thoroughly good researcher you are. Chapter 4 has particular strength as does Chapter 5 which identifies an important continuity in the history of German women.'
Dr Gary Thorn, author of End of Empires: European Decolonisation, 1919-80

'This student is to be congratulated on a very good bit of writing. It benefits from research in both British and German sources - good. The research also benefits from some oral testimony. It links well with debates over war and social change, responsibilities in war, feminism and ideologies. Good work - well done!'
Open University History Department MA Senior Assessor

Product information


Nearly 500,000 young German women served in uniform with the German armed forces in the Second World War yet their history is rarely recalled in Germany and is virtually unknown in the Anglophone world. Recruited into the military against Nazi ideological norms to meet a desperate shortage of manpower, the status of these Wehrmachthelferinnen (armed forces’ auxiliaries) remained questionable. Indispensable to military communications and administration, by the end of the war they also served in the front line in forward army groups and anti-aircraft batteries. Records indicate that around 25,000 were captured in the East alone and taken as forced labourers to the Soviet Union; only 5,000 returned home and then not until the early 1950s.

The Wehrmachthelferinnen’s technical civil status appeared theoretical at best; they performed many of the same tasks as Allied servicewomen in similar formations and conditions. The British WRNS, WRAF and ATS contribution to the war effort is well-known and celebrated, both officially and in popular culture. But what is known of their German counterparts? During a conversation with a German friend, the author was fascinated by an anecdote about her grandmother who had worn a German Army uniform in the war and wanted to find out more.

This study, which became a master’s dissertation, was the result of that curiosity.
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  1. Print length
    89 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    March 12, 2012
  4. File size
    287 KB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007JUR408
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 12, 2012
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 287 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 89 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 8 ratings

About the author

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Alison Morton

Alison Morton

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Alison Morton writes award-winning thrillers featuring tough but compassionate heroines. She lives in Poitou in France, the home of Mélisende, the heroine of her latest two contemporary thrillers, Double Identity and Double Pursuit.

Her eleven-book Roma Nova thriller series is set in an imaginary European country where a remnant of the ancient Roman Empire has survived into the 21st century and is ruled by women who face conspiracy, revolution and heartache but with a sharp line in dialogue

Six years’ military service, a fascinating with ancient Rome and a life of reading crime, historical and thriller fiction have inspired her writing. On the way, she collected a BA in modern languages and an MA in history.

For the latest news, subscribe to her newsletter and receive 'Welcome to Alison Morton’s Thriller Worlds’ as a thank you gift.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
8 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Patrick S
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh look at an ignored topic
    Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    The book is adapted from Ms. Morton's MA Thesis and you can tell this while reading it. This gives it a somewhat dry tone but that does not really take away from the work's readability. The book is not very long, I have the Kindle version and I would guess that it only runs to 100 or so pages printed out as a Trade Paperback. That being said, Ms. Morton covers the topic of German Auxiliaries in WWII in some depth. The book is organized into four thematic chapters that present a very holistic view of the participation and use of German women by the WWII Wehrmacht.

    The book covers the recrutiment, organization, employment and postwar perceptions of these women and does so in a very interesting manner. This is an excellent look at an understudied aspect of German military policy in WWII. It cannot be argued that the German use of up to 500,000 women to free up men for Front-line service did not materially effect the length of the war at a minimum. 500,000 men is essentially the equivalent of another Field Army that women's use as rear-area troops made available. As the author points out in her introduction; given the historical attention paid to US and British military women in WWII it is odd in the extreme that the German use of women has been ignored.

    Overall, this is an excellent study of an ignored topic. It is also a topic that needs even more study so that a full appreciation of the effects of women's service in the Wehrmacht can be appreciated. This book is a strong beginning for what can and should be a fruitful area of historical scholarship.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • PaulDDrabble
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book but a little short
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 3, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Thoroughly interesting and very informative for those who are interested in the subject, though a little short I felt. It feels more like a very long essay or a study done for a university rather than a book there are a lot of pages referencing where the original materials were sourced. No bad thing as it adds to the weight of the books credibility but it left me wanting more especially first hand accounts from the women themselves.
    On Balance I would say
    1- Worth the money as its a window into the world of the German Female Auxiliarys of WW2 that I'm not sure you will find anywhere else (in English anyway)
    2- Essential Read if you are a female reenactor portraying Helfern
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  • d.arcadian, letterpress seller extraordinaire
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 28, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Fascinating book! I had no idea about any of this, but it was brought to life and told very well by Morton. Very well researched with historically accurate detail and written with a compelling, page turning style unusual in factual books.
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  • Geraldine O'farrell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten history
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 27, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    A fascinating and highly interesting part of WW2 history that has bene over looked and deliberately forgotten maybe? A person's dissertation turned into a great read!
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  • James
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 13, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Fascinating, well-researched and much needed information on this over-looked subject.
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