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Review: Nein!: Standing Up to Hitler 1935–1944
In Nein! Paddy Ashdown brilliantly brings to life the fascinating histories of the men in the German high command who plotted to bring down Hitler and end the Nazi regime.
There is, as Ashdown points out, a conception in the English-speaking world that very few Germans resisted Hitler, and that those who did resist only did so after it was apparent that Germany would lose the war. They were not so much heroes and resisters as fence-jumpers saving their own skin. Ashdown argues persuasively that this was far from the case.
I consider myself fairly well informed about World War Two history, and I knew about figures such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Claus von Stauffenberg. I had no idea that the head of German military intelligence (Admiral Wilhelm Canaris), a former contender for the position of Chancellor of Germany (Carl Goerdeler), and Chief of the German General Staff (Ludwig Beck) were key figures in the plots to assassinate and/or depose Hitler, systematically attempting to bring him down from within. They all opposed Hitler and plotted against him since before the beginning of the war. They all achieved both large and small victories along the way, warning countries of coming occupations and passing crucial military intelligence on to the Allies. They all continued in their fight until the famous assassination attempt on the 20 July, 1944 in which over 30,000 Germans were involved.
Ashdown tells their stories, and the stories of their German and Allied counterparts with keen insight, balanced critique, and a gripping, readable style. but It is a fresh and much-needed insight for those seeking to understand the German story of World War Two.
You can buy this book at your local bookstore, or listen to the audiobook on Scribd
