War is more than how it affects the troops in battle. There are those at home who are impacted by conflict, the least of which is the long separation of some or the loss of a family member.

Though this is about all that the US is going through during the current conflict, during WWII, things were very different. That was total war in that there were was a loss of some personal freedoms (well, we have that now as well) and deprivations in the inability to obtain goods and foodstuffs.

No matter how bad people back in the US or even in the UK thought things were during WWII, it was worse in Germany.

The Nazi party had taken a fairly open and democratic country and in a year had turned it into what one could best describe as a totalitarian police state. It seems that everyone was in uniform of some sort, and with that sort of hierarchy, there was a lot of petty bickering and grandstanding. People were chosen for position more by their politics and connections than by their abilities (hey, sounds like today, but seriously, it isn't quite THAT bad).

From the first day of conflict, the German people were put on rationing and even more strict and severe laws and regulations were placed in effect. Eventually it got so bad that there were minor party members whose sole task was to spy on their neighbors to be sure they were behaving precisely how the twisted laws were written. Add to this all the death and destruction from Allied bombing and you have a pretty bleak picture of things. Despite all this, there was faith in Hitler until the very end, though many had started questioning the Nazi Party by midwar. 

Author Brian Davis takes what seems to be a very confusing mix of bureaucracies and makes sense of them. One does not realize how interwoven and insidious all this really was until one gets into this book. It covers the Nationalist Socialist State, the Laws and Penal system, a bit into the persecution of Jews, Employment, Civil Live, as well as Fire and Civil Defense.

All of this is superbly illustrated by Malcolm McGregor and an excellent selection of period photographs. Many of these latter items were chosen as examples of propaganda that showed happy German people, even in the darkest days of the war.

A truly interesting and somewhat unique look at warfare and the organization of the German state during the Second World War. Highly recommended.

October 2007

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