{"id":128768,"date":"2019-11-21T11:58:06","date_gmt":"2019-11-21T19:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=128768"},"modified":"2019-11-21T12:01:47","modified_gmt":"2019-11-21T20:01:47","slug":"retreat-from-moscow-a-new-history-of-germanys-winter-campaign-1941-1942","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=128768","title":{"rendered":"Retreat from Moscow: A New History of Germany’s Winter Campaign, 1941-1942"},"content":{"rendered":"

Highlights from the new David Stahel book<\/a>: <\/p>\n

* According to K\u00fchne, the nature of German comradeship at the front incorporated certain \u201chomoerotic\u201d feelings, which must be firmly dissociated from what contemporaries saw as the reviled act of manifest homosexuality. In the language of \u201ccomradeship,\u201d an asexual love among men could be openly discussed, facilitating male bonding, emotional support, and even close physical contact without violating cardinal military virtues or established images of masculinity.60 It was precisely because the rejection of homosexuality was so complete that men felt at liberty to express affection without any sense of stigma or shame. Comrades became a surrogate form of family, which provided a powerful mechanism for coping with the brutalizing effects of warfare.61 As Gottlob Bidermann wrote: \u201cWe had become old together and had developed a brotherhood between us, a closeness of spirit and trust that those who live in safety throughout their lives cannot know.\u201d62 Likewise, Helmut G\u00fcnther observed: \u201cOnly through such comradeship was it possible to survive all the madness around us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sense of the unit as \u201chome\u201d and men as \u201cfamily\u201d was also evident in soldiers\u2019 writings. Martin P\u04e7ppel wrote in his diary: \u201cHere a man looks at other Germans and sees his brother, his home.\u201d64 Such tight bonds were also linked with Germany\u2019s fighting prowess, as Karl Fuchs wrote home in a letter: \u201cA great friendship binds us German soldiers together out here\u00a0\u2026 This loyalty is the essence of the German fighting spirit. We can depend on each other unconditionally. Each one of us sets the example for the other and that makes us strong.\u201d65 It was this intimate form of comradeship, forged through months of fighting in the Soviet Union, that acted as a central prop holding up Army Group Center in its hour of greatest need. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Highlights from the new David Stahel book: * According to K\u00fchne, the nature of German comradeship at the front incorporated certain \u201chomoerotic\u201d feelings, which must be firmly dissociated from what contemporaries saw as the reviled act of manifest homosexuality. In … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13633],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-germany"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t