Die SS-Division „Totenkopf“ in der Kameradenliteratur nach 1945 zwischen Kriegserinnerungen, Apologetik und Wahrheit

Description

The focus of this study primarily revolves around six books authored by former members of the SS Division "Totenkopf," a major military unit of the Waffen-SS. These memoirs, where former members of this division documented their experiences on paper, were published between 2000 and 2016 and can be considered part of post-war memory literature. Through the publication of their memoirs, former members of the Waffen-SS contributed to constructing historical narratives that portray their own actions and the Waffen-SS in apologetic and idealized terms. This study examines these memoirs with regard to constructions of memory, apologetic or truthful arguments. Descriptions of activities such as concentration camp guard duty, SS soldier training, and combat operations until 1942 are critically analyzed and evaluated for patterns of construction. In the second part of the study, various frameworks and distribution conditions of memory literature are further examined. Here, the focus is on the publishers who have released the memoirs of former members of the Waffen-SS. In addition to their general proximity to the far-right political spectrum, these publishers can also be situated within the context of far-right and neo-Nazi networks.