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Officer Factory
Officers aren't born--they're carefully molded. In Nazi Germany this training took place in a horrific "factory," where the men received both military and ideological indoctrination, preparing them to fight successfully for the fatherland. When a murder occurs in the school, however, underlying tensions begin to surface. Another unforgettable novel by the world-renowned author of Night of the Generals (made into a film with an all-star cast) and an incomparable journey into the heart of wartime Germany.
1000 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
27 people are currently reading
475 people want to read
About the author
Hans Hellmut Kirst
66 books50 followersA veteran from WW II, he wrote various novels focused on military life and the corruption in the army.
Hans Hellmut Kirst, der international erfolgreichste deutsche Autor der Nachkriegszeit, wurde am 5. Dezember 1914 in Osterode in Ostpreußen als Sohn eines Gendarmeriebeamten geboren. Von 1933 bis 1945 diente Kirst als Berufssoldat. Mit seiner später verfilmten Romantrilogie „08/15“, seinen Welterfolgen „Fabrik der Offiziere“ und „Die Nacht der Generäle“ fand Hans Hellmut Kirst auch literarisch große Anerkennung.
Hans Hellmut Kirst, der international erfolgreichste deutsche Autor der Nachkriegszeit, wurde am 5. Dezember 1914 in Osterode in Ostpreußen als Sohn eines Gendarmeriebeamten geboren. Von 1933 bis 1945 diente Kirst als Berufssoldat. Mit seiner später verfilmten Romantrilogie „08/15“, seinen Welterfolgen „Fabrik der Offiziere“ und „Die Nacht der Generäle“ fand Hans Hellmut Kirst auch literarisch große Anerkennung.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
March 2, 2013
Fábrica de Oficias, passa-se na Alemanha no tempo da 2ª guerra mundial. Encontramo-nos numa escola de oficiais, onde muitos cadetes aspiram por um dia chegar a um posto de oficial. A escola está inserida numa pacata vila alemã, e encontra-se isolada dos grandes cenários de guerra.
Nesta paz aparente no meio de um mundo em pé de guerra, as pressões exteriores são imensas, e tanto os cadetes como muitos dos seus superiores, há muito tempo que já perderam o rumo, e até o sentido do bem e do mal. Muitos já não sabem pelo que é que estão a lutar, e a viver. E a escola militar torna-se cada vez mais numa fábrica de fazer oficiais. Uma fábrica onde saem os carneiros, moldados para matar, e obedecer, por uma Alemanha unida e em nome do Fuhrer, que neste momento é o Hitler.
Nesta verdade sombria, a vida prossegue, e os que a confrontam com outros ideais, são normalmente calados, com todos os meios disponíveis.
Houve porém algo que desta vez não correu como esperado. Um jovem oficial, algo liberal em ideias e valores, morre durante uma aula. Uma granada explodiu antes do previsto e o jovem professor passa para o outro lado, sem nada poder fazer para o impedir. Foi apanhado no meio da confusão. Porém esta morte ao contrário de tantas outras, leva o General e responsável pela escola, a medidas intransigentes para investigar a fundo a causa da morte e encontrar os responsáveis, caso houvessem.
Esta investigação tem que ser levada a cabo pela calada, pois o tribunal supremo já deduzira que se tratara de um acidente e consequentemente não existem responsáveis pelo acto. A missão fica a cabo de um oficial, recém chegado á escola, que se dá pelo nome de Kraft.
A verdade e principalmente quando esta vai de encontro ao que não é de todo o desejado pelo partido do poder, e quando nessa verdade estão envolvidas pessoas poderosas e sem excrupulos, torna-se um terreno onde só poriam lá os pés, loucos ou inconscientes que devido á sua total ignorância de onde se estavam a meter avançariam ingénuos até que fossem caçados.
Não é no entanto, nem louco nem ingénuo. Este homem faz uma viagem corajosa e digna de um herói, passando habilmente por entre todas as armadilhas que se lhe depararam e caçando o homem responsável, de tal modo que o deixou indefeso e sem saída sem ser a morte.
O poder estava infelizmente do outro lado do campo, e este gesto de coragem pôs Kraft, numa posição perigosa. E ao contrário do esperado pela maioria, este homem não vergou na ameaça da morte, e olhando-a de frente expôs todos os podres de uma Alemanha sem rumo, perdida de sonhos dignos de uma nação tão bela. Proferiu palavras que atravessaram corações e despertaram mentes. O seu comportamento durante todo o livro e o seu sacrifício, tornou possível que muitos carneiros adormecidos, levantassem-se novamente e lutassem pelos seus próprios sonhos, acordando assim do transe em que os puseram aquelas lavagens de anos de regime nazi e totalitarista.
Com a sua morte seguiram-se mais outras tantas, e talvez nada mudasse realmente. Os corações ficaram mais abertos, e isso para mim é uma grande vitória.
“Por caminhos que lhe foram impostos
Percorre a multidão o longo prado.
Quais carneiros, todos querem seguir
Os estandartes desfraldados da mentira.”
- Fausto
“Nada é impossivel ao espírito nobre
Que compreende e sem demora age”
- Fausto
Nesta paz aparente no meio de um mundo em pé de guerra, as pressões exteriores são imensas, e tanto os cadetes como muitos dos seus superiores, há muito tempo que já perderam o rumo, e até o sentido do bem e do mal. Muitos já não sabem pelo que é que estão a lutar, e a viver. E a escola militar torna-se cada vez mais numa fábrica de fazer oficiais. Uma fábrica onde saem os carneiros, moldados para matar, e obedecer, por uma Alemanha unida e em nome do Fuhrer, que neste momento é o Hitler.
Nesta verdade sombria, a vida prossegue, e os que a confrontam com outros ideais, são normalmente calados, com todos os meios disponíveis.
Houve porém algo que desta vez não correu como esperado. Um jovem oficial, algo liberal em ideias e valores, morre durante uma aula. Uma granada explodiu antes do previsto e o jovem professor passa para o outro lado, sem nada poder fazer para o impedir. Foi apanhado no meio da confusão. Porém esta morte ao contrário de tantas outras, leva o General e responsável pela escola, a medidas intransigentes para investigar a fundo a causa da morte e encontrar os responsáveis, caso houvessem.
Esta investigação tem que ser levada a cabo pela calada, pois o tribunal supremo já deduzira que se tratara de um acidente e consequentemente não existem responsáveis pelo acto. A missão fica a cabo de um oficial, recém chegado á escola, que se dá pelo nome de Kraft.
A verdade e principalmente quando esta vai de encontro ao que não é de todo o desejado pelo partido do poder, e quando nessa verdade estão envolvidas pessoas poderosas e sem excrupulos, torna-se um terreno onde só poriam lá os pés, loucos ou inconscientes que devido á sua total ignorância de onde se estavam a meter avançariam ingénuos até que fossem caçados.
Não é no entanto, nem louco nem ingénuo. Este homem faz uma viagem corajosa e digna de um herói, passando habilmente por entre todas as armadilhas que se lhe depararam e caçando o homem responsável, de tal modo que o deixou indefeso e sem saída sem ser a morte.
O poder estava infelizmente do outro lado do campo, e este gesto de coragem pôs Kraft, numa posição perigosa. E ao contrário do esperado pela maioria, este homem não vergou na ameaça da morte, e olhando-a de frente expôs todos os podres de uma Alemanha sem rumo, perdida de sonhos dignos de uma nação tão bela. Proferiu palavras que atravessaram corações e despertaram mentes. O seu comportamento durante todo o livro e o seu sacrifício, tornou possível que muitos carneiros adormecidos, levantassem-se novamente e lutassem pelos seus próprios sonhos, acordando assim do transe em que os puseram aquelas lavagens de anos de regime nazi e totalitarista.
Com a sua morte seguiram-se mais outras tantas, e talvez nada mudasse realmente. Os corações ficaram mais abertos, e isso para mim é uma grande vitória.
“Por caminhos que lhe foram impostos
Percorre a multidão o longo prado.
Quais carneiros, todos querem seguir
Os estandartes desfraldados da mentira.”
- Fausto
“Nada é impossivel ao espírito nobre
Que compreende e sem demora age”
- Fausto
August 10, 2015
Kirst started as a private and ended up an officer this was obviously based on his time at officer training school. Like most of his books there is humour and sadness . One of the most underated authors of all time.
November 5, 2017
This book is a: must to read!
May 4, 2022
История базируется на реальных событиях тех лет. Интересно узнать, что даже в фашистской Германии были настоящие офицеры и солдаты, которые сохраняли человеческий облик даже в самые смутные военные времена и понимали что война это ужасно и нужно стараться оставаться человеком (а не оскотиниваться), независимо от того на чьей стороне ты воюешь. Но увы гос. машина (особенно такая мощная как нацисткая) как правило перемалывает подавляющее большинство таких людей...
Моя оценка 4 из 5.
Моя оценка 4 из 5.
June 20, 2024
5☆ no shame o moj boże co to była za jazda
nie ma złych rzeczy, które mogę powiedzieć o tej książce (jedyne co to opis pierwszej części mówiący coś tam o "prawdziwych okropnościach nazizmu i wojny", czego właściwie nie było wcale, ale to pierwsza część, a to jest recenzja drugiej).
interludium przedstawiające przeszłości istotnych dla fabuły bohaterów są interesujące i pokazują realia, z jakimi musieli się zmierzać przed wojną w swoich (w większości) dysfunkcyjnych rodzinach. szczególnie wpłynęło na mnoe interludium podchorążego rednitza i wraz z nim oficjalnie został jednym z moich ulubionych bohaterów książki, zaraz obok porucznika kraffta. nawet jeśli ich przeszłość nie odnosi się zbyt wyraźnie do tego, w jaki sposób postępują w książce, nie sprawia to wielkiego problemu. wgląd na ich dzieciństwo i tak jest mile widziany pokazując, że oni nie są jedynie bohaterami książki, a prawdziwymi ludźmi, którzy mieli życia przed i po akcji utworu, szczególnie biorąc pod uwagę to, że najpewniej oni naprawdę istnieli, a oba tomy "fabryki oficerów" są na podstawie przeżyć autora z czasów, gdy sam był uczniem takiej szkoły wojskowej jak ta w wildingen nad niemnem.
wątkiem głównym (ale zdecydowanie nie jedynym!) jest śmierć podporucznika barkowa, który zginął podczas ćwiczeń z podchorążymi. generał modersohn — stoicki, kamienny, spokojny — wyznacza do zbadania tej sprawy porucznika kraffta, który zostaje dowódcą grupy, zastępując zmarłego barkowa. co ciekawe, ten wątek, powiedzmy, kryminalny, ciągnie się przez oba tomy, z czym nie spotkałm się nigdy wcześniej, jest to jednak co najmniej interesujące i przez poziom, w jaki byłm wciągnięta w lekturę, nie byłm wcale zła, bo "oohh cliffhanger", "ohh skok na kasę, bo musisz kupić drugą część". wręcz przeciwnie! co prawda ja nie musiałm kupować obu książek, bo dostałm je po dziadku, któremu do końca życia chyba będę dziękować za jego gust czytelniczy, i może to zmienia mi perspektywę, ale pozytywne odczucie względem książek pozostaje niezmienione!
odpowiedź na to, co stało się z barkowem była do przewidzenia—domyśliłm się jej już w ostatnim rozdziale pierwszego tomu. ale nie odjęło to ekscytacji i satysfakcji, gdy prawda została wyjawiona.
satysfakcji nie odjęło także zakończenie. słodko-gorzkie, tak je nazwę, moje ulubione. do ostatniej chwili miałm nadzieję, ale zdecydowanie nie zawiodło, a jedynie przekazało to, co autor starał się przekazać od momentu przedstawienia postaci porucznika karla kraffta. to chyba stąd wziął się cały ten "nazizm" w opisie pierwszego tomu, chociaż nie jest on użyty w tym sensie, w jakim myślałm, że będzie. zostaje on dobitnie skrytykowany, nawet jeśli na daremno. brzmi pewnie dziwnie, ale ten kto czytał lub przeczyta zrozumie zapewne, co mam na myśli:]
bez wstydu przyznaję też, że koniec doprowadził mnie do łez. nie do agresywnego płaczu ani nic z tych rzeczy, ale parę łez poleciało, nosem parę razy pociągnęłam.
nie ma złych rzeczy, które mogę powiedzieć o tej książce (jedyne co to opis pierwszej części mówiący coś tam o "prawdziwych okropnościach nazizmu i wojny", czego właściwie nie było wcale, ale to pierwsza część, a to jest recenzja drugiej).
interludium przedstawiające przeszłości istotnych dla fabuły bohaterów są interesujące i pokazują realia, z jakimi musieli się zmierzać przed wojną w swoich (w większości) dysfunkcyjnych rodzinach. szczególnie wpłynęło na mnoe interludium podchorążego rednitza i wraz z nim oficjalnie został jednym z moich ulubionych bohaterów książki, zaraz obok porucznika kraffta. nawet jeśli ich przeszłość nie odnosi się zbyt wyraźnie do tego, w jaki sposób postępują w książce, nie sprawia to wielkiego problemu. wgląd na ich dzieciństwo i tak jest mile widziany pokazując, że oni nie są jedynie bohaterami książki, a prawdziwymi ludźmi, którzy mieli życia przed i po akcji utworu, szczególnie biorąc pod uwagę to, że najpewniej oni naprawdę istnieli, a oba tomy "fabryki oficerów" są na podstawie przeżyć autora z czasów, gdy sam był uczniem takiej szkoły wojskowej jak ta w wildingen nad niemnem.
wątkiem głównym (ale zdecydowanie nie jedynym!) jest śmierć podporucznika barkowa, który zginął podczas ćwiczeń z podchorążymi. generał modersohn — stoicki, kamienny, spokojny — wyznacza do zbadania tej sprawy porucznika kraffta, który zostaje dowódcą grupy, zastępując zmarłego barkowa. co ciekawe, ten wątek, powiedzmy, kryminalny, ciągnie się przez oba tomy, z czym nie spotkałm się nigdy wcześniej, jest to jednak co najmniej interesujące i przez poziom, w jaki byłm wciągnięta w lekturę, nie byłm wcale zła, bo "oohh cliffhanger", "ohh skok na kasę, bo musisz kupić drugą część". wręcz przeciwnie! co prawda ja nie musiałm kupować obu książek, bo dostałm je po dziadku, któremu do końca życia chyba będę dziękować za jego gust czytelniczy, i może to zmienia mi perspektywę, ale pozytywne odczucie względem książek pozostaje niezmienione!
odpowiedź na to, co stało się z barkowem była do przewidzenia—domyśliłm się jej już w ostatnim rozdziale pierwszego tomu. ale nie odjęło to ekscytacji i satysfakcji, gdy prawda została wyjawiona.
satysfakcji nie odjęło także zakończenie. słodko-gorzkie, tak je nazwę, moje ulubione. do ostatniej chwili miałm nadzieję, ale zdecydowanie nie zawiodło, a jedynie przekazało to, co autor starał się przekazać od momentu przedstawienia postaci porucznika karla kraffta. to chyba stąd wziął się cały ten "nazizm" w opisie pierwszego tomu, chociaż nie jest on użyty w tym sensie, w jakim myślałm, że będzie. zostaje on dobitnie skrytykowany, nawet jeśli na daremno. brzmi pewnie dziwnie, ale ten kto czytał lub przeczyta zrozumie zapewne, co mam na myśli:]
bez wstydu przyznaję też, że koniec doprowadził mnie do łez. nie do agresywnego płaczu ani nic z tych rzeczy, ale parę łez poleciało, nosem parę razy pociągnęłam.
December 21, 2020
As a commentary on the triumph of ideology over logic, this is a brilliant work. Seemingly every archetype of the period is represented, often in painstaking detail. There's the irreverent lieutenant, the fuhrer-worshipping cadet, the cuckolded major, the philandering cadet, the ambitious lawyer, and the stoic general. Their interactions span the emotional spectrum. Some are laugh-out-loud funny, others tragic, and still more indicate the levity with which the author navigates moral ambiguity.
The author's message is clear: autocratic regimes are allergic to those who think for themselves. Their very longevity is dependent on how quickly they can root such people out.
The book was a bit of a slog, however. Glacial at times, even. But I suppose that is what happens when there are so many subplots and characters to work through.
The author's message is clear: autocratic regimes are allergic to those who think for themselves. Their very longevity is dependent on how quickly they can root such people out.
The book was a bit of a slog, however. Glacial at times, even. But I suppose that is what happens when there are so many subplots and characters to work through.
May 16, 2024
I liked the part about disabled soldiers.
January 1, 2020
I interpreted this novel as being largely allegorical. The various attitudes of the commanding officers towards Cadet Hochbauer (the blonde, blue-eyed poster-boy representation of the Aryan ideal) reflect the varying attitudes of German society towards the Nazi party. In this way Kirst attempts to answer the question of how so many 'good' people actively participated in the activities of the regime.
Some people are like Captain Kater, proponents of the Third Reich due to directly profiting from it - proverbial pigs with their noses in the trough. Others are like Major Frey, just wanting a quiet life and therefore not willing to rock the boat, turning a blind eye to the excesses of the party in the hope that their comfortable existence won't be impinged upon (all the while unknowingly being emasculated and cuckolded). Then we have those such as the unthinking Ratshelm - blinded by patriotism and nationalistic fervour, and, as the author overtly suggests, repressed quasi-sexual urges towards the handsome, athletic men with their lithe bodies and chiselled jaws.
The below extract from Goethe nicely sums up the author's feelings about the above groups of people:
"How the hosts in ordered manner
All the pleasant landscape mar
Following his lying banner
Like the silly sheep they are"
The anti-sheep of the novel: Lieutenant Krafft, the stoical General Modersohn, and the world-weary Captain Feders, all see through the hypocrisy of the Officer Factory and Hitler's regime at large, and in their own ways battle against it. Some might argue that their struggle is ultimately futile, while it could be said that they emerge with their humanity in tact. In his bold funeral oration Lieutenant Krafft states:
"Death in no way releases us from responsibility. The way one lives is the only thing that counts"
Here is the crux of the novel. Are you strong enough to live and function in such a corrupt (and in the author's view) rotten regime without selling your soul and losing your humanity? Do you take the easy option and benefit from the system, or battle against it, even it results in your demise?
Having served in the Wehrmacht himself the author certainly had a first-hand insight into life within Hitler's Germany and, like Eric Maria Remarque, who incidentally is directly referenced in the novel, was a staunch critic of the Nazi regime despite participating directly in it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, as cliched as it sounds the author succeeded in bringing the characters to life and towards the novel's close they all feel like real acquaintances who have in some way touched our lives.
History is of course written by the victors. Personally I'm not in full agreement with the author's stance on several issues. Suffice to say that if Kirst looked at the contemporary state of liberal Europe with the benefit of hindsight, perhaps he would be rather less scathing in his criticism of the men who fought for a particular ideal of Germany. That's just idle speculation though.
I highly recommended this novel.
Some people are like Captain Kater, proponents of the Third Reich due to directly profiting from it - proverbial pigs with their noses in the trough. Others are like Major Frey, just wanting a quiet life and therefore not willing to rock the boat, turning a blind eye to the excesses of the party in the hope that their comfortable existence won't be impinged upon (all the while unknowingly being emasculated and cuckolded). Then we have those such as the unthinking Ratshelm - blinded by patriotism and nationalistic fervour, and, as the author overtly suggests, repressed quasi-sexual urges towards the handsome, athletic men with their lithe bodies and chiselled jaws.
The below extract from Goethe nicely sums up the author's feelings about the above groups of people:
"How the hosts in ordered manner
All the pleasant landscape mar
Following his lying banner
Like the silly sheep they are"
The anti-sheep of the novel: Lieutenant Krafft, the stoical General Modersohn, and the world-weary Captain Feders, all see through the hypocrisy of the Officer Factory and Hitler's regime at large, and in their own ways battle against it. Some might argue that their struggle is ultimately futile, while it could be said that they emerge with their humanity in tact. In his bold funeral oration Lieutenant Krafft states:
"Death in no way releases us from responsibility. The way one lives is the only thing that counts"
Here is the crux of the novel. Are you strong enough to live and function in such a corrupt (and in the author's view) rotten regime without selling your soul and losing your humanity? Do you take the easy option and benefit from the system, or battle against it, even it results in your demise?
Having served in the Wehrmacht himself the author certainly had a first-hand insight into life within Hitler's Germany and, like Eric Maria Remarque, who incidentally is directly referenced in the novel, was a staunch critic of the Nazi regime despite participating directly in it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, as cliched as it sounds the author succeeded in bringing the characters to life and towards the novel's close they all feel like real acquaintances who have in some way touched our lives.
History is of course written by the victors. Personally I'm not in full agreement with the author's stance on several issues. Suffice to say that if Kirst looked at the contemporary state of liberal Europe with the benefit of hindsight, perhaps he would be rather less scathing in his criticism of the men who fought for a particular ideal of Germany. That's just idle speculation though.
I highly recommended this novel.
February 1, 2008
Het is een aardig dik boek, en in mijn geval was het ook een beetje gehavend. Gekocht op de rommelmarkt voor een aardig prijsje. Het zag er oud uit, was 2e wereldoorlog, en dat trok me wel. Dit geval komt uit 1966, wat me nog meer aantrok.
Het was vele uren lezen, en dit oude editie had zelfs nog wat vreemde spellingen hier en daar. Sommige woorden waren ook nog niet 100% vertaald (is/ist). Ik weet zeker dat al deze kleine euvels allang gefixed zijn in de nieuwere edities.
Het verhaal gaat over ene luitenant Krafft. Hij wordt opgeroepen door Generaal-majoor Modersohn om een vreemde dood op te zoeken. De Generaal-majoor wou weten wie dat heeft gedaan. Nou, Krafft kon niet echt weigeren, het was een nogal strenge militarische cultuur daar op de militaire trainingsacademie in een Duitse plaats aan't eind van de 2e wereldoorlog.
Krafft heeft vrienden en vijanden. Vrienden zoals Kapitein Feders die een akelige oorlogswond heeft opgelopen en daardoor zo cynisch als de pest kan zijn. En vijanden zoals Kapitein Kater, die enorm hebberig is en zelf alle pleziertjes wilt hebben. Majoor Frey leek eerst nog wel goed te gaan, maar is later zo laf en eerzuchtig. En dan zijn er ook nog al de cadetten.
Krafft en de andere officieren zijn leerkrachten of een van de staf op de academie. Via-via vindt Krafft uit wat er aan de hand is, en er zijn vele zij-verhaaltjes van o.a. de cadetten en de Majoor, die het verhaal nog interessanter maken.
Langzamerhand begin je steeds meer sympathie te voelen voor Krafft, en een paar van zijn vrienden waaromder Feders en wat cadetten. Je begint je af te vragen hoe ze in vredesnaam de verdachten kunnen ontmaskeren, want dat begin je te willen, dat ze ontmaskerd worden.
En dan maakt de hoofdverdachte een heel stomme fout, en Krafft maakt daar gelijk gebruik van, wat een fataal gevolg had. En toen ging alles in een treinversnelling. Krafft in de problemen, de Gestapo of iets in de buurt daarbij betrokken. Het einde is zeer droevig maar fantastisch om te lezen.
Het was vele uren lezen, en dit oude editie had zelfs nog wat vreemde spellingen hier en daar. Sommige woorden waren ook nog niet 100% vertaald (is/ist). Ik weet zeker dat al deze kleine euvels allang gefixed zijn in de nieuwere edities.
Het verhaal gaat over ene luitenant Krafft. Hij wordt opgeroepen door Generaal-majoor Modersohn om een vreemde dood op te zoeken. De Generaal-majoor wou weten wie dat heeft gedaan. Nou, Krafft kon niet echt weigeren, het was een nogal strenge militarische cultuur daar op de militaire trainingsacademie in een Duitse plaats aan't eind van de 2e wereldoorlog.
Krafft heeft vrienden en vijanden. Vrienden zoals Kapitein Feders die een akelige oorlogswond heeft opgelopen en daardoor zo cynisch als de pest kan zijn. En vijanden zoals Kapitein Kater, die enorm hebberig is en zelf alle pleziertjes wilt hebben. Majoor Frey leek eerst nog wel goed te gaan, maar is later zo laf en eerzuchtig. En dan zijn er ook nog al de cadetten.
Krafft en de andere officieren zijn leerkrachten of een van de staf op de academie. Via-via vindt Krafft uit wat er aan de hand is, en er zijn vele zij-verhaaltjes van o.a. de cadetten en de Majoor, die het verhaal nog interessanter maken.
Langzamerhand begin je steeds meer sympathie te voelen voor Krafft, en een paar van zijn vrienden waaromder Feders en wat cadetten. Je begint je af te vragen hoe ze in vredesnaam de verdachten kunnen ontmaskeren, want dat begin je te willen, dat ze ontmaskerd worden.
En dan maakt de hoofdverdachte een heel stomme fout, en Krafft maakt daar gelijk gebruik van, wat een fataal gevolg had. En toen ging alles in een treinversnelling. Krafft in de problemen, de Gestapo of iets in de buurt daarbij betrokken. Het einde is zeer droevig maar fantastisch om te lezen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2019
Nicely written book. The story develops very slowly and captures your attention after fifty odd pages. The author has ensured that the characters come alive to readers. Adequate amount of humour including dark humour while the tragedy befalls.
April 3, 2024
Czasami zabawna, a czasami tragiczna historia obozu szkoleniowego oficerów. Punktem centralnym jest tragiczna smierć porucznika Barkowa, a dookoła niej obraca się wiele różnych charakterów oraz osobowości.
March 22, 2011
Trust me you will be gripped. This is a story.
December 20, 2012
A great little mystery set in the tough world of a German Officer school during WWII. This book has the distinction of being the first book I ordered at Amazon, back in Feb of 1998.
October 12, 2017
Impressive book, well written, interesting characters.
June 17, 2019
Hans Helmut at his best.
May 6, 2024
Książka ta opowiada o bohaterstwie i konformizmie, w realistyczny sposób. Polecam.
February 26, 2023
In part a detective story elegantly crafted, in part satire of the most bruising kind, in part a psychological thriller of power plays, and altogether a biting condemnation of Hitler's Army, teetering "between crime and cowardice", and the ethos of the men slavishly devoted to the Führer, H H Kirst's "Officer Factory" is a profoundly moving study of how to make gun fodder think like officers in Hitler's Germany.
Capt Barkow, an officer in charge of the training of cadets, has been accidentally killed in a an exercise on explosives. An inquiry, a court-martial, declares it to be a simple accident, but the General has his suspicions. When he appoints the successor of the unfortunate Capt Barkow to delve deeper into the incident, alarms are sounded among the cadets, one of whom at least has deliberately engineered the accident.
And we see that, despite the Army's regulations on what an officer is, or should be, every man, be he cadet or officer, thinks very independently on what this mythical creature is or ought to be. While it has moments of satire, as we move among the matchmaking senior ladies, who keep a weather eye open for young and eligible officers, unlikely to be posted immediately to the front, who might 'do' for their neice or friend's plain daughter, it is also an indictment of Hitler's army. "No German can tolerate opposition to Germany!" "Of course not!" cried Ratshelm vehemently. "He who is not for Germany is no German." "And our Führer is the personification of Germany, isn't he?" That attitude, in a dialogue between a covertly gay officer and a handsome young cadet, sums up the official attitude.
But more clear-eyed officers and cadets are too discreet to voice their opinions: "Any other belief was high treason. And high treason was punishable by death." At one point some of these officers visit a little-known and unpublicised facility where the full horrors of war are revealed as mutilated men, men without their extremities, without limbs, without their private parts, but with their minds and brains clear and working perfectly. They can play cards or chess, even smoke a cigarette, until one day a Nazi doctor arrives "to put them out of their misery."
As the events unfold to their horrific but inevitable close, one can only wonder why H.H.Kirst still remains a little known writer. Part of the answer is that not all of his books are translated into English, and those that are, are available only in hardcover or paperback editions, and priced accordingly. Internet Archive is an invaluable resource in this respect.
Capt Barkow, an officer in charge of the training of cadets, has been accidentally killed in a an exercise on explosives. An inquiry, a court-martial, declares it to be a simple accident, but the General has his suspicions. When he appoints the successor of the unfortunate Capt Barkow to delve deeper into the incident, alarms are sounded among the cadets, one of whom at least has deliberately engineered the accident.
And we see that, despite the Army's regulations on what an officer is, or should be, every man, be he cadet or officer, thinks very independently on what this mythical creature is or ought to be. While it has moments of satire, as we move among the matchmaking senior ladies, who keep a weather eye open for young and eligible officers, unlikely to be posted immediately to the front, who might 'do' for their neice or friend's plain daughter, it is also an indictment of Hitler's army. "No German can tolerate opposition to Germany!" "Of course not!" cried Ratshelm vehemently. "He who is not for Germany is no German." "And our Führer is the personification of Germany, isn't he?" That attitude, in a dialogue between a covertly gay officer and a handsome young cadet, sums up the official attitude.
But more clear-eyed officers and cadets are too discreet to voice their opinions: "Any other belief was high treason. And high treason was punishable by death." At one point some of these officers visit a little-known and unpublicised facility where the full horrors of war are revealed as mutilated men, men without their extremities, without limbs, without their private parts, but with their minds and brains clear and working perfectly. They can play cards or chess, even smoke a cigarette, until one day a Nazi doctor arrives "to put them out of their misery."
As the events unfold to their horrific but inevitable close, one can only wonder why H.H.Kirst still remains a little known writer. Part of the answer is that not all of his books are translated into English, and those that are, are available only in hardcover or paperback editions, and priced accordingly. Internet Archive is an invaluable resource in this respect.
August 9, 2023
I bought this book at a flea market, knowing absolutely nothing about the author himself or his works, but I decided to take it, because the storyline itself interested me, after all this moment in history is rarely shown from the Nazis' point of view. Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed, and the book exceeded my expectations.
The story itself is depressing, and written in language that is often difficult to understand, especially for people who don't read such things on a daily basis - but there are moments that can make you laugh (Federes is easily my favourite character for this). I love how for most, including myself it is nearly impossible to fully like or relate to any of the characters, everyone has something behind their backs and their views are often problematic (as expected from the Nazis), but the author himself doesn't try to redeem them, but rather presents them as people trying to survive, having their own life dilemmas, interests etc. It surely helps that each more significant to the plot character has a whole chapter dedicated to their backstory, which makes us feel that they are alive, and not just puppets who are supposed to play their assigned role.
I would call the book itself one great allegory rather than a piece of work that tries to be historically accurate, brazenly ridiculing or praising some attitudes, people and institutions. The book was published almost 70 years ago, but the way it was written makes it relevant even to today's readers.
One of the best books I've ever read, and I'm sure I'll come back to it someday.
The story itself is depressing, and written in language that is often difficult to understand, especially for people who don't read such things on a daily basis - but there are moments that can make you laugh (Federes is easily my favourite character for this). I love how for most, including myself it is nearly impossible to fully like or relate to any of the characters, everyone has something behind their backs and their views are often problematic (as expected from the Nazis), but the author himself doesn't try to redeem them, but rather presents them as people trying to survive, having their own life dilemmas, interests etc. It surely helps that each more significant to the plot character has a whole chapter dedicated to their backstory, which makes us feel that they are alive, and not just puppets who are supposed to play their assigned role.
I would call the book itself one great allegory rather than a piece of work that tries to be historically accurate, brazenly ridiculing or praising some attitudes, people and institutions. The book was published almost 70 years ago, but the way it was written makes it relevant even to today's readers.
One of the best books I've ever read, and I'm sure I'll come back to it someday.
Want to read
November 16, 2019What is a Career in Social Development?
Career in Social Development
A Career in Social Development has always intrigued me. Internet is brimming with pages on How to get into Social Development, while I want to first understand What is a Career in Social Development. I was Googling about a Career in Social Development and was lucky to find: https://www.lifepage.in/career/201903... Work/Career-in-Social-Development/hindi
Career in Social Development
A Career in Social Development has always intrigued me. Internet is brimming with pages on How to get into Social Development, while I want to first understand What is a Career in Social Development. I was Googling about a Career in Social Development and was lucky to find: https://www.lifepage.in/career/201903... Work/Career-in-Social-Development/hindi
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June 19, 2020How can I get an off line version of this book
January 3, 2023
Ein muss für Fans der 0815 Trilogie
April 9, 2025
Crazy good writing, even better satire. Or was it …?!
March 20, 2020
Eto mu petica! Čitao sam ga davno, ali još uvijek mi je ostao onaj poseban osjećaj zahvalnosti za izniman rad. Pisano po autentičnim događajima ratne i posthitlerovske epohe. Snažan antinacistički kao i antiratni roman per se.
August 18, 2024
The Officer Factory is an interesting and cynical look at The German Army during World War II. The story focuses on Cadets and Officers and a German Military academy.
January 24, 2025
(I have corrected but not altered this 2022 review in 2024).
I remember this book in my father's library back in the 1970s and of my intention to read it one day - well it has taken over half a century but I finally did get round to reading it - and I wasn't disappointed - in fact I was impressed by how good the book was, how well it had stood the test of time - and indeed I believe Mr. Kirst deserves to be again taken seriously as a writer (he was massively popular in the 1960's and 70's. Several of his novels were made into films 'The Night of the Generals' is perhaps the most famous, it was a vehicle for Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole and filmed on location in Warsaw).
I remember that back in the 1960s Mr. Kirst was often criticized because he appeared to be sympathetic towards his German characters - what this meant was that he did not portray everyone as a salivating Nazi committed fanatically to party and Fuhrer. There are plenty of party loyalists, time servers, toadies and sycophants' in this and Kirst's other books, but what the critics really meant was that his Germans could have been any other nationality who when faced with a governing regime committing unspeakable acts behaved in all sorts of different ways but rarely with honor or distinction. But of course some of his characters do behave decently and with honor and at the time he was writing most non Germans regarded Germans, and Germany, as a special case, some place and some people who had gone dreadfully wrong, whose evil was unique. It was taken as a given that Frenchmen, Englishmen, Americans, etc. could not behave in the ways that the Germans did during the Third Reich.
Well they were more innocent, or more deluded times, certainly for most Americans, English and Frenchmen it was a time when we told ourselves lies, and believed them, to convince ourselves that we were different and what the Nazis did was impossible for us. I suppose some people may still believe that, certainly it is a line that is still pushed by many but if you read 'King Leopold's Ghost' by Adam Hochschild, 'Late Victorian Holocaust' by Mike Davis or 'Exterminate All the Brutes' by Sven Lindqvist (and I strongly recommend them all) then you know that nothing separates us from the Germans but a frighteningly thin line made up not of principals but of good luck at never having faced the temptation or opportunity to go really to the bad in a over-the-top way. (Since I wrote this I am even less convinced that you can draw meaningful distinctions.)
To return to 'The Officer Factory' - it is a superb novel of an institution (in this case an one of the SS-Junkerschulen or officers' training school) and how easy it is to compromise and do dreadful things while all the time thinking yourself a good and decent person. Those who bring down the heroes are not monsters, they are bureaucrats, time servers, men (and of course at this time only men had power) who were just doing their jobs and despite what we might like to think most of them went on doing their jobs - why? Were the Germans so horribly evil that they didn't care about what so many academics, doctors, lawyers, etc. did under the Nazis? Were the Americans and other allies so deeply unprincipled that they were only concerned with fighting communism and happily ignored the Nazi past of so many? Of course not - they were human and confronting the fact that the majority of humans are not heroes but time servers and willing to compromise. Those who do bad things out number the good by a hundred to one and those who will excuse the bad and condemn the good as trouble makers are always there in greater numbers.
The Officer Factory is a fine novel and Mr. Kirst a very good writer. As a final comment I would reflect how back fifty years ago it was not unusual for so many French, German and Italian literary novels to be translated as a matter of course into English. That is certainly not the case today.
I remember this book in my father's library back in the 1970s and of my intention to read it one day - well it has taken over half a century but I finally did get round to reading it - and I wasn't disappointed - in fact I was impressed by how good the book was, how well it had stood the test of time - and indeed I believe Mr. Kirst deserves to be again taken seriously as a writer (he was massively popular in the 1960's and 70's. Several of his novels were made into films 'The Night of the Generals' is perhaps the most famous, it was a vehicle for Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole and filmed on location in Warsaw).
I remember that back in the 1960s Mr. Kirst was often criticized because he appeared to be sympathetic towards his German characters - what this meant was that he did not portray everyone as a salivating Nazi committed fanatically to party and Fuhrer. There are plenty of party loyalists, time servers, toadies and sycophants' in this and Kirst's other books, but what the critics really meant was that his Germans could have been any other nationality who when faced with a governing regime committing unspeakable acts behaved in all sorts of different ways but rarely with honor or distinction. But of course some of his characters do behave decently and with honor and at the time he was writing most non Germans regarded Germans, and Germany, as a special case, some place and some people who had gone dreadfully wrong, whose evil was unique. It was taken as a given that Frenchmen, Englishmen, Americans, etc. could not behave in the ways that the Germans did during the Third Reich.
Well they were more innocent, or more deluded times, certainly for most Americans, English and Frenchmen it was a time when we told ourselves lies, and believed them, to convince ourselves that we were different and what the Nazis did was impossible for us. I suppose some people may still believe that, certainly it is a line that is still pushed by many but if you read 'King Leopold's Ghost' by Adam Hochschild, 'Late Victorian Holocaust' by Mike Davis or 'Exterminate All the Brutes' by Sven Lindqvist (and I strongly recommend them all) then you know that nothing separates us from the Germans but a frighteningly thin line made up not of principals but of good luck at never having faced the temptation or opportunity to go really to the bad in a over-the-top way. (Since I wrote this I am even less convinced that you can draw meaningful distinctions.)
To return to 'The Officer Factory' - it is a superb novel of an institution (in this case an one of the SS-Junkerschulen or officers' training school) and how easy it is to compromise and do dreadful things while all the time thinking yourself a good and decent person. Those who bring down the heroes are not monsters, they are bureaucrats, time servers, men (and of course at this time only men had power) who were just doing their jobs and despite what we might like to think most of them went on doing their jobs - why? Were the Germans so horribly evil that they didn't care about what so many academics, doctors, lawyers, etc. did under the Nazis? Were the Americans and other allies so deeply unprincipled that they were only concerned with fighting communism and happily ignored the Nazi past of so many? Of course not - they were human and confronting the fact that the majority of humans are not heroes but time servers and willing to compromise. Those who do bad things out number the good by a hundred to one and those who will excuse the bad and condemn the good as trouble makers are always there in greater numbers.
The Officer Factory is a fine novel and Mr. Kirst a very good writer. As a final comment I would reflect how back fifty years ago it was not unusual for so many French, German and Italian literary novels to be translated as a matter of course into English. That is certainly not the case today.
June 3, 2015
This is a difficult book for an English speaker to read in German. There is lots of unusual vocabulary and more complicated sentences that make it a more challenging read than most German novels. The story centres on an officer school and the search for the truth about a suspected murder of one of the teaching officers who happens to be the secret son of the General in charge. Leutenant Krafft is called in to investigate the incident and so follows the intrigue and complex relationships between the different participants. The novel is about honour, truth and resistance to the Nazi ideology. It was worth the effort and I recommend it to anybody wanting an insight into the politics and attitudes of the time.
December 2, 2014
This book was not what I expected. Kirst portrays Wehrmacht officers
comfortable in their task as army officials caught up in petty academic
politics who eventually take sides with either the flavor of the day or
higher principles. The setting is generally limited to candidates
school and some interraction with the local civilians. The characters
are well drawn and the story drew me back. Ultimately I felt
there was something missing from the context. Perhaps that is my
expectation of an author with first hand experience living in a
country drawn into such false ideology. With the exception of the
last 100 pages it was little more than a well written mystery.
comfortable in their task as army officials caught up in petty academic
politics who eventually take sides with either the flavor of the day or
higher principles. The setting is generally limited to candidates
school and some interraction with the local civilians. The characters
are well drawn and the story drew me back. Ultimately I felt
there was something missing from the context. Perhaps that is my
expectation of an author with first hand experience living in a
country drawn into such false ideology. With the exception of the
last 100 pages it was little more than a well written mystery.
December 23, 2014
A very good read, but could maybe have done with being a smidgeon shorter. The main character Krafft is an honourable man trying to do the right thing in the vile absurdity of an officers' training school in Nazi Germany.
May 1, 2013
Really impressibe book on the life inside military school.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews