Stolica Hitlera. Życie i śmierć w wojennym Berlinie

by Roger Moorhouse, Jan Wąsiński (Translator)

Kiedy wybuchła II wojna światowa, Göring obiecał mieszkańcom Berlina, że na stolicę tysiącletniej Rzeszy nie spadnie ani jedna bomba. Wkrótce jednak alianckie bombowce pojawiły się nad miastem. Karta wojny odwróciła się. Nieubłaganie zbliżała się totalna zagłada - front wschodni.

Mieszkańcy Berlina dalej wiedli swoje zwykłe życie. Borykali się z przedziwnymi problemami. Zaciemnienie to nie tylko codzienne drobne utrapienia (jak przy zgaszonych wszystkich światłach nie wpaść pod samochód?), ale też doskonała zasłona dla bezkarnie grasującego seryjnego mordercy. Nieprzyjemną konieczność spędzania długich godzin w schronach i piwnicach dzieciom osładzały gry planszowe, a dorosłym liczne romanse. Donosicieli było tak dużo, że gestapo odsyłało „życzliwych” z kwitkiem, ale zarazem tylko w Berlinie tajna policja nie poradziła sobie z antyhitlerowskim ruchem oporu.

Niesamowitą historię życia w stolicy Hitlera pasjonująco spisał Roger Moorhouse, który zadebiutował napisaną wraz z Normanem Daviesem historią Wrocławia. Niedawno dał się poznać także jako autor bestsellerowego Polowania na Hitlera.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Germany, World War II, War, Military History, European History

536 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2010

About the author

Living the Dream. Historian and author of an international bestseller - "Berlin at War" was #1 in Lithuania :-) - as well as a few other books, such as "Killing Hitler", "The Devils' Alliance" and "First to Fight" - the last of which won the Polish Foreign Ministry History Prize in 2020.

I write mainly about Nazi Germany and wartime Poland, but I fear that might scare some people off, so I'll just call myself a writer of history books.

My current book (published in the UK in August 2023) is "The Forgers", which is the fascinating story of the Ładoś Group - a ring of Polish diplomats and Jewish activists operating out of wartime Switzerland - who were forging Latin American passports to help Jews escape the Holocaust. It is a VERY interesting subject - so I would urge you to get a copy!

I hope you enjoy my books. Any questions or queries or just wholesome praise, do let me know...

Reviews

[Geevee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book rich in subject matter and haunting in its coverage. Mr Moorhouse has written a detailed yet very readable book on Berlin and Berliners from the high days of Hitler's birthday parade in 1939 to its near complete levelling in May 1945.

From the descriptive start of the Prologue Führerwetter (Führer weather) that greeted Berlin and its people on 20th April 1939, Mr Moorhouse provides a thematic approach to his book subtitled "Life and Death in Hitler's Capital, 1939-1945".

Within each chapter, which covers subjects ranging from air raids and rationing to construction and death and much in between, the text is both complemented and brought alive by the author's writing and the inclusion of many of the people who witnessed this life and death.

The chapters offer so much in terms of how the war affected them and their city but also how and what they did to survive and generally get through each day. I found Mr Moorhouse's ability to provide background on subjects compelling as he weaved his story around big - almost obvious subjects - such as the air raids, the Jews and radio but then drew the reader in with the first hand accounts coupled with information on situations or circumstances I'd read little if anything on before.

So we learn of how hospitals - both Jewish and German - coped; how burials were conducted and recorded; rationing along with basic aspects like heating and cooking; recreation; conditions and behaviours in air raid shelters including water supply and escape methods if a shelter were hit and buried; the rounding up and eventual transportation of the Jews by the railways from holding camps in and around the city linked to those who escaped, committed suicide or were employed to inform on others; against what say communists did or how Berlin had voted in the 30s; crime rates and the blackout; or how children were schooled and evacuated or later brought to serve in the Volksturm to face the Russians.

Once the fighting stopped and Berliners were able with great care and caution (in part from unexploded munitions, the precarious state of buildings and the threat of rape or death from Russian troops) they ventured out to survey their ruined, shell pitted moonscape and as Mr Moorhouse writes "The detritus of war was everywhere. The city centre was the worst affected, being peppered with destroyed military hardware: tanks, anti-tank guns, trucks and vehicles of all types. The once ornate gardens of the Konigsplatz in front of the the Reichstag building had been transformed into a battlefield, littered with artillery pieces, discarded weapons and the dead of both sides. Elsewhere it was little rosier...on either side lay the bodies of its Swedish crew [half-track carrier of the SS-Nordland Division], gunned down presumably as they had emerged from the vehicle to engage the Soviet infantry. In the rear door was the crumpled body of the SS nurse who had been accompanying them".

All in all this is a superb, highly readable and very detailed social historical account of a city and its people, who lived and died in one of Europe's greatest cities during a bitter long fought world war that saw the Nazi self-proclaimed thousand year Reich last just 12 years.

[Ian Beardsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second book by Roger Moorhouse, and I'm happy to say that his writing style really clicks with me. In Berlin at War, Moorhouse takes us back to the German metropolis under the Nazis. He takes us into the living room pre-war discussions of politics backdropped with the underlying fear of the Gestapo. He takes us into the rationing queues as the war ramps up. He takes us into the bomb shelters along with the sardonic humour, sights and even smells of the grimly determined population.

At first I got a little confused with the narrative as Moorhouse started in a chronological discussion of the overall mood of the population about their Fuhrer and the Nazi leaders, where we seem to go through the entire war and then suddenly back in time at the start of the next chaper; however, I quickly realized that he bases his chapters on themes rather than a chronology. Once I clued in, it works quite well.

Indeed, we learn a lot about the spirit of the city along with the events and themes of WWII and their effect on Berlin. There is a most interesting part about how the blackout brought about a wave of crime, including those of a serial killer who used the darkness to pray on female victims.

For those interested in WWII, this is a great introduction to what it was like on the "enemy" side, humanizing them and letting us see how similar they were to Londoners and the other allies. Getting a balanced view of how all of humanity suffered during this terrible tragedy of the 20th century is a most worthwhile endeavour, and Roger Moorhouse is a most worthy guide.

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moorhouse portrays the life of the "average" German in Berlin from just before the war through its conclusion. For example, he notes how accidents went up significantly during the blackout; the murder rate rose; and in one lengthy passage describes the search by the Kriminal Polizei for a serial killer who bludgeoned dozens of women and then raped them, using the darkness as cover. Turns out he was a railroad worker who unrepentantly then blamed a Jewish doctor's wrong treatment for his gonorrhea. He was guillotined.

Following declaration of war by Britain after Hitler's invasion of Poland, Berlin remained in an uneasy quiet. Memories of WW I were still fresh, and support for the invasion was muted at best. Especially after the British began night bombing of Berlin, even though it was inconsequential.

Moorhouse describes the Kinderlandverschickung in some detail. During the fall of 1940, when it had become apparent that Goering would not be able to prevent the mass bombing of Berlin, the administration decided to evacuate children from Berlin. By the end of the year over 200,000 children had been sent to rural areas of the Reich and Czechoslovakia. Homes were requisitioned and special camps built to house the children. Recipients of the children were paid 3 DM per day, so of course, there was the usual opportunistic greed and some children became cheap labor. Some of the KLV camps --more than 9,000 camps existed by the end of the war -- were built as far away as Bulgaria which meant they needed to be evacuated west as Soviet troops pushed back on the eastern front. By the end of the war, some 900,000 children had been moved around out of the cities; an estimated 53,000 became orphans left to scavage at the end of the war. Experience varied. In some of the camps, run by the SS, political indoctrination and training for the Volksturm units was the norm. Others reported a rather carefree existence although Moorhouse reports rampant homesickness, an understandable sideffect. In the evening Fannenappel (flag call) was the norm. Moorhouse considered that a form of political indictrination, but it seems little different than the Pledge of Allegiance we all routinely say in this country.

I know it's become popular to blame all of society's ills on the latest technology: in the sixties it was television ruining our children, then the Internet, now it's cell phones. (Personally, I blame vegetables.) Germany was at the forefront of radio technology and its use for propaganda. Goebbels realized the importance of getting Hitler's message out to everyone and the Nazis heavily subsidized the cost of radios. 7,000,000 of an early low-cost set were sold in less than six years. But he also cleverly realized that propaganda could not be the sole content or people would tune out. So the proportion of music as a percentage of total broadcasting increased. Soon, everyone was sitting around the radio. Goebbels called radio the 8th great power and that the Nazis would never have achieved power without it. That coupled with Hitler's innovative use of the airplane to move around the country quickly gave the Nazis a huge edge.

But there was a downside for the Nazis to having all these radios available. It was a crime to listen to foreign broadcasts. Goebbels even insisted that red tags be affixed to every tuning dial warning of the severe penalities (11 people were executed for the crime, although this was rare) for listening to foreign broadcasts. They were constantly labeled as "fake news." But they were important to Germans as the British would broadcast the names of prisoners of war and since virtually everyone had a relation in the army, this information could become a solace. Unable to tell friends or relatives that some soldier was alive because of the broadcast, they would relate that this information came via a dream. Multiple people on the same street would have the same dream.

One interesting technology developed by the Nazis was their use of sending radio over telephone wires, a precursor to cable. This enabled people to received emergency broadcasts without any interference through the use of a splitter box attached to their radios.

A thoroughly fascinating book.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book well researched, informative and interesting to read. It discusses life in Berlin under Nazi rule. The author uses diary entries and interviews to tell the story of a country that is rebuilt and given so much hope by it's Fuhrer but tragically plunges into utter devastation within a few short years. Not only did millions of racial and ethnic groups suffer and perish under Hitler's rule, but millions of German citizens, many driven by Nazi propaganda, perished while fighting a horrible, insane war. Slave labor was a common occurrence -to replace the manpower lost by conscripted German men. Slave laborers were treated as less-than-human and not offered equal food ration coupons or access to the safety of bomb shelters during nightly air raids. Many Berlin children were sent into camps to keep them 'safe' during the air raids by the Royal Air Force. They ultimately were to be torn from their parents and many suffered humiliating experiences at the hands of the Hitler Youth who's main focus was to train a new generation of Aryan warriors. There was no access to medical care and poor nutrition and starvation became commonplace for the citizens of Berlin. Bread was made from sawdust, protein was non-existent and the best a citizen could hope for was a moldy turnip or potato. Nightly bombing campaigns were terrifying, homes were destroyed and the city was ravaged. Not only were Berliners subject to enemy bombs, exploding flak from Germany's own anti-aircraft cannons were equally deadly. When the city was finally liberated by the Red Army, hundreds of women and children were subject to mass, widespread rape. During WWII, history understandably focuses on the horrors of the Holocaust. This book offers a different, equally uncomfortable perspective of life for Germany's own people during this horrible time.

[Radiantflux · Rating 4 out of 5]

19th book for 2023.

In "Berlin at War," historian Roger Moorhouse delivers a sweeping and meticulously researched account of life in the German capital during one of its darkest chapters.

Moorhouse's writing is both authoritative and engaging, offering a systematic view of events as they unfolded in Berlin from the War's start in 1939 through to its dramatic end six years later. Drawing on both a wealth of archival sources and firsthand accounts—many from interviews he conducted himself—Moorhouse weaves a rich tapestry of stories and experiences, from the everyday struggles of ordinary Berliners to survive in an increasingly war ravaged society to the machinations of the Nazi leadership as they fought an increasingly desperate battle against the Allied forces.

Recommended.

4-stars

[Jill Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roger Moorhouse's new history, "Berlin at War" is a terrific view of Germany's capital city during WW2. Moorhouse covers every phase of life for those who lived in the city - whether by choice because they were residents - or by force, because they were foreign laborers brought into Berlin from the occupied countries to help with the war effort. He obviously interviewed many Berliners about their lives during the war, as well as depending on diaries and official documents of the German government.

Moorhouse examines daily life in the city as the war progressed. From the early air raids by the British to the almost carpet bombing later in the war when much of the city was destroyed, life for Berliners went from relatively easy to a desperate day-by-day existence. Searching for food and other rationed goods was an on-going problem, for everybody. (Except, of course, Nazi officials). The reader sees how acceptance of the idea of "total war" calling for "total effort" on the home front slackened greatly as the war was perceived by Berliners as going the wrong way, after 1942. Moorhouse writes about ordinary Berliners trying to eke out a daily existence despite nights spent in air raid shelters and largely destroyed city infrastructure. And then the Russians came, in early 1945, and destruction to the once great, liberal city was complete.

Moorhouse leaves very little out in his book. Chapters on the Jewish "problem" and ultimate solution are in the book along with chapters on propaganda, criminality by both the state and individuals, and on how the city functioned in the face of destruction. He's an excellent writer, too. For the amateur historian, this book is a delight.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always fascinated by books about the home front during war, but most of what I've read have been novels. This is nonfiction, thoroughly researched from journals, interviews, letters, memoirs, archives. It's a compelling social history filled with intriguing details from Hitler's 50 birthday celebration in Berlin in 1939 to the Soviet soldiers' occupation of the city at the end of the war. How residents reacted to the ruthless removal of Jews from the city, to the frequent bombings of a city guaranteed to be safe from air attack by Goring, to the reactions to the unsuccessful plot to kill Hitler. Gritty details, a strong sense of time and place, informative, thought-provoking.

I reread this in December, 2018, and liked it more than the first time. (I frankly forgot that I had read it!) It's really a fine look at a city under siege, and I loved the first hand accounts of residents and journalists (William Shirer for example with his Berlin Diary). These added authenticity, insights into the emotional toll of war, and sometimes humor. My only complaint is that Derek Perkins, a narrator I always follow, falls into the trap of those who haven't studied German. Berlin's river, the Spree is pronounced "spray"--he only gets it right once in the penultimate disc. And all the lakes around Berlin that end in -see, should be pronounced "say" not "see." When it happens time after time, it's irritating, and he's not the only narrator guilty of this. That's my rant, but otherwise his narration contributes to the compelling narrative.

[Beauregard Bottomley · Rating 4 out of 5]

We always falsely believe that it is not us that are crazy, but that it’s always the world around us that is crazy while in reality we are today just one-step-away from entering the madness that engulfed Berlin from Hitler’s 50th birthday to his 56th as documented in this book. The author knows that most of the stories about the war have been told and know it’s time to look at the particulars that make the whole, such as this book does while providing a detailed look at Berlin to understand the madness that was engulfing the world from German hubris and its racist ideology.

The Berlin Mushroom, a grotesquely ugly castle like monstrosity built in the early days of the war with slave labor to prove the feasibility of even more grossly anticipated monuments for the glory of the superiority of Germanness. The ‘Mushroom’ is a perfect symbol for the craziness that Hitler was unleashing and Albert Speer knew what it meant for the world and ultimately for all Berliners and the Germans. All Berliners would have seen the slave laborers running around the country and were tacitly part of the madness and the Berliners can’t truthfully say they didn’t know about the slave laborers or the disappearance of Jews. A line from this book, as the Russians liberated the last remaining Hospital which was staffed by Jews, the hospital staff said they were Jews, and the Russian soldier said that is impossible for all the Jews are dead.
Picture of Mushroom:
https://swineandcabbages.files.wordpr...

There’s always a tad bit of hubris when one reads about Germany’s madness and falsely thinks it can’t possibly happen here, because we falsely believe we are just too good, kind and just. Then I realize I am a prideful fool for thinking that, and that people think that Trump is a reasonable alternative then I realize that it can happen here and books like this one serve as a warning against enabling a madman like Donald Trump and will foreshadow our fate if we elect him again.

There’s not that much more that needs to be said about WW II, and the author notes that in the forward and gives the reader a different perspective by considering the most important city in Germany as a surrogate for all of Germany. I can’t say that anything new was revealed to me from this book because the War has been so well documented, but the author is smart to look at the War through the lens of just one city thus enabling the reader to understand the crazy from a different perspective, and just maybe alert the reader to what can happen in the USA.

[Rob Kitchin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roger Moorhouse’s premise for writing Berlin at War was that much has been written about the Nazi Party, leading figures, the German armed forces, various campaigns and theatres of war, and the Holocaust, but little has been written about the lives of ordinary Germans during the war. In Berlin at War he seeks to rectify this by using documentary evidence and war diaries to examine the lives of Berliners, and those living in the city such as diplomats, journalists and forced labourers, during the conflict. Rather than chart a straight chronological history, Moorhouse instead focuses on key themes such as rationing and sourcing food, architecture, bombings and taking shelter, entertainment, propaganda, evacuation, Jewish deportations, forced labour, regulations, governance and policing, resistance, public mood, and armed conflict. The result is a somewhat dry, but fascinating account of life in the German capital. Somewhat ironically, for a book that is meant to focus on the everyday lives of Berliners, the book starts by describing a Nazi parade for Hitler’s birthday in April 1939, rather than the mundanity of work or home life or leisure. The reliance on diaries and written testament, rather than interviews, is partially responsible I think for the quite detached tone, and it took me a little while to get into the book. By about a hundred pages in though I was hooked and Moorhouse does an admirable job of discussing a range of different issues to build up a reasonably comprehensive overview of everyday life. Not the most compelling book on the Second War World, and does not significantly extend accounts by William Shirer and Anthony Beevor or indeed the novels of Philip Kerr and Hans Falada, but an interesting read nonetheless.

[Bon Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like always in the case of these monumental historical works, I wonder about the sheer amount of work necessary to acquire all these facts, testimonials, and put them into coherent unit.

When trying to analyze WWII and Holocaust, I guess one of the first questions that comes to mind is, did they (regular German people) know what was happening and what their fuhrer was doing? Almost at the same time, we dismiss this as retorical question. Of course they did. They must have.

But perhaps not. Not all of them, at least. Or not even most of them. And that minority that knew, even smaller minority that opposed to it, what could they actually have done?

Supporters or not, they were also victims of their own government, terrorized, tortured, killed, brought down to poverty and pitiful remains of human existence. Supporters of mass killing and haters of everything non blonde sooner or later tasted their own medicine.

Too bad many good people, who couldn't believe such horror was even possible ("it's 20th century, and we're Geman, for God's sake"), died in the process. Or lost everything, or everybody.

This is history, and also the story of tragedy and human suffering, nobody is exempt from by birthright.

[Michael Flanagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a shining example in a sea of books of World War II history. Roger Moorhouse manages to bring wartime Berlin to life in the readers mind. The book is exhaustedly researched and covers a wide range of topics the author bring together both personal accounts and academic research into a Tour de force. From the dreams of the Third Reich to build a capital like no other to the day to day struggle for survival of the normal citizens this book an addictive read.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book for those that are interested in more than what Hitler was doing during the war. This book explains how the average Berliner coped during the war.

The book pulls no punches and it is very interesting, as someone who is from Polish stock though I do have very little sympathy for the Germans. But it is clear that the ordinary Berliner did suffer during the war.

It is a good book worth reading if you want to broaden your historical knowledge.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been too many years since I read this brilliant book to provide any kind of worthwhile review. But it was brilliant and in the ocean of books poured out on the Nazi period in stands with works like 'Hitler's Empire: How the Nazis Ruled Europe' by Mark Mazower as actually providing a new way of looking at an old subject. I would love to read 'Berlin at War' again and I hope to find the time to do so. If you are interested in the Nazi era or WWII I would say this book is must read.

[David Lowther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Berlin at War is an outstandingly comprehensive record of the daily lives of ordinary Berliners during the Second World War. The great events of the war; the campaigns, the Holocaust and so on, serve as backgrounds to the trials, tribulations, threats, tragedies, discomforts and homelessness suffered by the population of the capital of the Third Reich.

Roger Moorhouse has done a huge amount of research and the result is a large number of eye witness statements, extracts from diaries, photographs and references to cinefilm. Tribute is paid to the Berliners who were subjected to bombardment from the air for more than four years. Like their London counterparts their faced air raids with a stoicism that saw some of them through to the bitter end.

Superbly written, splendidly illustrated and with comprehensive notes, references, lists of primary and secondary sources and a detailed index, Berlin at War is a book indispensable to those interested in the Second World war.

David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen and Two Families at War, all published by Sacristy Press.

[Jenny T · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fascinating! A clearly-written, well-researched look into what the average citizens of Berlin went through during World War 2. I learned some interesting new German concepts and words (muckefuck! hamsterfahrten!) but all new terms were well-explained.

Among the sections I found the most interesting: the rampant crime, yet party atmosphere of blackout conditions; the efforts of the Jewish Underground (whose members were nicknamed U-boats and included Jewish and Christian people from all walks of life) and others rebelling against the Nazi regime; what the average Berlin citizen really thought (or, rather, didn't think) of Hitler and his policies; and what the city itself suffered in terms of physical destruction, sinking morale, and loss of life.

[Konstantin Samoylov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed and vidid description of many aspects of life in Berlin during the war. I always wondered how Germans carried out their daily life during the war. Most of them did that like in any other times. They tried to survive, trusted the authorities, were law-abiding and diligent. Maybe with more apathy than usual because though many didn't approve that Hitler started wars, it was too late to change the regime. They handed too much power to authorities in previous years. That hell they had to live through was a result of giving up too much to the state in 1930s.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book really brought home the experience of the average Berliner from 1939-1945. I was surprised to learn that Berlin was actually a fairly liberal city compared to the rest of Germany and therefore a large proportion of the population was anti-Nazi. The author does a good job describing how Berlin residents responded to the blackouts, air raids, and forced rationing in trying to continue their lives with as much normalcy as possible. I also gained a larger understanding for how Berliners viewed the propaganda sprayed by Goebbels and others as the tide of war shifted after Stalingrad.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting examination of life (and death) in Berlin during the Hitler years and especially during 1939-45 (as you would expect from the title). Chapters are topical, focusing on various factors rather than strict chronology. Examples: the general treatment of Jews; Jews that went "underground" and avoided the death camps, at least for a while; what bomb shelters were like; what being "bombed out" was like; the search for food; the onslaught of the Russians.

Most of the book is based on primary sources, including interviews. It's quite detailed but well-written and never boring or confusing.

This is a good supplement to provide context to diaries and memoirs of the period (several of which I've read). It is not a military history, so don't expect any details on the battles or war, except for some details on the bombing.

(A side note and complaint -- I have no idea why Goodreads does some of the things it does. I have NOT read this book twice, no matter what Goodreads says --I started it in June, then just set it aside for a few months, then returned to it and finished in 10 days. That's just one example of Goodreads' quirks, the worst of which (in my opinion today) is that Goodreads can't differentiate between editions of a title that might be very different, e.g., a book that has been significantly updated, enough to make it essentially a different book. I know, tell someone who cares.)

[Marathon (shadow’s version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

very solid narrative history stuff about wwii in berlin. works better to reference specific chapters if you happen to be doing research in this area because of the range of topics touched on. my copy had some photographs

[Monthly Book Group · Rating 4 out of 5]

The proposer had made four recent visits to Berlin and has a fascination with the city. He mentioned that more attention is paid there to the fall of the Berlin Wall than to the darker history of the war yearsHe considered Roger Moorhouse’s book to be well-researched, and successful in capturing what it must have been like to live through the war years in Berlin. We agreed with this, finding Moorhouse’s writing style fluent and engaging, and enjoying the tapestry of subjective viewpoints quoted from his primary sources. The fact that Moorhouse used letters and comments from ordinary individuals rather than resorting to academic or secondary sources made the book very readable and accessible.

We did find that the organization of the book was a little confusing. Because Moorhouse chose to deal with broad themes – for example chapters on radio broadcasting and on air raids – we sometimes felt a little adrift chronologically. It was suggested that a list of significant dates and events at the start of the book would have been a useful reference point.

Many fascinating aspects of life in Berlin during the war years were unearthed by Moorhouse, several of which had not occurred to us. We were surprised by the evidence that much of the population was far from keen on Hitler’s war, and that attitudes to Hitler became considerably more critical (albeit not openly) as the war began to go badly for Germany.

It was interesting that the Gestapo were not as universally feared as is commonly assumed, and that only those with something to hide – Communists, Jews, and anti-Nazis – had to be careful. However, the extent of malicious false denunciations that the Gestapo and police forces had to deal with revealed a civic population ill at ease with itself.

Moorhouse backed up his anecdotal accounts with an array of facts and figures – for example about the nature of the artillery in use, and the numbers and types of aircraft involved in raids. He also gave a detailed account of the various types of camps set up by the Nazis – for imported foreign slave labourers, for criminals, and of course for the elimination of the large Jewish population. It was interesting to discover how large was the number of foreigners in Berlin during the war years, keeping the economy running while German men were away serving in the armed forces…..

This is an extract from a review at https://monthlybookgroup.wordpress.com/ Our reviews are also to be found at http://monthlybookgroup.blogspot.co.uk/

[Charles Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep think I don't need to read another book about Nazi Germany. But I keep finding new ones with an unusual point of view. This is one of those books. There is a lot here. Some of it I found discouraging because of the general loyalty to Hitler. But at the same time thousands resisted in their on way and many more risked their lives to save their Jewish neighbours. One of the best chapters, Against All Odds, is about the famous Rossenstrasse demonstration. It concerns an incident in which the last remaining Jewish men in Berlin were rounded up. They had been given special status till late 1943 because they were married to Christians. When their wives hear about it they demonstrated at the detention center and were joined by hundreds more who sympathized. Talk about a portrait in dark and light.

[Nickstarfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read many books about Berlin, the most of which concentrate mainly on the Battle of Berlin and the aftermath. Here in "Berlin At War" by Roger Moorhouse we get better glimpse of how the Berliners themselves lived during Word War II. From the rise of power of the Nazis, the initial victory parades, the food rationing, the many foreign labourers brought to the capital from occupied countries, the massive air raids, the life in the bunkers until the German city finally endured the full force of the Soviet siege. The author uses quotes from diaries, memoirs and interviews and in this way makes the story more vivid.

[Emily Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had really mixed feelings about this book. Pieces of it were fascinating and it's a story that hasn't been told. Early parts of it felt somewhat unsubstantiated - I felt like he quoted the same people over and over again and made serious claims based on that. But as the book progressed that changed and the sections on the bombing of Berlin, rationing, and the invasion of the Soviets were very good. He also really seems to feel that the evidence suggests Berliners didn't really support Hitler and I think overdoes the resistance piece. But I'm no historian and I don't know enough to contest that. Overall a worthwhile read.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moorhouse collected primary sources and interviewed hundreds to write a history of what it was like for the civilians of Berlin during the Second World War.

Why I started this book: My grandma was one of those civilians and I was interested in learning if her memories and stories were typical of the city.

Why I finished it: Fascinating, and a sad reminder that Berlin then, like Berlin now, had the biggest gay community, most Communist party members, and Jewish community in Germany... Hitler tried his best to stamp out all three. Very interesting to learn about the small acts of resistance and the joint suffering.

[Alex Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read perhaps a couple of dozen books on Hitler, the Nazi’s and various aspects of WWII, one is dishearteningly aware that there may not be anything new or fresh concerning it…until you come upon a book like this.

Morehouse does an exemplary job of taking the “ground-up” approach to telling a story, it puts skin in the game and makes the stories in this book feel real and relevant.

It’s a pretty refreshing and engaging way to go about doing history, particularly a history of this subject, which rarely, if ever, is covered outside a box tightly clamped down with the obligatory moral outrage and emotional atrocity.

[David Bisset · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evocative social history

The author has studied many primary sources in order to chronicle what happened to Berliners during the Second World War. His narrative is gripping. He presents material which I have never seen before. This book is for aficionados of the period and for those with lesser interest. Many of his discoveries are unexpected and show the complexity of the Nazi regime.

[Charity U · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting look at the cultural impact of WWII, particularly in Berlin. Not so much battle history as just humanity.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing what people went through.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Berlin at War' is an example of how well historians can continue to develop new insights, or expand old ones when writing about World War II, and more specifically Nazi Germany. Moorhouse has undoubtedly reflected on the success of other authors such as Antony Beevor and similarly used a mix of oral, written and official history to compile a narrative that takes his reader through the multiple levels of the wartime experiences of Berliners. It is an extremely competent and readable title.

If one is to evaluate this book in isolation the first and most positive aspect of Moorhouse's work is his readability. The combination of 'street level' personal anecdotes with more formal source material, crafted into thematic discussions that the reader can readily comprehend and relate to is a significant achievement. Of course there are the overarching issues that any history of the Third Reich must contend with, such as the practices and implications of the Holocaust, the dictatorial powers and crimes of the Nazi regime etc. However interspersed liberally throughout the text are moments when Moorhouse looks at matters that are far more immediate and 'personal', such as how Berliners dealt with matters pertaining to food, illness, entertainment, transport, housing etc. For example, the author recounts how badly Berliners suffered from halitosis during the war, then in another section of the book he provides a clear and effective analysis of the infamous Sportpalast speech that Goebbels gave in early 1943. The fate of Berlin's zoo animals is spoken of in one chapter whilst in another Moorhouse discusses the Rosenstrasse 'protest' with great acuity.

There are some sections of the book that stand out, and for now I would highlight Moorhouse's coverage of resistance to the Nazis in Berlin, and the manner in which that city's Jews were brought to their near extermination. In the former case the author does well to focus on some figures who perhaps have been ignored or forgotten, such as Communist resistance cells. He also makes some pertinent comments about the exclusivity of the failed Stauffenberg plot which is well worth consideration. In the latter examination of how Berlin's Jews were treated Moorhouse provides a fascinating and informative history that illuminates an incredibly dark period.

I should add that Moorhouse's work is embellished through his excellent research and use of selected sources. He has combined oral, primary written and secondary sources to good effect, and there is no doubt that for the most part his selections for evidence and analysis are well chosen and applied. I was a little disappointed that at times one or two 'voices' were given more attention than perhaps they merited, such as the application of material from William Shirer. Also, and this is no fault of the author or his sources, at times the testimony provided in the text seemed flat and in a monotone. Perhaps this reflects more on my perceptions of the book based on contrasting materials in books by the aforementioned Antony Beevor and another historian of the period, context, Ian Kershaw.

In summary 'Berlin at War' is a very good history of the Nazi capital and its inhabitants during the years of Nazi rule, with a focus on 1939-1945. It is very readable, has plenty to offer the casual or serious student of related historical subjects, and is an effective depiction of how people lived through one of, if not the most repressive and destructive eras in the modern era.

[Carmen212 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts were fascinating, parts were just okay, worth the fascinating parts to carry on reading. Learned a lot about food rationing, the Berlin blackouts, sending Berlin children (not kindertransport) to the country which was not really successful as so few came back for a second round. The laborers from various countries--have read in books about French resistance how young French men were hidden to escape conscription--how they lived. A cheap radio became essential to the people. They were forbidden to listen to foreign broadcasts and people would cover themselves and the radio in a blanket and have it on the lowest volume. Even making sure to return the dial to a German station when finished.

The plot to kill Hitler in July 44 was barely known to the German people except by word-of-mouth which was always unreliable.

Estimated that 10-12,000 Jews went underground in Berlin. To stay alive they had to remove the yellow star and also find clothing that would disguise its having been there. Blond blue eyed Jews had an easier time. People with particularly Jewish faces would do what they could (stylish haircut, glasses, Hitler mustache) but it was necessary to always be well-groomed even if clothing was old, for men clean-shaven, and for all to stand up tall and confident--the absolute opposite of the stereotypical (and real) Jew. One man kept track and after the war he counted all the help he got while underground -- 66 people helped him. Some Jews, most Christians.