Hitler in Hell: Was er noch zu sagen hätte ...

by Martin van Creveld, Nils Wegner (Translator)

Adolf Hitler ist tot – nach seinem Selbstmord im Führerbunker unter der Reichskanzlei findet sich der Diktator in der Hölle wieder. Doch anstelle von Dämonen und Fegefeuer erwartet ihn ein ruhiger, zu ruhiger, gänzlich eintöniger Ort, der stark an die Gefängniszelle in Landsberg 1924 erinnert. Nun allerdings kann er keinen Besuch mehr empfangen, und auch seine treue Blondi hat ihn verlassen, denn alle Hunde kommen in den Himmel.

Es gibt rein gar nichts zu tun, und so beginnt der "Führer", über sein Leben zu plaudern – vor dem Hintergrund der Welt, wie wir sie heute kennen. Er trumpft auf, läßt die Höhepunkte der "Kampfzeit" und des Dritten Reichs noch einmal Revue passieren, zeigt keinerlei Reue und zahlt seinen damaligen und heutigen Feinden postum alles heim. In der Hölle kommt Adolf Hitler endlich dazu, alle Karten auf den Tisch zu legen und seine ganz eigene Geschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts zu erzählen.

Genres: Fiction, World War II, Military Fiction, War

417 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 4, 2018

About the author

Martin Levi van Creveld is an Israeli military historian and theorist.

Van Creveld was born in the Netherlands in the city of Rotterdam, and has lived in Israel since shortly after his birth. He holds degrees from the London School of Economics and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he has been on the faculty since 1971. He is the author of seventeen books on military history and strategy, of which Command in War (1985), Supplying War: Logistics from Wallenstein to Patton (1977, 2nd edition 2004), The Transformation of War (1991), The Sword and the Olive (1998) and The Rise and Decline of the State (1999) are among the best known. Van Creveld has lectured or taught at many strategic institutes in the Western world, including the U.S. Naval War College.

- wikipedia.org

Reviews

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable. The Hitler of this book is cold and logical, at times even reasonable. He's a disconcerting narrator, and an unreliable one to the uninitiated, but if you're looking to get into the head of a genocidaire, this is a fine place to start. The book reminds me of Graves's "I, Claudius" a good deal.

You may find van Creveld's Hitler hyperaware of details., in particular of details about military technology, but recall that van Creveld is a (first rate) military historian -- and Hitler was a meddler interested in minutiae. Still, if details aren't your thing, you might find this novel a bit dense.

Overall, intense and well-done. Lots of Easter eggs if you're familiar with the history of modern Europe and the Holocaust.

[Mikkel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely the most interesting book about WW2 I’ve read. The setting is brilliant, and horrible, all at once. Hitler’s own thoughts on his life, as imagined by the author.

It is tough to read the (fictional) self-justification of a person responsible for so much death and misery, and that is also what is remarkable about this book. The author makes Hitler’s mind intelligible.

Rather than picturing him as the monstrous, unknowable evil, a kind of inhuman boogeyman, as Hitler is often portrayed, the author has managed to create a believable inner narrative, that explains the behaviour of the world’s most infamous dictator.

And that is an important perspective. While Hitler may or may not have gone insane at the end, most of the vile evils carried out by him and his party were not acts of madness, but rather calculated, well-planned actions.

War and genocide were not invented by the nazis, they were just frightfully efficient at it. It has happened many times before, and if we do not learn from history, understand what drives people to such extremes, it will happen again and again. A good place to start would be this book. Highly recommended.

[Herman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well when I read the title and then the bio of the author I thought well this is going to be something different, it was even better than I thought I would say it is the definitive book on this subject. I consider myself a history-buff and well read in the matter of world war II but the level of detail and knowledge displayed by the author was impressive. Also evident was the tone imagination and passions, as Hitler himself explains his life as he see's it and I especially enjoyed the little easter eggs of comments he added regarding current and world events and leaders. (More Trump next time) this should be the cover of the book For people who are interested in history and issues related to the second world war this is a great book for you.

[Al Sevcik · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating story told in pretend first person as if by Hitler, himself. The “autobiography" follows Hitler’s rise from a corporal messenger-boy in the German army experiencing WWI trench warfare close-up to the Führer of the Third Reich. It was particularly chilling to read about the rise of Nazi-ism during the 1930’s — how a small, mostly ignored political party came to control the nation. A lesson for today’s governments. I found the book easy to read and — possibly because I lived through WWII — an important education concerning the causes and conduct of the war. The book is cleverly written in that Hitler’s personality undergoes a subtle change as his political power increases. I’ll give it 5 stars.

[michael a. palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but at times ... dry.

Worth reading. An interesting take by an excellent historian--Martin Van Creveld. But at times rather boring. It is "fiction," but there's no suspense, obviously, because we know the story so well.

[David Obront · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant! israeli military historian writes a first-person account by hitler, explaining his ideas, his plans, justifying his actions logically. also includes some insightful commentary of the world since. brilliant!

[Allison Minjares · Rating 1 out of 5]

Completely confused

I only got this book to do the review. That anyone could put into writing that hitler doesn't die a horrific death over and over again in hell is as revolting as the Holocaust itself. Whether you have 1 or 20 books you've written to say that he escapes God's wrath is unbelievable. This is a blasphemy against the Jewish people, God and the world.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is incredible that this book was published. Had van Creveld, the author, not been an Israeli Jew I am not sure it would've been. The book itself is remarkable because it successfully shows Hitler as a person, rather than a monster. It is not at all sympathetic to Hitler, but it is fair to him: his motivations are explained as he understood them. It should go without saying (though unfortunately it does not in 2020), that this sort of literary effort is not an endorsement of Hitler's beliefs. Hitler as portrayed is just as anti-semitic as you would expect and the book debunks some of the claims that revisionists historians like David Irving have made about him. Although this is a work of fiction, I did not find anything factually wrong with regards to the events that are recounted. Many modern liberals will be unable to enjoy this book because van Creveld does not constantly hedge and denounce Hitler, but those who can look past this will find this to be a fantastic attempt at getting inside Hitler's mind.

[Avis Black · Rating 1 out of 5]

It came across like just a recitation of facts, and I quit reading. I'd rather read a regular history book if I'm getting only facts. In fiction, I'm want something more.