Nein: Standing up to Hitler 1935–1944

by Paddy Ashdown

From the bestselling and prize-winning author Paddy Ashdown, a revelatory new history of German opposition to Hitler from 1935 – 1944

In his last days, Adolf Hitler raged in his bunker that he had been betrayed by his own people, defeated from the inside. In part, he was right. By 1945, his armies were being crushed on all fronts, his regime collapsing with many fleeing retribution for their crimes. Yet, even before the war started, there were Germans very high in Hitler’s command committed to bringing about his death and defeat.

Paddy Ashdown tells, for the first time, the story of those at the very top of Hitler’s Germany who tried first to prevent the Second World War and then to deny Hitler victory. Based on newly released files, the repeated attempts of the plotters to warn the Allies about Hitler’s plans are revealed. Key strands to the book’s narrative lie with the actions of Abwehr head Admiral Wilhelm Canaris to frustrate Hitler’s policies once the war had started; the plots to kill Hitler and, finally the systematic passage of key German military secrets to London, Washington and Moscow through MI6, the OSS (fore-runner to the CIA) and the “Lucy Ring” Russian spy network based in Switzerland. From 1943 onwards, concerted efforts were made to strike a separate peace with the West to shorten the war and prevent eastern Europe falling under the Soviet yoke.

What is revealed is that the anti-Hitler bomb plots, which have received so much attention are, in fact only a small part of a much wider story; one in which those at the highest levels of the German state used every means possible – conspiracy, assassination, espionage – to ensure that, for the sake of the long-term reputation of their country and the survival of liberal and democratic values, Hitler could not be allowed to win the war. It is a matter of record that the European Union we have today and the nature and central position of Germany within it, is, in very large measure, the future envisaged by the plotters and for which they gave their lives.

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

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2018

About the author

Following service as a Royal Marine Commando officer of a Special Boat Service unit in the Far East, Paddy Ashdown served as a diplomat in the Foreign Officer before, in due course, being elected as the Member of Parliament for Yeovil, serving in that capacity from 1983 to 2001.

Ashdown went on to serve as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1988 to 1999. Afterwards, he was appointed as the international community's High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving from 2002 to 2006.

Ashdown is also an author of many books, which include 'A Brilliant Little Operation (which won the British Army Military History Prize for 2013) and 'The Cruel Victory.'

Reviews

[Marquise · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There are no flawless heroes in this story." That sums up Ashdown's monumental, accurate, nuanced and quite thorough account of the Wehrmacht & Abwehr network that tried of get rid of Hitler since before the war up until the Wolf's Lair bomb plot. Despite it being a thick and detailed tome, it's completely readable and entertaining; you never feel bored or talked down to ever, and although the contents are mostly known accounts as the author himself states, there's still bits here and there that are new, interpretations included. Besides, Mr Ashdown doesn't shy away from less-than-flattering aspects.

[Dave Schoettinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the compelling aspects of adventure stories, such as the Indiana Jones movies, is the ability of the hero to frustrate the constant attempts of his enemies to kill him. Such stories lose a great deal of their quixotic romanticism when Adolf Hitler is substituted for Harrison Ford as the object of the elaborate murder plots. In Paddy Ashdown's telling of the plots focused on Der Fuhrer, Hitler escapes death, not by the quick wit and abundant athleticism exhibited by Jones, but by the inexplicable good fortune reminiscent of the silent movie in which the side of a house falls on Buster Keaton, but Keaton emerges unscathed because he just happens to be standing where the open window in the wall lands. However, Ashdown's intent is not to thrill us with tales of an adventure hero cheating death, but to remind us that many Germans were willing to risk their lives in an attempt to remove the Nazi malignancy from their country.

Ashdown's description of the conspirators indicates the many were drawn from the ranks of the Prussian military aristocracy which had dominated Germany in the centuries preceding World War I. It is easy to see their efforts to eliminate Hitler as the final act of this aristocracy to reassert itself in German society. The author doesn't make this implication, but rather emphasizes the recognition of each individual involved that Hitler's leadership would certainly destroy the country, if not much of the world. His narrative suggests that the atrocities committed in Poland and elsewhere in the early stages of the war triggered the realization of many Germans that they were fighting with, rather than against, the forces of evil and lead many in positions of authority to pass useful information to their Allied opposition. Ashdown theorizes, somewhat wistfully, on the extent of WWII that might have been avoided had the Allies not been so skeptical of the information they were receiving from the anti-Hitler Germans.

Readers can be excused for sometimes losing track of the numerous individuals involved in this narrative, but the author reminds us of who is who and generally provides a story that is not difficult to follow.

[Gram · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive history of the German opposition to Hitler from 1935 – 1944 and the failed assassination attempt carried out by Claus von Stauffenberg on July 20th, 1944. The latter was just one of more than 20 bids to kill Hitler.
Georg Elser, a carpenter, nearly succeeded in blowing Hitler to pieces in a Munich beer hall on 8th November 1939. Many other German civilians, such as students Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans of the White Rose Movement and working class couple Otto and Elise Hempel in Berlin, protested peacefully against Hitler before being executed by the Nazis.
We learn how Admiral Canaris, head of the German foreign intelligence organisation, passed information to the Allies throughout World War II.
The first military plot against Hitler came in 1938 under the leadership of General Ludwig Beck, then Chief of the German General Staff : it was abandoned because Britain and France were unwilling to show support while they still hoped to make peace with Nazi Germany.
The failed July 20th plot wasn't confined to a few senior military officers. Parallel coups, involving hundreds of people from various local and national organisations in Paris, Vienna and Prague were part of the plot which was years in the planning.
In the aftermath the Gestapo arrested 7,000 people and 5,000 were executed.
Ashdown's book also includes the stories of the various spy rings throughout Europe which were fed information by German diplomats and members of the military and intelligence services.
This is a fascinating study of the people living in occupied Europe who were involved in the struggle against Hitler and the Nazis. A must read for students of the history of the Second World War.

[Anthony Stancomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that the world has been waiting for for several decades. It’s the extraordinary story of the various groups that were trying to unseat Hitler from 1933 until 1945.
An amazing amount of effort has clearly gone into researching all the newly available material, and this has enabled the authors to piece together how the plots evolved and the ways in which the plotters attempted to cover their tracks while having to keep their military or government jobs going. Some of the stories are cliff-hangers.
It’s a tangled tale as the canvas stretches over many different fronts, but helped by some deft, crisp prose, it is laid out clearly and succinctly, and you find yourself borne along by the action. Very few, even today, know how widespread the plotting was amongst those who counted in Germany at the time. By the end of the war, a huge number of people were involved in the conspiracies, and what surprised me was that none of the numerous plotters were caught until so much later on.
The book takes you through the story of each of the main plotters, and describes their background and family life – and as their characters are looked into with considerable psychological insight, you get a good look into the German thinking of the time. .
It’s such a good tale, that it will be of interest not only to those conversant with WWII matters, but to anyone interested in our past.
And as with all Paddy Ashdown’s books, it’s a rattling read.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and nuanced analysis of the German anti-Nazi resistance and its extent (much more than you’d think). It also raises a lot of interesting questions about allied policies during the war, especially the demand of unconditional surrender.

The book leaves you to make up your own mind on these difficult questions rather than lecturing or preaching the authors own opinion.

[Philip Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. A little tedious in some places, but that's probably more due to complexity of aspects of the book than it is the author's writing style. Basically tying together a whole bunch of the different accounts of high ranking Germans seeking to overthrow Hitler, it particularly focuses on (but is not limited to) the attempted 1938 coup, the attempted 1939 coup, and the Valkyrie plot. Discusses key figures of the anti-Hitler movement (Canaris, Beck, Goerdeler, von Stauffenberg etc.), making note of their huge contributions while not neglecting to discuss their flaws and limitations, which at least partially contributed to their lack of success. Ich mag dieses Buch.

[Harry Minogue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The can be few subject in history that have been more extensively covered than the Second World War. Every individual aspect, battle, campaign, nation and front has been pored over in a deluge of literature, some it is fair to say of a questionable quality.

It is refreshing therefore that this contribution by the late Paddy Ashdown enjoys the twin virtues of great writing and a little covered subject matter. As can only be expected with espionage and the activities of perceived traitors, certain archives and source materials could not be used on security grounds for many years (c.f. the 1970s otherwise exhaustative 'The World At War' unable to explore the codebreakers of Bletchley Park). Free of such restrictions, Ashdown regails the story of the German resistance to Hitler and the Nazis with considerable readability and interest. Tales of extraordinary heroism, bravery and cunning come alive on the page and this book is a worthy addition to the WW2 canon.

Histories is always, whether intentionally or not, a reflection of the times in which they are written. Ashdown takes particular care to highlight the visionary ideals of army figures who saw Germany's future within the dream of a federated Europe, and conducted their peace negotiations with the allies along these lines. Written and published in the Brexit era, Ashdown pointedly celebrates the remarkable foresight and idealism that influenced the post-war settlement and what eventually became the European Union. Some might find the shadow of Brexit in the text a little on the nose but it is certainly a valuable and valid contrast to be drawn between the horrors of the war, and the comparative peace and prosperity of Europe in the years since.

A rock solid read. Informative, entertaining and reflective. Highly recommended.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The most terrible thing is knowing that we cannot succeed and yet that we have to do it, for the sake of our children..."

Written by one of the plotters in the tense leadup to the June 20 plot to assassinate Hitler, this line made me realize the tremendous debt that I as a German citizen owe to these brave men and women. Even in the moments when their cause seemed hopeless and they were sure that some demonic force protected Hitler, these brave souls still believed that they had a moral obligation to show the world that not all Germans had fallen for the lies of death, brutality, and hate.

As Ashdown acknowledges at the end of the book, there are no perfect heroes in this story. Some of them were ardent Nazis in the early years. Some of them began as anti-Semites before witnessing the Holocaust. Some of them lost their nerve at critical moments.
But all of them still fought for what was right. They put their lives (and those of their loved ones) on the line because they believed that Hitler was the anti-Christ of their day, the great evil that must be extirpated even at the cost of all else. And through all of this, they had to sacrifice their militaristic pride and their sense of nationalism, realizing in the end that they might kill Hitler and still find their country violently dismembered by the Allies. They had to accept the fact that, by undermining Hitler's battle plans and leaking his strategies to the Allies, they were also sentencing thousands of young German men to death on the frontlines. They had to come to terms with the fact that they could not protect themselves, their fellow plotters, or even their families from the wrath that would come if their plot failed.

And they still did what was right.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Hands down one of the best non-fiction reads I've ever found.

[Sam Romilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book and gripping read. It nicely complements the book I have just finished, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by Shirer, William L. , by bringing it up to date with the latest discoveries.

It raises fascinating moral questions about the role of spies and how treachery has to be balanced by personal moral judgements about the evil of the society to which you could belong. It seems the Russians had advance warning of every strategic intention of the German army. This could well have been sufficient to have prevented them from winning the Eastern Front. Which on the one hand is good for if Hitler had won the world would have been a much darker place today. However, it came at the cost of hundreds of thousands of german soldiers lives who died because those at the highest levels of their command were betraying them to the enemy. Spying is a dirty game and every nation has suffered the consequence. This book reveals how Kim Philby in Britain was instrumental in blocking the german conspirators attempts to bring about an early end to the war, as this would have led to defeat of Stalin.

Conspiring and fighting against a state you no longer believe in must be one of the hardest moral dilemmas to address for you are much more likely to be considered a traitor by your contemporaries and only possibly a hero by future generations. And it is thanks to books such as this one from Paddy Ashdown that so many of these brave men and women can be acknowledged as heros, and not left forgotten and written out of history.

A fine memoral to the life of Paddy Ashdown - who must have been proud to have seen this published in his lifetime.

[Paul Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully written and professionally constructed book. Paddy Ashdown introduces us to the main players, the brave Germans who realised quite early what Hitler was and what his destructive impact on Germany and Europe would be. He explains their characters, backgrounds, then their roles throughout the war. The multiple plots to assassinate Hitler, the way messages were passed from German high command via various routes to inform the western allies and the Russians, information that certainly changed the course of the war. The multiple various attempts to broker a peace and shorten the war and the reasons why they were either disbelieved or politically ignored. The hunt to track down these 'traitors' is explained, the sad inevitable end for many, but also for those who survived the war what happened to them in the following years. If ever a book deserved supporting by appropriate pictures and photos it was this one, we are reminded that they are human, that this isn't a spy novel, but was real life. Ashdown does himself great credit by not hero worshiping anyone, and the main characters flaws and their part in atrocities are also revealed. Ashdown rounds off the history chapters by putting things into context mentioning more than a few times the current EU. Finally there is extensive cross referencing and index. This excellent publication perfectly bridges between an easily read 'spy novel' and 'detailed historical account' covering a subject area that is rarely touched upon as a single subject in other WW2 histories. Well thought out, well presented, easily to read and rounded off well by Paddy Ashdown's own conclusions. Very good!

[Tasman District Libraries]

This book caught my attention by its well written blurb on the inside of the front cover. It begins like this:
“In his last days, Adolf Hitler raged in his bunker that he had been betrayed by his own people, defeated from the inside. In part, he was right. By 1945, his armies were being crushed on all fronts, his regime collapsing with many fleeing retribution for their crimes. Yet, even before the war started, there were Germans very high in Hitler’s command committed to bringing about his death and defeat.”
I had never realized that within the Nazi Party itself there were some very courageous people who were utterly against Hitler and all he stood for. It seems many of them were initially quite supportive, wishing to undo the harm the Treaty of Versailles had inflicted on Germany after the First World War, but there were a number of men and women, particularly in the army who came to realize that what Hitler represented had no place in their own lives. These people did their best to undermine him by passing on relevant information to those who were opposing him in other countries.
Paddy Ashdown starts the book by detailing the lives of each of these individuals with their strengths and weaknesses, and then goes on to tell how they worked together to do as much harm to the regime as they could.
It is well worth a read for those interested in history.
AS

[Eric Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a surprising book. I expected an account of the numerous small-scale attempts by individuals and tiny groups of decent Germans to oppose the Nazi regime, such as the famous White Rose group. Instead, this book is more like a detailed account, almost day by day, of a conspiracy that began in the mid 1930s and culminated in the 20 July 1944 attempted assassination of Hitler. Central to the conspiracy was Admiral Canaris, head of the Abwehr, and secret opponent of the Nazis. Why it took nearly a decade for the assassination attempt to finally happen is explained in some detail, but the lengthy period is also an answer to those who claim that the German generals and politicians involved in the 1944 conspiracy were doing so only because Germany had already lost the war. As Ashdown points out, many of the conspirators were involved even while Hitler was triumphant. I found some of Ashdown’s conclusions a bit harsh, such as a his condemnation of Roosevelt for insisting on unconditional surrender rather than a negotiated peace with Germany. But on the whole an interesting book telling a largely unknown story. What a pity that it was Paddy Ashdown’s last, as he passed away earlier this year.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a slightly dry start, I found the latter 2/3rds very interesting, covering an area I know relatively little about, the Germans who weren't the baddies.

The start wasn't necessarily written poorly, just that by introducing the (previously unknown to me) main players one by one it was difficult to distinguish between them, being names on a page rather than distinct people. However once the book detailed the timeline of events I found it much more engaging, the events worthy of a work of fiction given the near-misses and escapes. The Geneva spy network was also intriguing, as was the Swiss' collective indifference to officially severe crimes.

It didn't require the author's note to know that a lot of research was required for this given the level of detail, but I felt this was more than a dry account. For me the most interesting part was the contrast between the strength of conviction of many of the resistors, and their willingness to risk their positions should their plot fail. At times it felt like the most basic of sitcom plots, where the 'right time' to break bad news never presents itself.

I don't read many history books and nor am I that knowledgeable about WWII so I don't know how this book compares to others, but in the end I found it engaging and informative.

[Gemma Milne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an eye-opening, thought-provoking, tough-at-points, wonderful history read. It centres on the stories of those who opposed Hitler in the highest ranks of German society and military, and how they along with the global spy circuits worked to bring the war to an end.

As Ashdown writes at one point: “...though flawless hero’s are absent here, heroism and heroic acts are not.”

This sentiment is true of the anti-Hitler plotters the book centres on, but the ‘no flawless heroes’ point extends to so many outside Germany who are so often lauded as heroic figures.

It was a conflicting read, as relevant today as ever. It made me realise how little I know about WWII, and how much will most likely never be known by anyone.

It was a pernickety read at points - it’s a history book at the end of the day - but once I settled into the flow, I was hooked.
.
If you want to read about the war, but are looking for a different way of looking at things, I can’t recommend this enough.

[Jacob Thommesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

En vigtig bog om modstand mod Hitler indenfor det tyske militær. Vigtigt at høre, at der faktisk var modstand næsten hele vejen. Og at der faktisk var et par muligheder `udefra`for at få afsat Hitler:
Chamberlains `fred i vor tid` var ikke alene en data fejlbedømmelse, men også grus i maskineriet på samtidige (annoncerede) planer om et attentat og en overtagelse af magten.
Og senere gjorde Churchill`s krav om `unconditional surrender` (?) det svært at få opbakning til attentat og kup.
Bogen bør dog ikke læses som en total genoprejsning af det tyske militær som stakkels ofre for en ryggesløs bande stratenrøvere, men for at åbne øjnene for visse spor af samvittighed og modstand.

Flere passager i bogen bruger dog meget tid på at beskrive kendte begivenheder i krigen uden at tydeliggøre modstandens og de indre spioners betydning

[Jeffery Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the cover says Adolf Hitler raged in his bunker that he had been betrayed by his own people, defeated from the inside. In part, he was right. By 1945, his armies were being crushed on all fronts, his regime collapsing with many fleeing retribution for their crimes. Yet, even before the war started, there were Germans very high in Hitler's command committed to bringing about his death and defeat. Paddy Ashdown tells, for the first time, the story of those at the very top of Hitler's Germany who tried first to prevent the Second World War and then to deny Hitler victory.
I was particularly taken by insights into the British Prime Minister Chamberlain. Especially telling about Chamberlain going to Munich and thereby spoiling a plot to remove Hitler. A fine memorial to Paddy Ashdown, the important British Liberal politician.

[Nicola Pgf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book although it took a little time as I am no SME around military surveillance. The book concentrates on those who opposed Hitler from the high echelons of his command structure. The network of espionage from within his ranks was far reaching. When reading this book I could think only, of the bravery of those Individuals that saw no alternative but to enter into what would have been considered treacherous activity toward the “Fatherland” . Their efforts to frustrate Hitlers intentions towards war ultimately led to their execution. The book collates the many foiled attempts / missed opportunities to overthrow Hitler and indicates the repeated appeal to the allies to support such a coup.
Full of intrigue throughout. To read their story is to hopefully acknowledge and never forget their sacrifice

[Fiona Zakka · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you always wondered how Hitler was allowed to do all those horrible things and why no one stopped him for such a long period of time, then you have to read this book. It is the story of people in “high places” how tried multiple times to stop him but failed. It is also the story of how twisted war makes people and how hard it is to find ways to get a message across when there is no trusting anyone. It is also the story not often highlighted by history books that shows how national strategy and personal gain can lead to millions of lives being wasted. Read this book it is interesting and didactic at the same time. I also really liked the final chapters I think they just made the book more human to me.

[John Hodgkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As this is an area of history that I find fascinating and which I also studied, I was eagerly awaiting this book and was not disaointed. Paddy Ashdown, who sadly recently died, really did some in-depth research and uncovered many facts which were previously not available to the public.
However, the one criticism I have, is that the majority of the subjects who stood up to the Nazis he writes about were limited to the German heirarchy and the Red Orchestra. There is not much about the "ordibary" people. Having said that, this is still a major tome on the resistance to Hitler and his henchmen and we'll worth the reading.

[Chris Hagen · Rating 4 out of 5]

By tracking high level resistance to Hitler from before the beginning of WW2, NEIN refutes the idea that opposition to Hitler was only apparent once the war started going against Germany.

The book climaxes with Operation Valkyrie, but shows how the protagonists other than Stauffenberg had sought to frustrate Hitler’s will. The fact that the head of the Abwehr (German MI6) was constantly undermining the Nazi war effort blew my tiny mind.

Mild annoyance that the author kept referring to Hitler as demonic a LOT in the first third or so.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although much of the information is not new, this is a fascinating and coherent narrative of the high-level opposition to Adolf Hitler before and during the Second World War, by the late Paddy Ashdown. Apart from telling the stories of Wilhelm Canaris, Carl Goerdeler,Claus von Stauffenberg and others, he examines the role of the Allies. FDR insisted on unconditional surrender, a planned 'collective punishment of the German people' that scotched any chance of broader support for 'treason' and indirectly facilitated Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.

[Peter Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a lot of books about World War Two it was a surprise to find such a fresh and informative perspective on the conflict in this book. Paddy Ashdown's account of the German resistance against Hitler is lucid, thought-provoking and insightful. His analysis of the impact these men had on the course of the war, specifically in the intelligence they fed to the Allied cause is spot-on. A very enjoyable and stimulating read.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A side of the war you aren't taught at school (well not in England). A side of war that inst often talked about but is "secretly" a massive part of the conflict. The lengths these people went to prevent war and stop it when it started portrays the conflict in a new light, and supports the saying not everything is black and white. This is an interesting read to anyone who enjoys the subject of war or the era however it isnt going to be an instant recommendation from me for those that aren't.

[Katri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow I just couldn't get into it. I don't really like books about spies but this had an interesting theme so I picked it up. The book itself was a bit boresome, perhaps it was the writing style. I can't really pintpoint why I didn't enjoy this much, Overall the book could have been a bit more compact.

[Sam Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant book, telling the story of extraordinary people who stayed true to their ideals in the face of great personal danger to themselves while knowing they had little to no chance of success.

[stuart gifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book.

[Logan Jory]

Eye opening and inspiring to now know more about those whose conscience was strong enough that they'd rather die and be on the right side of history than go along with the regime

[Phil Cotnoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this account of a little-known aspect of WW2.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning. Makes you realise how much history you take for granted. Brilliant, brilliant book.

[Stuart David McMullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and almost unbelievable, how did Hitler escape his fate for so long and so many times? The spy stories in this book are great - they took such risks!