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Album Of The Damned: Snapshots From The Third Reich
The nearly 400 WWII photographs in this book were taken primarily by German soldiers; some by civilians; some by professionals embedded with the troops.
Consequently, many of them depict everyday jobs, weddings, dinners, musical and other social events—men and women at work and play as well as at war, a war that nearly consumed Europe.
It is precisely the seemingly ordinary aspect of these snapshots—taken for family albums and for friends—that makes them so disturbing, because some of the subjects who smile benignly at the camera are the very same people who participated in the murder of millions of European Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Roma, intellectuals, homosexuals, clergy, adults, children, and infants. And they killed with apparent equanimity, without hesitation, without doubt, without regret.
Album of the Damned contains pictures mostly never seen before, the majority of which were once in family albums and are pictured here with their original paper frames. Their impact is deeply disturbing precisely because they are so pedestrian. Thus, in this book, the questions once again arise as they have for so many How could such ordinary people commit such brutal acts? How was it possible?
The questions remain unanswerable, as they ever will be.
The author acquired these photographs from some fifteen countries during a five-year research effort, reviewing more than 100,000 images from which he made his selection. He bid in auctions against museums and private collectors to create a WWII photo history unlike perhaps any other.
Consequently, many of them depict everyday jobs, weddings, dinners, musical and other social events—men and women at work and play as well as at war, a war that nearly consumed Europe.
It is precisely the seemingly ordinary aspect of these snapshots—taken for family albums and for friends—that makes them so disturbing, because some of the subjects who smile benignly at the camera are the very same people who participated in the murder of millions of European Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Roma, intellectuals, homosexuals, clergy, adults, children, and infants. And they killed with apparent equanimity, without hesitation, without doubt, without regret.
Album of the Damned contains pictures mostly never seen before, the majority of which were once in family albums and are pictured here with their original paper frames. Their impact is deeply disturbing precisely because they are so pedestrian. Thus, in this book, the questions once again arise as they have for so many How could such ordinary people commit such brutal acts? How was it possible?
The questions remain unanswerable, as they ever will be.
The author acquired these photographs from some fifteen countries during a five-year research effort, reviewing more than 100,000 images from which he made his selection. He bid in auctions against museums and private collectors to create a WWII photo history unlike perhaps any other.
410 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 22, 2010
"How cute!" was a woman's response when she saw the cover photo as
I checked this book out from the library; a baby in a stroller with an
officer's cap humorously placed upon its head.
The photos are definitely worth a look, those alone I'd award 5 stars.
However the accompanying text has the appearance and quality of a high
school history paper.
The author supplies a short caption to most photos, often relaying
to the reader what is written on the back of the picture, all that is
well and good. He should have stopped there.
After every few pictures he extrapolates on the photo contents, often
continuing on a strained tangent. It's clear that the author is looking
at the photo, checking a history book out of interest, and then tries to
tell us what it means, Unfortunately it's apparent the author does not
have a background in WW2 so makes assumptions.
Many paragraphs are partially repeated showing they were
written over a stretch of time and not reviewed when compiled
later into one volume.
A simple proofreading could have caught a lot of typos and
sentences that don't make grammatical sense. An Editor or an
acquaintance that had some basic experience in WW2 also would
have made all the difference.
Just a few of the items that I noticed -
- the Kriegsmarine was created in 1833 - should be 1935. A typo
of 1933? at least get the century right.
- the RAF bombs a U-boat diesel engine factory - The author
explains this will cut the flow of fuel to the U-boats.
(What the engines come with a full tank?)
- A photo of a Kriegsmarine chaplain - author explains the only
way you can tell he's a chaplain is the small Cross on his cap.
Well how about the BIG Cross insignia on the officer's lapel?
According to the bio the author has created photo albums on a
variety of subjects, so in regards to his expertise, this is
a most embarrassing gaffe.
- the phrase 'the famous Panzer and Panther tanks' shows he
doesn't really have a grasp of the subject.
- a paragraph on the 88 shows similar confusion.
- he cites the Italian war dead on the Russian front to be
82,000, two pages later, 174,000, then later 45,000, so
take your pick.
The general tone of the book is irony- look at these nice,
everyday folks, think about the war that their Germany caused.
A modern irony I couldn't help but muse upon was a photo of a
German woman smoking a cigarette. The explanation tells us the Nazis
frowned on smoking for health reasons and if a woman was smoking
in public she'd be accosted by their fellow citizens and informed of
the Party line. Gee, I'm sure that happens a few dozen times a day,
for men & women, where I live.
January 11, 2010
This book was as fascinating as it was hard to read. Garson does an excellent job at weaving both interesting trivia and horrifying facts into a book displaying both the human and monstrous side of life in the Third Reich. I couldn't put it down, yet there were times that I had to stop and take a deep, shuddering breath, as the author brings the German side of the war right home.
We tend to think of the German soldiers as without family. Lacking brides, sons, daughters. There are many who would like to think of those who fought for the Fuhrer as soulless, but the photographs in this book make their humanity extremely hard to ignore.
The bibliography is extensive, and matches well the huge collection of German snapshots that Garson has painstakingly collected. The writing is factual, but it is not the dry voice of a ancient WWII historian. It is shocking often, and causes you to think.
Some things I learned from this book:
-Cash bonuses and copies of Mein Kampf were given to newlyweds. Women with four or more children were given medals or commendations.
-The Hitler Youth organization accepted boys at the age of 14, grooming them to become soldiers. "Hitler summed up the organization's import when he said 'A violently active, dominating, brutal youth - that is what I am after.'"
-The Hitler Youth and the BDM (Bund Deutche Madel) or League of German Girls were some of the most fierce fighters at the end of the war. Often, they would fight to the death.
-Henry Ford was an early supporter of the Nazi party, contributing money to the NSDAP. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the German Eagle by Hitler, and his German auto plants turned out automobiles and tanks to mobilize the German army.
-Ferdinand Porsche was actually the man who designed the first Volkswagen. His son, Ferry, was the one who introduced the world to the fast and sleek sports car now associated with that name.
There is so much more in this book, and the huge bibliography provides a reading list that will keep one busy for a good long while. I recommend this to anyone even remotely interested in WWII history.
We tend to think of the German soldiers as without family. Lacking brides, sons, daughters. There are many who would like to think of those who fought for the Fuhrer as soulless, but the photographs in this book make their humanity extremely hard to ignore.
The bibliography is extensive, and matches well the huge collection of German snapshots that Garson has painstakingly collected. The writing is factual, but it is not the dry voice of a ancient WWII historian. It is shocking often, and causes you to think.
Some things I learned from this book:
-Cash bonuses and copies of Mein Kampf were given to newlyweds. Women with four or more children were given medals or commendations.
-The Hitler Youth organization accepted boys at the age of 14, grooming them to become soldiers. "Hitler summed up the organization's import when he said 'A violently active, dominating, brutal youth - that is what I am after.'"
-The Hitler Youth and the BDM (Bund Deutche Madel) or League of German Girls were some of the most fierce fighters at the end of the war. Often, they would fight to the death.
-Henry Ford was an early supporter of the Nazi party, contributing money to the NSDAP. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the German Eagle by Hitler, and his German auto plants turned out automobiles and tanks to mobilize the German army.
-Ferdinand Porsche was actually the man who designed the first Volkswagen. His son, Ferry, was the one who introduced the world to the fast and sleek sports car now associated with that name.
There is so much more in this book, and the huge bibliography provides a reading list that will keep one busy for a good long while. I recommend this to anyone even remotely interested in WWII history.
November 25, 2010
Interesting premise, good photo collection, annoying and shallow history. A terrible habit of waxing philosophical about the expressions of people in snapshots (yes, I'm sure some people were feeling deep emotions, but for god's sake sometimes the camera just catches people making funny faces and we all know it) rounds off a book that's good to look at but bad to read. Sorry, Garson, but the nonfiction section is not the place to editorialize, and I get annoyed when you simultaneously insist that the Holocaust was perpetrated by very few people but that everyone must have known, and it bothers me that you love ominous ruminations on how sinisterly-perfectly-normal Germans are, but never stop to examine the situation that drove them crazy. It's your book, you don't have to be perceptive or fair, but I wish you had been, because I'm sure this thing is going to sell well.
November 29, 2018
This is a sort of picture album testament to the banality of evil. The author has apparently accumulated some 100,000 images shot by German civilians and military taken during the Nazi regimes period of power. The photos depict daily life, social occasions in the Fatherland where happy Nazis go about their daily lives. Other photos are taken on the front-lines and are a mix of wartime holiday snaps, group photos taken during time off from genocide duties, shots of people under occupation and with the fear of death hanging over them and some shots of the brutality and destruction of war. It is an interesting and huge collection which I think is powerful for its portrayal of the very banality of evil. The book however, in my view, is let down by the captioning which often seems sloppy or just wrong. While some valuable points are made (especially concerning the failure of the BRD to seriously pursue or punish the perpetrators of Nazi crimes against humanity) a good editor could probably have tidied up the script and captioning to give the album the professional feel it deserves yet lacks. A worthwhile project flawed in its production.
February 2, 2023
This book is a collection of photos and snapshots taken during the rise of the Third Reich and WWII. Do not expect to see combat photos, these are haunting pictures of everyday life and family situations taken during one of the most tumultuous in history. Haunting and disturbing because the people in the photos seem so normal, but we as modern readers know just what was truly happening at the time the photos were taken, and we have learned what some of these people were capable and guilty of doing. Very interesting commentary is included with many of the pictures, and raise the age-old questions of how could this have ever have happened.
March 31, 2019
A good peak at the people behind the inhumanity!!
October 6, 2025
4.5.
Fascinating look into different aspects of the Third Reich. author had a flair for the dramatic and reading into expressions
Fascinating look into different aspects of the Third Reich. author had a flair for the dramatic and reading into expressions
January 14, 2015
I was hoping for general shots of life in Germany before and during WWII, to go along with my Rise and Fall book (which is good but no illustrations at all). This book did give a variety of types of pictures, but I think nearly every picture is of someone wearing a military uniform. Somehow I think 100% of the people in Germany did not wear uniforms in this period. It gave an odd view.
November 20, 2008
See pictures of Nazi's break-dancing, Nazi's playing with kittens, Nazi snowball fights, Nazi's making music, overbearing Nazi mothers, Nazi boy scouts, a Nazi pyramid at the beach, and then think about how twisted these people really were.
October 2, 2010
Decent pictures, awful writing.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews