German Students' War Letters

by Philipp Witkop, A. F. Wedd (Translator), Jay Winter (Contributor)

Originally appearing at the same time as the pacifist novel All Quiet on the Western Front , this powerful collection provides a glimpse into the hearts and minds of an enemy that had been thoroughly demonized by the Allied press. Composed by German students who had left their university studies in order to participate in World War I, these letters reveal the struggles and hardships that all soldiers face.

The stark brutality and surrealism of war are revealed as young men from Germany describe their bitter combat and occasional camaraderie with soldiers from many nations, including France, Great Britain, and Russia. Like its companion volume, War Letters of Fallen Englishmen , these letters were carefully selected for their depth of perception, the intensity of their descriptions, and their messages to future generations. "Should these letters help towards the establishment of justice and better understanding between nations," the editor reflects in his introduction, "their deaths will not have been in vain." This edition contains a new foreword by the distinguished World War I historian Jay Winter.

Genres: History, German Literature, Nonfiction, World War I

408 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2002

Reviews

[Robert's reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as part of my postgraduate research. Horrific descriptions of the war, intermingled with the beautiful renditions of comradeship and purpose. The enemy is largely absent from these letters and when they are depicted it is as nothing different than the German soldiers themselves. Presents the German soldier as cultural and intellectual, although of course these were students! A very interesting and thought provoking read. I feel so lucky that nothing on this scale has happened in my lifetime.