The Thanks of the Fatherland: German Veterans After the Second World War Horror Book Review

“A very interesting and readable account of how former Nazi war veterans reacted to defeat in 1945, and successfully re-adjusted to life under the Federal German Republic.”—History Today (UK) 

“A major contribution to the early history of the Federal Republic. . . . Provides the first systematic account of one of the most important chapters of postwar West German social welfare policy.”—American Historical Review 

“This cogently written and organized work analyzes the social, economic, and political integration of organized veterans into the Federal Republic of Germany during the decade following World War II.”—German Studies Review 

”[An] important monograph that evaluates a wide range of archival materials and, in an extensive conclusion, offers many thoughtful comparisons concerning the situation of German ex-soldiers and their families after the two World Wars.”—Journal of Modern History 

“Meticulously researched and ably written. . . . It deserves serious attention.”—Central European History 

“The first full-scale study of veterans’ politics in Germany after World War II. In analyzing how German soldiers’ organizations behaved in the postwar milieu, Diehl provides an invaluable case study in the political culture of the young Federal Republic.  His book is thoroughly grounded in archival research, intelligently conceptualized, and very gracefully written.”—David C. Large, Montana State University