TY - JOUR

T1 - The Wehrmacht’s Complicity in Late-War Genocide

T2 - The Palmnicken Massacre and the Military in East Prussia, 1944–1945

AU - Willems, Bastiaan

PY - 2023/12/7

Y1 - 2023/12/7

N2 - By examining the death marches from Stutthof’s East Prussian subcamps in January 1945 and the following “Palmnicken Massacre,” this article retraces the role of the Wehrmacht in late-war genocidal violence. Scholars have established the complicity of Wehrmacht soldiers in acts of genocide during their stay on the Eastern Front, and documented the racist mindset that underpinned their behavior. Yet no such research exists on the final year of the war. From Summer 1944 until May 1945, the Wehrmacht’s main task was to defend its home soil. Scholarship has thus focused more on the military’s defense of Germany rather than their willingness to support the regime’s genocidal demands. This article argues that many Wehrmacht commanders were fully aware of the genocide perpetrated in their midst during the war’s final months, and when called upon, different Wehrmacht commanders actively assisted the SS in carrying out the regime’s racist mission even at the very end of the war. Finally, the author reveals how the military attempted to conceal these acts of violence throughout the postwar years.

AB - By examining the death marches from Stutthof’s East Prussian subcamps in January 1945 and the following “Palmnicken Massacre,” this article retraces the role of the Wehrmacht in late-war genocidal violence. Scholars have established the complicity of Wehrmacht soldiers in acts of genocide during their stay on the Eastern Front, and documented the racist mindset that underpinned their behavior. Yet no such research exists on the final year of the war. From Summer 1944 until May 1945, the Wehrmacht’s main task was to defend its home soil. Scholarship has thus focused more on the military’s defense of Germany rather than their willingness to support the regime’s genocidal demands. This article argues that many Wehrmacht commanders were fully aware of the genocide perpetrated in their midst during the war’s final months, and when called upon, different Wehrmacht commanders actively assisted the SS in carrying out the regime’s racist mission even at the very end of the war. Finally, the author reveals how the military attempted to conceal these acts of violence throughout the postwar years.

KW - Political Science and International Relations

KW - Sociology and Political Science

KW - History

U2 - 10.1093/hgs/dcad056

DO - 10.1093/hgs/dcad056

M3 - Journal article

VL - 37

SP - 423

EP - 437

JO - Holocaust and Genocide Studies

JF - Holocaust and Genocide Studies

SN - 8756-6583

IS - 3

ER -