Bernd Stegemann (1938 – 2014) was a German military and naval historian. He was a long-term researcher at the Military History Research Office (MGFA) and contributor to two volumes of the seminal series '' Germany and the Second World War'' from the MGFA.

Education and career

Stegemann received his PhD in 1968 at the

Free University Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...

with a dissertation on the German naval policy of 1916–1918, also published as a book; his scientific advisor had been historian . Throughout his career at MGFA, Stegemann specialised in the German military and naval history during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Historian of Nazi Germany

Stegemann contributed to volumes II ''Germany's Initial Conquests in Europe'' and III ''The Mediterranean, South-East Europe, and North Africa 1939–1942'' of '' Germany and the Second World War''. In Volume II, he focused on the German sea power, demonstrating its shortcomings of German air and sea power. Historian Dennis Showalter calls the chapter dedicated to the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

"excellent", noting that Stegemann and co-author make a convincing case that the German defeat "rendered the spectacular continental victories of 1940 ultimately sterile". In Volume III, Stegmann analysed the North Africa campaign, bringing into focus "the subtext on the operational risks of waging war on a shoestring". Historian

Gerhard Weinberg Gerhard Ludwig Weinberg (born 1 January 1928) is a German-born American diplomatic and military historian noted for his studies in the history of Nazi Germany and World War II. Weinberg is the William Rand Kenan, Jr. Professor Emeritus of History ...

considered Stegemann's account of Field Marshal

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

's conduct of the desert war to be the best account on the topic (as of 1996). Historian

Mark Mazower Mark Mazower (; born 20 February 1958) is a British historian. His expertise are Greece, the Balkans and, more generally, 20th-century Europe. He is Ira D. Wallach Professor of History at Columbia University in New York City Early life Mazo ...

called Volume III "definitive" and praised it for its "range and intellectual energy". He notes that the authors are widely read on the topics and are familiar with the existing controversies in the field, expertly guiding the reader through them.

Selected works

In English

*'' Germany and the Second World War'' **''Vol. II: Germany's Initial Conquests in Europe''. With , Horst Rohde, Hans Umbreit **''Vol. III: The Mediterranean, South-East Europe, and North Africa 1939–1942''. With Gerhard Schreiber, Detlef Vogel

In German

*''Die deutsche Marinepolitik 1916 bis 1918'', Historische Forschungen Heft 4, Berlin: Duncker und Humblot 1970 *''Zur Problematik des uneingeschränkten U-Boot-Krieges 1917'', in: Marine-Rundschau, Band 65, 1968, Heft 3, S. 157-166 *''Der U-Boot-Krieg im Jahre 1918'', Marine-Rundschau, Band 65, 1968, Heft 5, S. 333-345 *''Hitlers Ziele im ersten Kriegsjahr 1939/40''. Ein Beitrag zur Quellenkritik, in: Militärgeschichtliche Mitteilungen (MGM), Band 27, 1980, S. 93

References

* * * *

External links

Review of Volumes I and II of ''Germany and the Second World War''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stegemann, Bernd 1938 births 2014 deaths German military historians Historians of World War II German male non-fiction writers Military History Research Office (Germany) personnel 20th-century German historians