Gerhard Schreiber (26 July 1940 – 17 May 2017) was a German military historian who specialised in the German-Italian relations during the

Nazi era Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. He was a widely published author on the history of

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. Schreiber 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

Schreiber studied history and art history at the

University of Hamburg The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vor ...

. He earned his PhD in 1978 with a study on the German-Italian relations from 1919 to 1944; his scientific advisor was historian . Schreiber was a researcher at the Military History Research Office (MGFA) from 1974 to 1996.

Historian of Nazi Germany

Schreiber conducted extensive research into the German-Italian relations prior and during

, including the fate of the Italian soldiers interned by Germany after the occupation of the country by Germany in 1943. His 1990 book ''Deutsche Kriegsverbrechen in Italien 1943/45. Geschraten, Verachtet, vergessen" he Italian Military Internees in the German Sphere, 1943 to 1945: Betrayed, Despised, Forgotten' is considered a standard work on the topic. Schreiber was one of the first German historians to write about the

Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...

and

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

crimes in Italy, including the

Sant'Anna di Stazzema massacre The Sant'Anna di Stazzema massacre was a German war crime committed in the hill village of Sant'Anna di Stazzema in Tuscany, Italy, in the course of an operation against the Italian resistance movement during the Italian Campaign of World War I ...

, in his work ''Deutsche Kriegsverbrechen in Italien. Täter, Opfer, Strafverfolgung erman War Crimes in Italy—Culprits, Victims, Prosecution'. Schreiber contributed to volumes III ''The Mediterranean, South-East Europe, and North Africa 1939–1942'' and VIII ''The Eastern Front 1943-1944: The War in the East and on the Neighbouring Fronts'' of '' Germany and the Second World War''. In Volume III, Schreiber focused on "Hitler's failure to establish true alliances rather than satellite relationships in which Germany always maintained the upper hand". 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 Mazowe ...

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. III: The Mediterranean, South-East Europe, and North Africa 1939–1942''. With

Bernd Stegemann 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'' fr ...

and

Detlef Vogel Detlev Vogel (born 1942) is a German historian who specialises in the history of Nazi Germany and World War II. He has been a long-time employee of the German Military History Research Office (MGFA).Karl-Heinz Frieser Karl-Heinz Frieser (born 1949 in Pressath, Bavaria) is a German military historian and a retired colonel of the German Army. Life Frieser joined the German Army in 1970 and started studying political science as well as history in 1978. In 1981 ...

, Klaus Schmider, Klaus Schönherr,

Krisztián Ungváry Krisztián Ungváry (born 30 October 1969) is a Hungarian historian of 20th century political and military history. He wrote about the siege of Budapest in World War II and researched the work of the secret service under the communist period o ...

, and

Bernd Wegner Bernd Wegner (born 1949) is a German historian who specialises in military history and the history of Nazism. Since 1997 he has been professor of modern history at the Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg, Germany. Wegner is a contributor to th ...

In German

* ''Revisionismus und Weltmachtstreben.'' Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 1978, . * ''Hitler-Interpretationen 1923–1983.'' Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1984, . * ''Die italienischen Militärinternierten im deutschen Machtbereich 1943 bis 1945. Verraten – Verachtet – Vergessen'' (= ''Beiträge zur Militärgeschichte.'' Band 28). Oldenbourg, München 1990, . * ''Deutsche Kriegsverbrechen in Italien. Täter, Opfer, Strafverfolgung.'' Beck, München 1996, . * ''Der Zweite Weltkrieg.'' Beck, München 2002, . (5. Auflage 2013) * ''Kurze Geschichte des Zweiten Weltkriegs.'' Beck, München 2005, .

References

* * * *

External links

Review of Volume VIII of ''Germany and the Second World War
'' H-Net'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schreiber, Gerhard 1940 births 2017 deaths German military historians Historians of World War II German male non-fiction writers Military History Research Office (Germany) personnel 20th-century German historians