Hitler’s Bandit Hunters

''Hitler's Bandit Hunters: The SS and the Nazi Occupation of Europe'' is a 2006 book by the British author and researcher Philip W. Blood. It discusses the evolution of German rear security policies during World War II, from ''Partisanenkrieg'' (partisan warfare) to '' Bandenbekämpfung'' (bandit fighting), leading to mass crimes against humanity and genocide.

Themes

''Hitler’s Bandit Hunters'' initially examines German rear security doctrines and how they had been shaped by experiences of German military forces against ''francs-tireurs'' in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the German colonial wars at the turn of the 19th century and World War I. According to historian Lee Baker, these experiences formed "a potent and deadly matrix in which attacks behind the front were perceived as criminal banditry and therefore required total annihilation". Immediately after the start of World War II in Europe, and especially during the German–Soviet War, 1941–45, these doctrines were combined with the genocidal plans of the Nazi regime for the racial reshaping of the Eastern Europe to secure the so-called living space (''Lebensraum'') for Germany.

The book explores the functioning and operations of the rear security units and the close cooperation between the German armed forces (the ''Wehrmacht'' (German Army) and the ''Waffen-SS'' (Armed SS), the auxiliary collaborationist units and the security forces of the SS). From 1942, rear security operations were coordinated by Erich von dem Bach-Zalewski, as head of '' Bandenbekämpfung'' ("bandit fighting") for occupied Europe. The operations were, in the word of historian Ben H. Shepherd who reviewed the work for American Historical Review, a "cover for a vast enterprise of terror and exploitation". The accounts are detailed, giving a vivid picture of operations across Europe.

The last sections detail how the principles of ''Bandenbekämpfung'' were exported from the Soviet Union to the rest of occupied Europe. The author argues that war crimes and atrocities committed in the West were not aberrations but a planned campaign directed by the chief of the SS, Heinrich Himmler.

Reception

Shepherd writes that the book "breaks new, important ground" in the study of German rear-security operations during World War II. He finds that Blood "has rendered an invaluable service" in his study of doctrines of German security warfare and the mentality of its higher-level commanders. The findings, according to Shepherd, "illuminate these issues to a new and unsettling degree".

Campbell on the other hand, finds that although the book performs several important tasks, it does none of them well. One of its greatest problems, he contends, is a lack of conceptual clarity. For instance, while categorically stating that ''Bandenbekämpfung'' was different to ''Partisanenkämpfung'', Blood never explains what the difference was. He finds that although several important areas are identified, the book does not illuminate them sufficiently.

Baker, writing for ''The Journal of Military History'', commends the book for its thorough analysis and convincing conclusions,

See also

*Myth of the clean Wehrmacht
*'' Hitler's War in the East 1941−1945: A Critical Assessment''
*'' Marching into Darkness: The Wehrmacht and the Holocaust in Belarus''

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

Official book page
at the University of Nebraska Press web site
"Author's Perspective"
Philip W. Blood discusses his research into German security warfare in ''World War II Quarterly'', Winter 2009 (p. 61)
Philip W. Blood
on C-SPAN

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hitler's Bandit Hunters
2006 non-fiction books
21st-century history books
History books about World War II
University of Nebraska Press books
History books about the Holocaust
Historiography of World War II
War crimes of the Wehrmacht
The Holocaust in Belarus