Based largely upon unpublished sources, Omer Bartov's study looks
closely at the background of the German army on the Eastern Front during
the Second World War. He describes the physical hardship, the discipline
and morale at the front, and analyses the social, educational and
political background of the junior officers who formed the backbone of
the German army. Only with these factors in mind - together with the
knowledge of the extent of National Socialist indoctrination - can we
begin to explain the criminal activities of the German army in Russia
and the extent of involvement of the army in the execution of Hitler's
brutal policies.