My Opposition: The Diary Of Friedrich Kellner - A German Against The Third Reich

544 Pages·2018·15.558 MB·English

by  Friedrich Kellner, Robert Scott Kellner (Editor/Translator)

MY OPPOSITION
This is a truly unique account of Nazi Germany at war and of one man’s
struggle against totalitarianism. A mid-level official in a provincial town,
FriedrichKellnerkeptasecretdiaryfrom1939to1945,riskinghislifetorecord
Germany’spathtodictatorshipandgenocideandtoprotesthiscountrymen’s
complicityintheregime’sbrutalities.Justonemonthintothewarheisaware
thatJewsaremarkedforexterminationandlaterrecordshowsoldiersonleave
spokeopenlyaboutthemassmurderofJewsandthemurderofPOWs;healso
documentstheGestapo’smercilessruleathome fromeuthanasiacampaigns
against the handicapped and mentally ill to the execution of anyone found
listeningtoforeignbroadcasts.Thisessentialtestimonyofeverydaylifeunder
the Third Reich is accompanied by a foreword by Alan Steinweis and the
remarkablestoryofhowthediarywasbroughttolightbyRobertScottKellner,
Friedrich’sgrandson.
RobertScottKellnerdiscoveredhisgrandfather’sdiaryin1960andhasworked
tirelesslytobringittotheattentionoftheworldthroughexhibitsattheDwight
D.EisenhowerandGeorgeH.W.BushPresidentialLibraries,adocumentary
filmscreenedattheUnitedNations,andthepublicationofacompleteedition
ofthediaryinGermanandabridgmentsinRussianandPolish.

MY OPPOSITION
–
The Diary of Friedrich Kellner A German
against the Third Reich
Translated and Edited by
ROBERT SCOTT KELLNER
With a Foreword by
Alan E. Steinweis
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www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781108418294
DOI:10.1017/9781108289696
©RobertScottKellner2018
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2018
PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyTJInternationalLtd.Padstow,Cornwall
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
NAMES:Kellner,Friedrich,1885–1970,author.|Kellner,RobertScott,editor.
TITLE:Myopposition:thediaryofFriedrichKellner–aGermanagainsttheThirdReich/
editedbyRobertScottKellner;withaforewordbyAlanE.Steinweis.
Othertitles:Vernebelt,verdunkeltsindalleHirne.German
DESCRIPTION:Cambridge,UnitedKingdom;NewYork,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress,
2017.|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
IDENTIFIERS:LCCN2017030752|ISBN9781108418294(hardback:alkalinepaper)
SUBJECTS:LCSH:Kellner,Friedrich,1885–1970–Diaries.|WorldWar,1939–1945–Personal
narratives,German.|Kellner,Friedrich,1885–1970–Politicalandsocialviews.|Germany–
Officialsandemployees–Diaries.|Germany–History–1933–1945–Biography.|Anti-Nazi
movement–Germany–Laubach(Giessen)|Jews–Persecutions–Germany–Laubach
(Giessen)–History–20thcentury.|WorldWar,1939–1945–Germany–Laubach(Giessen)
CLASSIFICATION:LCCD811.5.K45132017|DDC943.086/4092[B]–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2017030752
ISBN978-1-108-41829-4Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof
URLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication
anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,
accurateorappropriate.
Hitlerhasrisentobeaglaringexampleofabominationformankind.
Formehehasalwaysbeenwhathewas:abrigand,abeast!
FriedrichKellner,December17,1942

CONTENTS
Foreword pageix
AlanE.Steinweis
Preface xix
BiographicalNarrative 1
AbouttheTranslation 25
Pre-WarWritings 27
TheDiary
1939 33
1940 57
1941 97
1942 161
1943 226
1944 307
1945 392
Acknowledgments 412
Notes 414
WorksCited 466
Index 475
Platesectionbetweenpages96and97
vii