Hey guys
I have never used Reddit before so not sure if this is the right section or how to go about navigating Reddit. Apologize in advance if this is in the wrong section of not done right.
I have a budding interest in studying and learning about the SS, Wehrmacht and the Nazis from a biographical point of view.
I constantly read various Wikipedia articles on notable events such as the July 20 plot, night of long knives etc. I also like to know about places and regions such as the Kehlateinhaus, the various bunkers, the Berghof, what they were, where they were and what is their current state in 2015.
I am particularly interested in the various personalities, Keitel, Himmler, Donitz, Gorring, Goebles, Heydrich, Speer, Stauffenberg etc. I would like to be able to know the ranks , duties, responsibilities and how they died as well as when they joined the organization and what their personal views/ motivations were (ex. Rommel is said not to have been anti semetic , simply following his job as a general of a miltary who's country was in war.)
I would love to be able to know the modus operandi of the various groups (Luftwaffe , hitler youth , SS-Adolf Hitler), who ran them and what they were responsible for
Spending the next year in Berlin is allowing me to go to all these great sites and museums. Every time I go to one, I read a new name or see a picture of an event/person that I have never encountered before and I run home to read the Wikipedia article.
Can someone recommend me a definitive guide, book, documentary, biography that would help? Some sort of encyclopedia I guess. Electronic audio or paper.
I am only interested in the Germans, not the soviets, the Italians , the Japanese or the allies.
Thank you very much!
Ps: if anyone has found a "family tree" type diagram about the SS command that would be a great short term help!
I'm no expert, but I recently read a book called "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich". It was very lengthy and detailed, and covers a lot of what you requested in your post. I really enjoyed it, though it took me a while to get through it!
A good start is probably Richard Evan's Third Reich trilogy and Ian Kershaw's Hitler Biography.
Those are the four books I highly recommend anyone read especially Kershaw's book as it is a brilliantly written biography about Hitler.
To clarify before I can answer this: Do you speak/read German?