Between God and Hitler
Military Chaplains in Nazi Germany

Reveals the history of Protestant pastors and Catholic priests in Hitler's military, and their role in Nazi crimes.

Doris L. Bergen (Author)

9781108720823, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 5 June 2025

346 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.504 kg

'Doris Bergen's latest work is a profound and often disturbing study of what she describes as an 'incongruous institution': the military chaplaincy in the German Wehrmacht. … The scope and depth of this book - this study of chaplains 'who remained wrapped in their narratives of righteousness, unable to see the conflicting demands that defined their role' - is a remarkable achievement.' Victoria J. Barnett, Antisemitism Studies

During the Second World War, approximately 1000 Christian chaplains accompanied Wehrmacht forces wherever they went, from Poland to France, Greece, North Africa, and the Soviet Union. Chaplains were witnesses to atrocity and by their presence helped normalize extreme violence and legitimate its perpetrators. Military chaplains played a key role in propagating a narrative of righteousness that erased Germany's victims and transformed the aggressors into noble figures who suffered but triumphed over their foes. Between God and Hitler is the first book to examine Protestant and Catholic military chaplains in Germany from Hitler's rise to power, to defeat, collapse, and Allied occupation. Drawing on a wide array of sources – chaplains' letters and memoirs, military reports, Jewish testimonies, photographs, and popular culture – this book offers insight into how Christian clergy served the cause of genocide, sometimes eagerly, sometimes reluctantly, even unknowingly, but always loyally.

Introduction: an incongruous institution
1. 'We will not let our swords get rusty!: On the cusp of 1933
2. 1In times of peace the church arms herself for war1: 1933–1939
3. 1Gott mit uns1: Blitzkrieg, 1939–1941
4. Saving Christianity, killing Jews: June–December 1941
5. 1The power of Christian truth and Christian faith1: genocidal culture, 1942–1943
6. 1What should we preach now?1: 1944–1945
7. From Nazi past to Christian future: 1945 and beyond
Conclusion: 1With what face should I remember this?.

Subject Areas: European history [HBJD]