German history

The roots of 20th-century German aggression

1 October 2022 9:00 am

It is the contention of Peter Wilson, professor of the history of war at Oxford University and the author of…

Whitewashing Bismarck just won’t wash

16 January 2021 9:00 am

The reviewer’s first duty is to declare any skin he may have in the game, so here goes: I write…

Ernst Jünger in Paris in 1941

Ernst Jünger — reluctant captain of the Wehrmacht

19 January 2019 9:00 am

Ernst Jünger, who died in 1998, aged 102, is now better known for his persona than his work. A deeply…

Kurt Eisner and friends plan a brave new world. Credit. Getty Images

Dreams of utopia before the Nazi nightmare

17 November 2018 9:00 am

Today Munich is a prosperous and peaceful place — Germany’s most affluent, attractive city. Wandering its leafy avenues, lined with…

Ferdinand Porsche, the inventor of the Doodlebug and the Panzer tank, was treated with rare deference by Hitler, bordering on idolatry

Ferninand Porsche: from the Beetle to the Panzer tank

7 November 2015 9:00 am

The aggressive character of the famous German sports car, in a sort of sympathetic magic, often transfers itself to owner-drivers.…