WWII DRK/German Research

Books:

• In the Service of the Reich by John R. Angolia – This is a general reference on uniforms and insignia, with a section on the DRK. As a warning, some of the pictures may show fake or fantasy items, so be careful.
• World War II German Women’s Auxiliary Services by Gordon Williamson – An Osprey book. A basic introduction to German women’s auxiliaries, including a section on the DRK.
• The German Army Medical Corps in World War II by Alex Buchner – This book has hardly any DRK specific information beyond a few brief mentions. However, it does have lots of useful information on how the German medical service was organized and how field hospitals were set up. There are also first hand accounts from doctors and Sani, as well as original pictures.
• Tabea’s Story: True Story of Tabea Springer a WWII German Army Nurse in Poland, a Hospital Train in Russia and During the Devestating End of the War in Germany by Betty Iverson – The memoir of a German nurse, as recounted late in life to an American nurse. This is an amazing resource of an actual nurse’s experience, but the downside is that because it is written by an American in English, there are some details that seem to have gotten lost or mixed up in translation.
• Frauen: German Women Recall the Third Reich by Alison Owings – A collection of interviews with 29 German women who lived through WWII.
• Under Hitler’s Banner: Serving the Third Reich by Edmund Bladford – The accounts of several Germans who lived through WWII. I am not aware of any DRK specific accounts, but there are some references to nurses and hospitals, and the general accounts can give invaluable insight into how Germans lived.
• Hitler’s Furies by Wendy Lower – Examination of the different roles of women in Nazi Germany, including the stories of a couple DRK members.
• Women in Nazi Germany by Jill Stephenson – Study on the impact of the events and policies of Nazi Germany on women. Also examines whether German women can be considered victims or villians.
• Mothers in the Fatherland by Claudia Koonz – Another study on the impacts on and contributions of women in Germany during WWII. This was published before Women in Nazi Germany, and is much longer.

Web Resources:

• “Serving the Volksgemeinschaft: German Red Cross Nurses in the Second World War” by Amy Liane Zroka – This is a thesis focused on the German Red Cross. While it focuses specifically on those who served on the Eastern front, it is packed full of information about the DRK in general. Many of her sources are from archive in Germany, which is a resource that many of us don’t have access to on our own.
• Reaching Out to the Helferinnen: For DRK and Wehrmacht Female Impressions – An international Facebook group geared towards helping each other with German WWII female impressions. A great place to ask specific questions.
• Helferinnen der ASO – A Facebook page run by a group of reenactors from Germany. They share a lot of great information about the DRK and other female impressions. They have also put together some great material about what to wear for a DRK impression, and I’m sure they would be happy to share it if you ask them.
• DRK Ranks – This page lists the ranks and insignia for the DRK, both for women and men. Useful for a quick reference. Please note, these do not apply to DRK Schwestern (nurses), as the nurses did not have a military rank structure.

Resources in German:

These books are completely in German (or in one case, Danish), but are extremely useful if you can read the language. (Full disclosure, I haven’t read any of these. But they are on my list as soon as my German gets a bit better).

• Im Zeichen der Menschlichkeit: Geschichte und Gegenwart des Deutschen Roten Kreuzes by Stefan Schomann – A historical study of the DRK, from it’s formation to the present day.
• Das Deutsche Rote Kreuz: Eine Geschichte by Dieter Riesenberger – A history of the DRK from 1864-1990.
• SS und DRK: Das Präsidium des Deutschen Roten Kreuzes im nationalsozialistischen Herrschaftssystem 1937-1945 by Markus Wicke – A study of the relationship between the SS and the DRK.
• Das Deutsche Rote Kreuz unter der NS-Diktatur 1933-1945 by Birgitt Morgenbrod and Stephanie Merkenich – A study of the organization of the DRK between 1933 and 1945.
• Krankenpflege im Nationalsozialismus by Hilde Steppe – This book appears to be part of the standard reading in nursing schools in Germany. A comprehensive study of nursing during National Socialism in Germany.
• Blutende Fronten: Truppenärzte, Sanitäter und Rotkreuzschwestern im Zweiten Weltkrieg by Roland Kaltenegger – A closer look at the work of doctors, medics, and DRK nurses during the war.
• Als ob der Schnee alles zudeckte by Ingeborg Ochsenknecht – the autobiography of Ingeborg Ochsenknecht, a nurse.
• Eine Soldatenheimschwester an der Ostfront – Correspondence between DRK assistant Annette Schücking and her family. Annette worked as a nurse’s assistant in soldier’s homes in Ukraine and the Caucasus from 1941 to 1943.
• Dommen by Hanna Kvanmo – This book is actually in Norwegian, not German. Hanna Kvanmo was a Norwegian who joined the DRK in 1944. She was stationed on the Eastern Front, and worked in Berlin during the last days of the war. This is the book she wrote about her experience before, during, and after the war.

Other German Resources:

These books are not specifically related to a DRK impression. They range from studies of civilian life in Germany in WWII, to diaries and letters from the time, to specific topics like fashion or drugs. These are great resources to get a broader understanding of the time.

• The German War by Nicholas Stargardt – A study based on firsthand accounts of civilian life and opinions during WWII.
• Under the Bombs by Earl Beck – A look at the German home front during the war, especially in cities that were bombed.
• Berlin Diaries, 1940-1945 by Marie Vassiltchikov – The diaries of a Russian who worked in the German Foreign Office from 1940 to 1944, and then as a nurse.
• A Woman in Berlin by Anonymous – The diaries of a woman who was living in Berlin as Germany fell.
• Nazi Chic by Irene Guenther – An academic study of German fashion, from the 1920’s through the end of WWII. What surprised me about this book was how much I learned about German culture at the time by looking through the lens of fashion.
• Blitzed by Norman Ohler – A look at drug use by the German military and Hitler himself, and the impacts it had.

Resources for non-DRK impressions:

These resources are focused on German women’s auxiliaries other than the DRK. But they may give some extra insight into the lives of women in Germany, as well as an interesting look at some of the other jobs women filled during WWII.

• Last Ride of the Valkyries by Jimmy Pool – A major reference on the female German auxilliaries, especially the Nachrichtenhelferinnen and Lufwaffe Helferinnen. Little if any information on the DRK.
• Military or Civilians? by Alison Morton – A study on how women were used and recruited in WWII Germany, but not much about the DRK.
• Blitzmädchen by Franz Seidler – This book is in German, but a great resource for Helferinnen in the Wehrmacht.