Wilhelm Hoffman
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Hoffman was a soldier in the 267th Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division of the German 6th Army who chronicled the Battle of Stalingrad
in his journal, and is cited in many documentaries and books concerning that topic. The most notable account used in both is the brutal six-day long battle between 16 and 22 September 1942 over a Grain Elevator where; according to him, only 40 Russian soldiers (He refers to them as "devils") were found dead in the elevator at the end of the engagement, while his battalion in comparison, suffered disastrously heavy losses.
His journal provides a first hand account of what the German 6th Army was experiencing and how they were coping with the situation, without the outside interpretive influence of propaganda
and censorship
. Although it is limited in information because it only gives the account of one person, it is still one of the few unaltered German accounts to survive World War II
.
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
in his journal, and is cited in many documentaries and books concerning that topic. The most notable account used in both is the brutal six-day long battle between 16 and 22 September 1942 over a Grain Elevator where; according to him, only 40 Russian soldiers (He refers to them as "devils") were found dead in the elevator at the end of the engagement, while his battalion in comparison, suffered disastrously heavy losses.
His journal provides a first hand account of what the German 6th Army was experiencing and how they were coping with the situation, without the outside interpretive influence of propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
and censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
. Although it is limited in information because it only gives the account of one person, it is still one of the few unaltered German accounts to survive World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.