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Hitler's teenaged zealots : fanatics, combat motivation, and the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend / by Michael E. Sullivan.

Publication | Digitized | Library Call Number: D757.85 .S88 1999

Overview

Summary: This thesis examines the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend in an attempt to formulate a theory of combat motivation for fanatical soldiers. Chapter 1 of this thesis examines the history of the division, from its inception to its virtual destruction in Normandy, and explains why the 12th SS can be classified as fanatical. Chapter 2 examines the historiography of combat motivation literature and explains the failure of this literature to provide an adequate explanation for the combat motivation of a fanatic. The combat motivation of the 12th SS, and for fanatical soldiers in general, can be broken down into two categories: Ideological Motivators and Concrete Motivators. Chapters 3 and 4 deal with the Ideological Motivators, including the nature of the Hitler Youth, the influence of Nazism, and the concepts of Volksgemeinschaft and religious belief in Hitler. Chapters 5 and 6 look at the Concrete Motivators, including weapons, training, and the leadership cadres of the division. This thesis concludes that the holistic application of both sets of motivators are essential for the successful combat motivation of the fanatical soldier.
Format: Book
Author/Creator: Sullivan, Michael E. (Michael Earl), 1975-
Published: [Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1999
Locale: Germany
Notes: Thesis (M.A.)--The University of New Brunswick, 1999.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 166-173).

Photocopy. Ann Arbor, Mich. : UMI Dissertation Services, 2002. 23 cm.

Dissertations and Theses

Physical Details

Language: English
External Link: Electronic version from ProQuest
Additional Form: Electronic version(s) available internally at USHMM.
Physical Description: 177 pages

Keywords & Subjects

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Regimental histories--Germany. Combat--Psychological aspects. Waffen-SS.--SS-Panzerdivision "Hitlerjugend," 12.

Record last modified:: 2024-06-21 15:28:00
This page:: http://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/bib77282/

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