Hannes Heer
Encyclopedia
Hans Georg Heer (born 16 March 1941 in Wissen
, Rhine Province
) is a controversial German historian, chiefly known "Wehrmachtsausstellung
" (German Army Exhibition) in the 1990s. While highly controversial at that time, the exhibition is nowadays widely credited with opening the eyes of the German public to the war crimes of the Wehrmacht
committed on the East Front during World War II
.
, where he was a leading member of the communist faction that supported the banned Communist Party of Germany
. In the 1970s he was several times criminally convicted of coercion
, trespass
ing, vandalism and other criminal offenses. Being considered a political extremist according to the Radikalenerlass, he was banned from employment in the public service and could not work as a teacher.
Because the exhibition challenged the view of the "unblemished" Wehrmacht, which was at that time still predominant in the German public, it was subject of severe criticism for being politically motivated, lacking in scientific method and being deliberately misleading. The exhibition was suspended by the director of the Hamburger Institut für Sozialforschung in 1999, pending review of its content by a committee of historians. The committee reaffirmed the reliability
of the exhibition in general, but noted that some of the exhibit's documentation had inaccuracies and that the arguments presented were too sweeping. It
recommended the exhibition to be reopened after revision. Because of disagreements
with the head of the insitute Jan Philipp Reemtsma, Heer was not involved in the creation of the revised exhibitation.
Wissen
Wissen is a town in the district of Altenkirchen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Sieg, approximately 12 km northeast of Altenkirchen.Wissen is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Wissen....
, Rhine Province
Rhine Province
The Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia or synonymous to the Rhineland , was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg...
) is a controversial German historian, chiefly known "Wehrmachtsausstellung
Wehrmachtsausstellung
The so-called Wehrmachtsausstellung was an exhibition focusing on War crimes of the Wehrmacht committed on the East Front from 1941 to 1944.-Original exhibition 1995 - 1999:...
" (German Army Exhibition) in the 1990s. While highly controversial at that time, the exhibition is nowadays widely credited with opening the eyes of the German public to the war crimes of the Wehrmacht
War crimes of the Wehrmacht
War crimes of the Wehrmacht were those carried out by the German armed forces during World War II. While the principal perpetrators of the Holocaust amongst German armed forces were the Nazi German 'political' armies , the regular armed forces represented by the Wehrmacht committed war crimes of...
committed on the East Front during 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...
.
Activity in socialist organisations and criminal convictions
As a student, he became a member of the far-left Sozialistischer Deutscher StudentenbundSozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund
Der Sozialistische Deutsche Studentenbund was founded 1946 in Hamburg, Germany, as the college organisation of the SPD...
, where he was a leading member of the communist faction that supported the banned Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
. In the 1970s he was several times criminally convicted of coercion
Coercion
Coercion is the practice of forcing another party to behave in an involuntary manner by use of threats or intimidation or some other form of pressure or force. In law, coercion is codified as the duress crime. Such actions are used as leverage, to force the victim to act in the desired way...
, trespass
Trespass
Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person, trespass to chattels and trespass to land.Trespass to the person, historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery, wounding, mayhem, and maiming...
ing, vandalism and other criminal offenses. Being considered a political extremist according to the Radikalenerlass, he was banned from employment in the public service and could not work as a teacher.
Wehrmachtsausstellung
In 1993, he was employed by the Hamburger Institut für Sozialforschung and became known for the controversial "Wehrmachtsausstellung" (German Army Exhibition).Because the exhibition challenged the view of the "unblemished" Wehrmacht, which was at that time still predominant in the German public, it was subject of severe criticism for being politically motivated, lacking in scientific method and being deliberately misleading. The exhibition was suspended by the director of the Hamburger Institut für Sozialforschung in 1999, pending review of its content by a committee of historians. The committee reaffirmed the reliability
of the exhibition in general, but noted that some of the exhibit's documentation had inaccuracies and that the arguments presented were too sweeping. It
recommended the exhibition to be reopened after revision. Because of disagreements
with the head of the insitute Jan Philipp Reemtsma, Heer was not involved in the creation of the revised exhibitation.
Publications
- Tote Zonen – Die deutsche Wehrmacht an der Ostfront, 1999, ISBN 3-930908-51-4
- Vom Verschwinden der Täter, 2004, ISBN 3-7466-8135-9
- Hitler war's. Die Befreiung der Deutschen von ihrer Vergangenheit, 2005, ISBN 3-351-02601-3
- Literatur und Erinnerung. Die Nazizeit als Familiengeheimnis, in: Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaft, 53. Jg., Heft 9,September 2005, S. 809-835
- als Herausgeber: „Stets zu erschiessen sind Frauen, die in der Roten Armee dienen“: Geständnisse deutscher Kriegsgefangener über ihren Einsatz an der Ostfront, 1995, ISBN 3-930908-06-9