The Black March
Encyclopedia
The Black March is an autobiography of a SS man published by Bantam Books. The book is a collection of key entries in the journal of Peter Neumann, a boy inducted from the Hitler Youth
into the Schutzstaffel
.
1958 - Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd; English translation by Constantine Fitz Gibbon; Title: Other Men's Graves: Diary of an SS Man
1959 - William Sloane Associates; First US printing; Title: The Black March: The Personal Story of an SS Man
1960, 1967 - Bantam; Title: The Black March: The Personal Story of an SS Man
He recounts his cruel training involving many life or death exercises, e.g., out running attack dogs, having to dig a fox hole before a tank rolls over he and the other men in training. He tells of how a few men died in such exercises. Peter's girlfriend reveals that she is a Jew; this, however, does not affect Peter negatively.
During the middle of his entries he regards his duties with admiration and disdain for his commanding officers. Peter is, in one entry, awarded the Iron Cross
second class for saving the lives of several battalions from a Sniper's nest (whom were also armed with RPG
s).
In later entries, he tells of fierce combat in Russia, the most notable being a tale from a Russian civilian, in an occupied town, telling Peter and his fellow soldiers of the Partisans of Odessa and the Russian genocide at the hands of the Nazis.
Towards the end, Peter returns home on leave were he informs his friend's parents of the their son's death, and on a visit to his home Peter is informed that his girlfriend has been moved to a ghetto. On visiting her he expresses sympathy for her condition but writes that he couldn't care less about other Jews in the same situation. He also talks with two concentration camp technicians at a bar, who tell him of their grisly job fixing incinerators.
At the end, Peter and his unit are on the retreat. Peter, at this point, has been promoted to captain and expresses extreme discontent with both the SS and with the many civilians who are blaming the SS for aggravating the Russian troops. He hears many tales of Russian cruelty. At the end, Peter is trapped, alone and wounded, and surrounded by Russian troops. He hides in a small room filled with dead German soldiers and fires a damaged gun at a Russian 'clean-up' squad. The bullet he intends for himself does not do the job. His last words are "Why couldn't they have killed me?"
Some have disputed the authenticity of Neumann’s journal since its publication; some claiming it to have been the work of a ghost writer and therefore not autobiographical, and others claiming it to be a work of fiction. Peter Neumann’s extraordinary tale has, nevertheless, held up very well under extensive examination in terms of historical accuracy by a number of sources since its publication.
It is also reported that French publisher Editions France-Empire claimed that Peter Neumann's family (from whom they received the journal) specifically wanted the work kept intact—as he wrote it during the war—and that it was not revised or altered.
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
into the Schutzstaffel
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
.
Publishing dates
1956 - Editions French-Empire; first published edition, in French; Title: SS!1958 - Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd; English translation by Constantine Fitz Gibbon; Title: Other Men's Graves: Diary of an SS Man
1959 - William Sloane Associates; First US printing; Title: The Black March: The Personal Story of an SS Man
1960, 1967 - Bantam; Title: The Black March: The Personal Story of an SS Man
Synopsis
The journal of Peter Neumann is presented in chronological order: it begins in 1939 with various entries of his activities in the Hitler youth, and discussing plans with his friends to enter the SS. Peter's early entries are more jubilant and optimistic.He recounts his cruel training involving many life or death exercises, e.g., out running attack dogs, having to dig a fox hole before a tank rolls over he and the other men in training. He tells of how a few men died in such exercises. Peter's girlfriend reveals that she is a Jew; this, however, does not affect Peter negatively.
During the middle of his entries he regards his duties with admiration and disdain for his commanding officers. Peter is, in one entry, awarded the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
second class for saving the lives of several battalions from a Sniper's nest (whom were also armed with RPG
Rocket propelled grenade
A rocket-propelled grenade is a shoulder-fired, anti-tank weapon system which fires rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. These warheads are affixed to a rocket motor and stabilized in flight with fins. Some types of RPG are reloadable while others are single-use. RPGs, with the exception of...
s).
In later entries, he tells of fierce combat in Russia, the most notable being a tale from a Russian civilian, in an occupied town, telling Peter and his fellow soldiers of the Partisans of Odessa and the Russian genocide at the hands of the Nazis.
Towards the end, Peter returns home on leave were he informs his friend's parents of the their son's death, and on a visit to his home Peter is informed that his girlfriend has been moved to a ghetto. On visiting her he expresses sympathy for her condition but writes that he couldn't care less about other Jews in the same situation. He also talks with two concentration camp technicians at a bar, who tell him of their grisly job fixing incinerators.
At the end, Peter and his unit are on the retreat. Peter, at this point, has been promoted to captain and expresses extreme discontent with both the SS and with the many civilians who are blaming the SS for aggravating the Russian troops. He hears many tales of Russian cruelty. At the end, Peter is trapped, alone and wounded, and surrounded by Russian troops. He hides in a small room filled with dead German soldiers and fires a damaged gun at a Russian 'clean-up' squad. The bullet he intends for himself does not do the job. His last words are "Why couldn't they have killed me?"
Additional notes
The book does not state explicitly whether Peter Neumann was captured, killed, or if he escaped. His last entry is somewhat long given the amount of time he had before the Russian troops could have reached him, and he could have disguised himself as a dead soldier. However, the final page of the book references being captured by the Soviet Army and being sent to Warsaw and working as a camp prisoner helping in the clean-up of the ruins left by the war. The final page mentions the "sneering brutality of the Soviet Guards".Some have disputed the authenticity of Neumann’s journal since its publication; some claiming it to have been the work of a ghost writer and therefore not autobiographical, and others claiming it to be a work of fiction. Peter Neumann’s extraordinary tale has, nevertheless, held up very well under extensive examination in terms of historical accuracy by a number of sources since its publication.
It is also reported that French publisher Editions France-Empire claimed that Peter Neumann's family (from whom they received the journal) specifically wanted the work kept intact—as he wrote it during the war—and that it was not revised or altered.