Dr. Christian HardinghausWorld War II
From a German Point of View
A six-volume nonfiction series based on German eyewitness testimonies, archival material, letters and photographs — preserving voices from World War II with historical context and critical responsibility.
Historical Method & Responsibility
Eyewitness History With Context
The series documents German wartime experiences without glorifying Nazi Germany, the Wehrmacht or the regime. Testimonies are framed through source-based research, historical classification and critical remembrance.
For broader historical resources, terminology and research material, visit the World War II History Hub.
Source-Based Research
The books draw on eyewitness interviews, letters, photographs, film material, archival documents and historical research.
Critical Classification
The goal is not justification, but documentation: personal experiences are placed within the historical crimes, ideology and consequences of the Nazi period.
Author Expertise
Dr. Christian Hardinghaus is a historian, author and media scholar whose work focuses on World War II testimonies, memory culture and lived wartime experience.
Official Series Trailer
WW2 Through German Eyes
The German perspective on World War II — documented through interviews, biographies and primary sources before the last eyewitnesses disappear.
The Iron Cross
Bargain
A Wehrmacht Doctor’s Fight to Save His Half-Jewish Family
Letters from the Eastern Front, 1941–1942
He made a bargain with the Nazi regime.
It worked. But it cost him everything.
In 1939, Dr. Helmut Machemer — exempt from service by age and profession — volunteered on the first day of the war. Under Nazi racial law, his wife Erna was classified as “half-Jewish,” their three sons as “quarter-Jewish.” Their lives were in danger.
Helmut saw one path to keep them alive: earn the Iron Cross under fire, then petition Hitler directly for their survival. On May 14, 1942, he received the Iron Cross First Class. Seven days later, he was dead.
Drawn from 160+ letters, 2,000+ photographs and film footage, this book offers an unusually intimate eyewitness record of the Eastern Front as experienced by one German military doctor and his family.
Helmut Machemer has his own Wikipedia entry. Read the Wikipedia article →
World War II From a German Point of View · The Complete Series
Six Volumes. One Mission.
To preserve the voices of those who lived through World War II — Wehrmacht soldiers, child soldiers, women and refugees — with historical context and critical distance.
↗ Hover over each cover to see it come alive
The Complete Series
“These are not only history books. They are time capsules —
sealed for decades, opened now.”
Six volumes documenting the last witnesses of World War II — soldiers, child soldiers, women and refugees. Their voices, preserved in their own words and critically framed.
Behind the Books
Six Stories. One Archive.
Every volume began with interviews, letters, photographs, archives or conversations that lasted for hours. Here is what lies behind each book.
The Cursed Generation
“They were among the last who could still speak from direct experience.”
Dr. Hardinghaus spent years tracking down surviving Wehrmacht veterans willing to speak on record. Thirteen agreed. Their testimonies — from Stalingrad to the Western Front — form the foundation of the series. Talking to Wehrmacht soldiers for the last time.
Explore Book 1
Hitler’s Lost Boys
“Some were still teenagers when they were sent into a collapsing war.”
The Flakhelfer, Volkssturm conscripts and tank-destroyer squads were boys handed weapons before they had finished school. Survivors broke decades of silence in interviews that document childhood, propaganda, fear and survival.
Explore Book 2
Hitler’s Betrayed Daughters
“Displacement, violence, survival — and decades of silence.”
German women experienced war, flight, propaganda, service, loss and survival in ways often overlooked in military histories. Hardinghaus preserves their testimonies as part of the broader human record of World War II.
Explore Book 3
The Wolf Girl
“She was eleven, alone, and forced to survive in a shattered world.”
Ursula Dorn was one of the Wolfskinder — German children left to survive after the war in East Prussia and Soviet-occupied territory. For decades she remained silent. Her testimony is now part of the historical record.
Explore Book 4
Ferdinand Sauerbruch
“A celebrated surgeon in Nazi Berlin — and a historically complicated legacy.”
Sauerbruch operated on leading figures, advised institutions and moved within the medical elite of the Third Reich. The book examines collaboration, moral ambiguity, resistance networks and postwar memory through archival evidence.
Explore Book 5
The Iron Cross Bargain
“160+ letters. 2,000+ photographs. Film footage from the Eastern Front.”
Hans Machemer preserved his father’s archive for decades — letters, photographs, film reels and official documents. The result is one of the most intimate documented personal stories of the Eastern Front now available in English.
Explore Book 6“These voices provide insights rarely available in English-language historical literature — not to justify, but to understand and complete the historical picture.”
Dr. Christian Hardinghaus on the mission of the series
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything You Want to Know
What is “World War II From a German Point of View”?
It is a six-book nonfiction series by Dr. Christian Hardinghaus, based on more than 100 eyewitness interviews with Wehrmacht soldiers, child soldiers, German women and refugees. The series documents wartime experiences from the German side with historical context and without glorifying the Nazi regime.
What is The Iron Cross Bargain about?
The Iron Cross Bargain tells the documented story of Dr. Helmut Machemer, a Wehrmacht medical officer who volunteered for the Eastern Front in 1941 in an attempt to protect his half-Jewish wife and children. He received the Iron Cross First Class on May 14, 1942 — seven days before his death. Helmut Machemer has his own Wikipedia entry.
Do these books glorify Nazi Germany or the Wehrmacht?
No. The books present eyewitness testimonies with historical context and critical editorial framing. The goal is to preserve authentic human testimonies and deepen historical understanding — not to glorify, justify or romanticize the Nazi regime, the Wehrmacht or the war.
What makes this series different from other World War II books?
Dr. Hardinghaus systematically interviewed more than 100 German World War II witnesses before many of them passed away. The series combines oral history, biographies, photographs, letters and historical classification to document perspectives rarely available in English-language World War II literature.
Where can I buy the complete series?
The volumes are available on Amazon worldwide in English. View the complete series on Amazon →
Who is Dr. Christian Hardinghaus?
Dr. Christian Hardinghaus is a German historian, bestselling author and media scholar. He has published more than 30 books, conducted more than 100 World War II eyewitness interviews and works on memory culture, oral history and the long-term consequences of war.
What books are similar to this series?
Readers interested in contextual World War II history often also read works by Nicholas Stargardt, Christopher Browning, Antony Beevor and Stephen Fritz, as well as eyewitness accounts such as A Woman in Berlin.
Read the Complete Series
Available on Amazon worldwide in English and German. The voices of the last witnesses — preserved, contextualized and made accessible for future generations.
