Collection Guide
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United States Army European Command, Historical Division Typescript Studies
66026
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Title: United States Army European Command, Historical Division Typescript Studies
Date (inclusive): 1945-1954
Collection Number: 66026
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: In German and English
Physical Description:
62 manuscript boxes
(25.6 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Relates to German military operations in Europe, on the Eastern Front, and in the Mediterranean Theater, during World War
II. Studies prepared by former high-ranking German Army officers for the Foreign Military Studies Program of the Historical
Division, U.S. Army, Europe.
Creator:
United States. Army. European Command. Historical Division.
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1966.
[Identification of item], United States Army European Command, Historical Division Typescript Studies, [Box no., Folder no.
or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Carbon copies. Originals in: U.S. National Archives, College Park, Maryland.
This catalog and index is a guide to the manuscripts produced under the Foreign Military Studies Program of the Historical
Division, United States Army, Europe, and of predecessor commands since 1945. Most of these manuscripts were prepared by former
high-ranking officers of the German Armed Forces, writing under the sponsorship of their former adversaries. The program therefore
represents an unusual degree of collaboration between officers of nations recently at war.
The Foreign Military Studies Program actually began shortly after V-E Day, when Allied interrogators first questioned certain
prominent German prisoners of war. Results were so encouraging that the program was expanded; written questions replaced oral
interrogation, and later certain highly-placed German officers were asked to prepare a series of monographs.
Originally the mission of the program was only to obtain information on enemy operations in the European Theater for use in
the preparation of an official history of the U.S. Army in World War II. In 1946 the program was broadened to include the
Mediterranean and Russian war theaters. Beginning in 1947 emphasis was placed on the preparation of operational studies for
use by U.S. Army planning and training agencies and service schools. The result has been the collection of a large amount
of useful information about the German Armed Forces, prepared by German military experts. While the primary aim of the program
has remained unchanged, many of the more recent studies have analyzed the German experience with a view toward deriving useful
lessons.
The authors were usually key participants in the events which they described and were able to supply information not otherwise
available. In many cases they have supplemented or refreshed their memories by consulting with their military associates.
It must be remembered, however, that some contributors are professional military leaders, not historians or writers. While
for the most part they have tried to be thorough and objective, they view events primarily in terms of their own experience.
In the initial phases of the program all of the contributors were prisoners of war or internees; participation, however, was
always voluntary. While participants were reimbursed for their work, they have been motivated mainly by professional interest
and by the desire to promote western solidarity and mutual defense.
In 1945, after most of the contributors had returned to civilian life, the administrative structure and tempo of the program
was changed. Contributors now prepare studies in their own homes under the supervision of a small control group, composed
of selected high-ranking German officers.
Many of the early manuscripts were inadequately translated and were assigned inappropriate titles. Some of these manuscripts
have been reissued in revised versions but in most cases the original titles have been retained to facilitate identification.
During the early years of the program, contributors had to rely largely on their memories, since the basic documents had been
destroyed or were otherwise unavailable to them. Within the past few months basic documents have been increasingly provided
to contributors, who now place more emphasis on careful documentation. Current studies are now checked against known sources
and in some cases are considerably revised in the English version. Although individual studies will continue to vary in quality,
the collection as a whole constitutes a noteworthy contribution to the history of World War II.
As the number of manuscripts increased, it became essential to index the collection in order to make its contents more readily
available. This project was begun in September 1951 by General der Artillerie Friedrich von Boetticher, German military attaché
to the United States from 1933 to 1941. Initially the index was planned to include only those manuscripts which had been translated
and were considered to contain useful military lessons. This phase of the project was virtually completed by spring 1952,
when General von Boetticher was compelled for personal reasons to give up the work. At that time it was decided to index and
evaluate all of the manuscripts in the collection, regardless of their nature. This task was undertaken by General der Artillerie
Anton Freiherr von Bechtolsheim, who completed the indexing and evaluated each study with regard to its historical, operational,
and technical interest.
The present guide contains a catalog of manuscripts and three indexes--by topic, by military unit, and by author. Most entries
in the catalog include a short statement describing the contents and usefulness of the study.
Certain translation difficulties are reflected in this guide. Germany military terms do not always have exact American equivalents
and cannot be expressed briefly in precise military language. Untranslated terms appearing in this guide are explained in
the glossary, page 252. This difficulty in arriving at standardized and generally accepted translations of German military
terms has been a persistent problem in preparing the manuscripts; the researcher may even feel the need for an expansion and
revision of U.S. military terminology.
Studies now in preparation and those projected will also be indexed and catalogued. Errata and addenda sheets will be issued
from time to time, but a complete revision of the catalog does not seem practicable in the near future. A limited number of
copies of this guide are available to official agencies, particularly to those which possess a substantial number of the studies.
W.S. Nye, Colonel, Artillery, Karlsruhe Chief Historian, June 1954 Hq. U.S. Army, Europe
Scope and Content of Collection
The description of the reports in this collection are drawn from the
Guide to Foreign Military Studies, 1945-54; Catalog & Index (Headquarters, United States Army, Europe, 1954). Microfiche Publication M1035.
The Hoover Institution Library & Archives does not have all the documents listed in this guide. Consult the following collection
content list to find out which documents are present in the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Many of the studies have been published in
World War II German Military Studies, 24 vols. Donald S. Detweiler, ed. (New York: Garland Publishing, 1979)
Subjects and Indexing Terms
World War, 1939-1945 -- Germany
World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Eastern Front
World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns
Germany. Heer