Abstract

This article seeks to explore and explain the seeming paradox of German Christian evangelism which took place under the auspices of Operation Barbarossa in World War II. Alongside a policy of deliberate cruelty and neglect, certain fighters actively pursued a religious awakening among the enemy Soviets, saving souls even as their comrades destroyed bodies. Through a close examination of archival documents and secondary literature pertaining to German soldiers' movitations and value systems in wartime, this article reveals how both altruistic evangelism and Naziism could coexist without seeming to contradict each other. Such juxtaposition indicates not only that a more detailed and nuanced understanding of the German military machine is necessary, but that even the ostensible omnipotence of Nazi ideology may require reexamination in light of the recrudescence of traditional values on the battlefield.

How to Cite:

Bishop, C. I., (2024) “Why He Fights: The Forgotten Crusaders of Operation Barbarossa”, Footnotes: A Journal of History 6(1), 41-46.