Date of Completion

Spring 5-12-2013

Thesis Advisor(s)

Charles Lansing

Honors Major

History

Disciplines

European History | Military History

Abstract

The Nazi Werwolf movement is an often overlooked and forgotten subject during historical examinations of the end of the Second World War, due in large part to the fact that it never fully developed or reached the scale envisioned by its creators. Originally devised to conduct commando-style partisan operations behind Allied lines, the organization's failure can be attributed to a number of factors, both German and American. This work examines the logistical and organizational problems that crippled the movement prior to the end of hostilities in Europe, as well as the American postwar counterinsurgency campaign that wiped out what surviving Werwolf cells still existed in the American Zone of Occupation.

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