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Heinrich Gerlach

ハインリヒ・ゲルラッハ

Heinrich Gerlach

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1908-08-18 （Königsberg, East Prussia）
Died
1991-03-27 （Brake, Lower Saxony, Germany） age 82
Nationality
Germany
Languages
German
Residence History
Königsberg (birthplace) → Lyck — lived with family (until 1944) → West Berlin (postwar) → Brake, Lower Saxony — later life

Career

Occupations
Soldier, Teacher, Author
Active Years
1939-1991
Memberships
Co-founder/member of the League of German Officers (BDO)

Education

University of Freiburg / Freiburg im Breisgau (studies)
Languages / Philology (details uncertain)
Period: 1927–1928（在籍）
Country: Germany
Studied in Freiburg from 1927 to 1928. Exact degree unclear.
Wilhelmsgymnasium (Königsberg)
Teacher training (passed state examinations)
Period: 〜1933
Year of Graduation: 1933
Country: Germany (then: Prussia)
Passed the second state examination in 1933 and proceeded to a teaching career.

Awards

Premio Bancarella
1959
Work: The Betrayed Army
Organization: Premio Bancarella organization (Italy)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Betrayed Army

1957 Novel (semi-autobiographical war fiction) 400 pages

A semi-autobiographical novel based on Gerlach's experiences during the Battle of Stalingrad, depicting combat, captivity and conflicts of conscience. The original manuscript was seized by the Soviets; Gerlach later reconstructed much of the book through hypnosis and published the version in 1957.

WarPOW experienceGuiltMemory and reconstruction

Breakout at Stalingrad

2016 Novel (original manuscript publication) 585 pages

The original manuscript, claimed completed in 1945 and confiscated by the Soviets, was discovered in the Russian State Military Archive in 2012 and published in German in 2016. Compared to the 1957 reconstruction, the original text confronts guilt and conscience more directly.

War realismSelf-reflectionPOWs and propaganda
Translations
  • English translation: Breakout at Stalingrad (2017)

Odyssey in Red: Report of a Random Walk

1970 Novel (based on POW experiences) 250 pages

A novel drawing on long-term POW experiences and Gerlach's involvement with the NKFD and BDO. In 1970 a television docudrama titled 'The House Lunjowo' was produced based on the book.

POW lifePolitical cooperation and conflictRe-education and propaganda
Adaptations
  • [Television (docudrama)] The House Lunjowo (1970)

Bibliography

  • The Betrayed Army (1957)
  • Breakout at Stalingrad (original manuscript published 2016)
  • Odyssey in Red: Report of a Random Walk (1970)

Adaptations

  • TV docudrama 'The House Lunjowo' (1970)

Translations of Works

  • English translation of Breakout at Stalingrad (2017)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Semi-autobiographicalRealistic depictions of combatIntrospective, focused on conflicts of conscience
Recurring Motifs
GuiltReconstruction of memoryDetailed depictions of POW life

Legacy

Gerlach is known for works based on his experiences at Stalingrad. The seizure of his original manuscript by the Soviets and the later reconstruction via hypnosis have been subjects of debate; discovery of the original manuscript in 2012 and its 2016 publication led to renewed reassessment. His 1957 reconstruction became a bestseller and he is regarded as an important author of war experience literature.

Archives

  • State Russian Military Archive (Moscow) — original manuscript held

In Popular Culture

  • 1970 TV docudrama 'The House Lunjowo'

Trivia

  • The original Stalingrad manuscript was confiscated by the Soviets and remained missing until its discovery in 2012.
  • Unable to recover the original, Gerlach reconstructed much of his novel through hypnosis and published a reconstructed version in 1957.
  • He won the Premio Bancarella (Italy) in 1959.
  • The 1957 reconstruction became a bestseller; by 1988 it had reportedly sold over one million copies.