Germany in Defeat

Germany in Defeat, first published in 1946, is the first hand, detailed account of Germany at the end of World War Two by Time correspondent Percy Knauth. The book details Knauth's travels across the war-ravaged country: from Berlin to concentration camps including Buchenwald and Salispilz, from Hitler's bunker to his mountain retreat (the Berghof at Berchtesgaden), and his interviews with German, American, and Russian military officials and German civilians. His visit to Hitler's underground bunker in Berlin just days after Hitler committed suicide is a fascinating story, and his description of Buchenwald provides a unique, chilling look at the conditions and workings of the Nazi death camp.


Percy Knauth, an American who attended school in Germany, worked first for the Chicago Tribune in Berlin, then for the New York Times. In 1942, he was the Paris Bureau Chief for Time magazine, and spent the next 28 years working for Time-Life publications in Paris, Berlin and New York. He retired as European editor in 1970 to devote his time to writing. Knauth died in 1995 at the age of 80.