Rüdiger Overmans

Rüdiger Overmans (born 6. April 1954 in Düsseldorf) is German military historian who specialized in World War II history. His work "German Military Losses in World War II", which he conducted as leader of a project sponsored by the Gerda Henkel foundation,^[1] is the most complete reference work about German casualties in World War II.^[2]

Biography

Overmans joined the Bundeswehr in 1972, and studied economics at the Bundeswehr University Munich from 1974 to 1977. He completed his Ph.D. in 1982–1986 at the Bundeswehr University Hamburg, now known as Helmut Schmidt University. From 1987 to 2004 he was a research associate at the Military History Research Office (MGFA), first in Freiburg and later in Potsdam. In 1996 he received his doctorate in history with the seminal work German Military Losses in World War II at the University of Freiburg.^[3] This study was first published in 1999 in Munich by Oldenbourg Verlag.^[4] From 1996 to 2001, Overmans lectured at the History Department of the University of Freiburg. Until his retirement in 2004, he had reached the military rank of lieutenant colonel. Since then he has worked as a freelance historian.^[3] He participated in a commission which issued an opinion to the number of victims in the Dresden bombing in February 1945.^[5]

Works

Main works by Overmans include:^[3]

Monographies

• Deutsche militärische Verluste im Zweiten Weltkrieg [German Military Losses in World War II]. Oldenbourg, München,. 2004. ISBN 3-486-20028-3. 
• Soldaten hinter Stacheldraht. Deutsche Kriegsgefangene des Zweiten Weltkriegs [Soldiers behind barbed wire. German prisoners of war of World War II]. Propyläen, Berlin. 2000. ISBN 3-549-07121-3. 

Chapters

• Jörg Echternkamp, ed. (2005). "Die Kriegsgefangenenpolitik des Deutschen Reiches 1939 bis 1945". Die Deutsche Kriegsgesellschaft 1939–1945. Zweiter Halbband: Ausbeutung, Deutungen, Ausgrenzung [German Wartime Society 1939-1945: Exploitation, Interpretations, Exclusion]. Germany and the Second World War. IX. Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, München. pp. 729–875. ISBN 3-421-06528-4.  Jörg Echternkamp
• Rolf-Dieter Müller, ed. (2008). "Das Schicksal der deutschen Kriegsgefangenen des Zweiten Weltkriegs'". Der Zusammenbruch des Deutschen Reiches 1945. Zweiter Halbband: Die Folgen des Zweiten Weltkrieges [The Collapse of Germany 1945 and the Results of the Second World War: The Resolution of the Wehrmacht and the Consequences of the War]. Germany and the Second World War. X/1-2. Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, München. pp. 379–507. ISBN 3-421-04338-8. 

Editorships

• In der Hand des Feindes. Kriegsgefangenschaft von der Antike bis zum Zweiten Weltkrieg. Böhlau, Köln. 1999. ISBN 3-412-14998-5. 
• Overmans, Rüdiger; Bischof, Günter (1999). Kriegsgefangenschaft im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Eine vergleichende Perspektive. Gerhard Höller, Ternitz-Pottschach. ISBN 3-85226-078-7. 
• Polian, Pavel; Hilger, Andreas; Overmans, Rüdiger (2012). Rotarmisten in deutscher Hand. Dokumente zu Gefangenschaft, Repatriierung und Rehabilitierung sowjetischer Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Schöningh, Paderborn. ISBN 978-3-506-76545-1. 

See also

• German casualties in World War II, largely based on Overmans's research

References

External links

• Literature by and about Rüdiger Overmans in the German National Library catalogue
• Rüdiger Overmans at perlentaucher.de – das Kulturmagazin (German)
• Homepage of Rüdiger Overmans