J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing is a Canadian publishing house that specialises in literature on the German armed forces of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

era. Its authors are both popular history writers such as Paul Carell and

Franz Kurowski Franz Kurowski (November 17, 1923 − May 28, 2011) was a German author of fiction and non-fiction who specialised in World War II topics. He is best known for producing apologist, revisionist and semi-fictional works on the history of the war, i ...

, along with the war-time veterans (and post-war apologists), including

Kurt Meyer Kurt Meyer (23 December 1910 – 23 December 1961) was an SS commander and convicted war criminal of Nazi Germany. He served in the Waffen-SS (the combat branch of the SS) and participated in the Battle of France, Operation Barbarossa, and ot ...

of the SS Division Hitlerjugend and

Otto Weidinger Otto Weidinger (27 May 1914 – 10 January 1990) was a member of the Waffen-SS in Nazi Germany and a regimental commander in the SS Division Das Reich during World War II. In this capacity, he was involved in the Oradour massacre in France in J ...

of the SS Division Das Reich. The press has received praise from North American and German writers for professionally produced text and picture books. J.J. Fedorowicz has been profiled by the American historians

Ronald Smelser Ronald Smelser (born 1942) is an American historian, author, and former professor of history at the University of Utah. He specializes in modern European history, including the history of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, and has written several ...

and Edward J. Davies in their 2006 work ''

The Myth of the Eastern Front ''The Myth of the Eastern Front: The Nazi–Soviet War in American Popular Culture'' (2008) by Ronald Smelser and Edward J. Davies, is a historical analysis of the post-war myth of the "Clean Wehrmacht", the negative impact of the ''Wehrmacht' ...

'', where they describe Fedorowicz as a leading press of war-romancing literature and criticise it for providing a platform for authors who present an uncritical and ahistorical portrayal of the German war effort during the

Soviet-German war The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sou ...

of 1941–1945.

Authors

Bundesarchiv Bild 192-299, KZ-Mauthausen, Himmlervisite

Fedorowicz Publishing was the first North American press to translate works by the German author

, providing laudatory and fictionalised wartime chronicles of German units and their highly-decorated personnel. In early 1990s, Fedorowicz released Kurowski's two popular works, '' Panzer Aces'' and '' Infantry Aces'', in 1992 and 1994, respectively. The first two books were followed up by ''Panzer Aces II'', ''Panzer Aces III'', ''Luftwaffe Aces'' and similar works. In addition to Kurowski, the publishing house printed works by authors such as Patrick Agte (closely associated with the post-war Waffen-SS lobby group

HIAG HIAG (german: Hilfsgemeinschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit der Angehörigen der ehemaligen Waffen-SS, lit=Mutual aid association of former Waffen-SS members) was a lobby group and a denialist veterans' organisation founded by former high-ranking Waff ...

), former Nazi propagandist Paul Carell and Marc Rikmenspoel, a leading apologist for the Waffen-SS. It brought to the English-speaking audiences multiple works by former Waffen-SS members, such as

Hubert Meyer Hubert is a Germanic masculine given name, from ''hug'' "mind" and ''beraht'' "bright". It also occurs as a surname. Saint Hubertus or Hubert (c. 656 – 30 May 727) is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians, and metalworkers. ...

, Rudolf Lehmann, Kurt "Panzer" Meyer,

, and Karl Ullrich, among others. Their publications included memoirs by former Wehrmacht '' Heer'' (army) personnel, such as Otto Carius, a famous " panzer ace", and Helmuth Spaeter of the Division Grossdeutschland. Many of the Fedorowicz titles were subsequently made available to a wider audience by mass market and specialty publishers such as Ballantine Books and Stackpole Books.

Reception

Historians

and Edward J. Davies in their work ''

'' describe J.J. Fedorowicz as the leading publisher of war-romancing literature dedicated to the portrayal of the German war effort on the Eastern Front. The books include multiple photographs and are accompanied by cover art that, as with Kurowski's ''Panzer Aces'' series, "evokes heroism, determination and might of the German soldier and his weapons". According to ''The Myth of the Eastern Front'', J.J.Fedorowicz has played an important role in publicising the works of German World War II veterans, such as Otto Carius, alongside the authors who the book describes as "gurus". In Smelser and Davies's definition, the gurus are writers who specialise in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

and, in particular, the

Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...

and are popular among the readers who "romanticise" the Eastern Front. These authors present an uncritical and ahistorical portrayal of the military and paramilitary formations of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

that is in stark contrast to the realities of the war of conquest and racial annihilation. The book describes Fedorowicz's web site as "the heart of the romancing ethos", among other similar publishers such as

Schiffer Publishing Schiffer Publishing Ltd. (also known for its imprints Schiffer, Schiffer Craft, Schiffer Military History, Schiffer Kids, REDFeather MBS, Cornell Maritime Press, Tidewater Publishers, Thrums Books, Geared Up Publications ) is a family-owned publi ...

and Merriam Press:

In some cases, as their urus'appeal grows, they graduate up the scale of publishing importance from self-publishing to the myriad small presses (...), to the top, particularly to the Fedorowicz publishing house (...). To be published through Fedorowicz is to have arrived.

In contrast, the press has won praise from its authors for its portrayal of the German military. In a preface to the Fedorowicz translation of his ''Tigers in the Mud'', Carius thanks the publisher for enabling him and other German authors to reach a broader audience in the English-speaking world. He writes:

Through these publications, the defamation of the German soldier in film, television and the press has been countered and the picture of the Wehrmacht has been a more objective one by means of the help offered by many sources.

Smelser and Davies conclude that Fedorowicz's position on the former members of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS hues closely to that of Carius, who condemns the deserters and traitors, along with "lies" and false "claims" about the German soldier. "The Fedorowicz link provides romancers with reaffirmation of their sentiments toward the German soldiers and their field commanders", the book finds. Chris Evans, history editor at Stackpole Books, writes in an introduction to one of the Fedorowicz books reissued by Stackpole: "J.J. Fedorowicz has a well earned reputation for publishing exceptionally high quality books on German World War II subjects". Author Mark Healy in his work ''Zitadelle: The German Offensive Against the Kursk Salient 4–17 July 1943'' refers to Fedorowicz's publications on the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history ...

as "remarkable text and photo books", highlighting the two volume works by Restayn and Moller, which contain new photographs and present an "unforgettable image of the scale of the battle". Favorably comparing Fedorowicz with Schiffer Publishing, author George Forty notes that the company has a "worldwide reputation for the excellences in its military literature".

Select publications

Sample publications include:JJ Fedorowicz Publishing Inc.
Stone & Stone *Patrick Agte (2005): ''Michael Wittmann and the Tiger Commanders of the Leibstandarte'' * Paul Carell (1990): ''Hitler moves East, 1941–1943'' *

Willi Fey __NOTOC__ Wilhelm “Willi" Fey (25 September 1918 – 29 April 2002) was a WWII German panzer ace. During World War II, he served in the armoured troops of the Waffen-SS, destroying many enemy armored vehicles. In the Normandy battles during the ...

(1990): ''Armor battles of the Waffen-SS, 1943-45'' *

Otto Kumm Otto Kumm (1 October 1909 – 23 March 2004) commanded two Waffen-SS divisions in the latter stages of World War II and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. At the post-war Nuremberg trials, the Waffe ...

(1995): Prinz Eugen: ''The History of the 7. SS-Mountain Division "Prinz Eugen"'' *

(1992): ''Panzer Aces'' * Rudolf Lehmann (1987): ''The Leibstandarte'' *

(1994): ''History of the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend'' *

(2001): ''Grenadiers'' *Marc Rikmenspoel (1999): ''Soldiers of the Waffen-SS: Many Nations, One Motto'' *Peter Strassner (1988): ''European Volunteers: the 5. SS-Panzer-Division "Wiking"'' * (2001): ''Tragedy of the Faithful: a History of the III. (Germanisches) SS-Panzer-Korps'' *

(1990, 1995, 2002, 2008, 2012): ''Das Reich: 2 SS Panzer Division Das Reich'', Vol. I through V

References

Bibliography

* {{Authority control Historical revisionism Propaganda legends Historiography of Nazi Germany German veterans' organisations Cold War history of Germany Aftermath of World War II in Germany

Authors

Reception

Select publications

See also

References

Bibliography