Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

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K.Kocjancic
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Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#1

Post by K.Kocjancic » 21 Sep 2018, 07:25


Mori
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Re: Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#2

Post by Mori » 21 Sep 2018, 09:04

Very interesting, no doubt.

I like the footnote listing all the authors who took Kurowski as a reference, without the ability to tell whether he was reliable (Sholwater, Lopez...). Just checking the number of his publications should have been enough to convince anyone this writer he could not have enough time for serious research.

I suppose the British equivalent is Charles Whiting, who also used many pseudonyms.


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Re: Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#3

Post by Michael Kenny » 21 Sep 2018, 19:42

This link shows Kurowski confronted with his lies and he has no answer other than 'how dare you contradict me, I am an expert.'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af59LYC8BFs

He is an expert all right. An expert liar and propagandists.

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Re: Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#4

Post by Mori » 21 Sep 2018, 20:30

Michael Kenny wrote:
21 Sep 2018, 19:42
This link shows Kurowski confronted with his lies and he has no answer other than 'how dare you contradict me, I am an expert.'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af59LYC8BFs
Excellent too. All the more since he does not come across as "I wrote it so it's no mistake" but as "no way soldiers from this unit could have ever performed a war crime". Which gives the whole ideology he was serving.
Last edited by Mori on 21 Sep 2018, 21:59, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#5

Post by Ken S. » 21 Sep 2018, 21:17

So, in other words, he responds like just about every other person would in such a situation. Go figure.
Michael Kenny wrote:
21 Sep 2018, 19:42
This link shows Kurowski confronted with his lies and he has no answer other than 'how dare you contradict me, I am an expert.'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af59LYC8BFs

He is an expert all right. An expert liar and propagandists.

Sid Guttridge
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Re: Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#6

Post by Sid Guttridge » 21 Sep 2018, 21:36

Double post.
Last edited by Sid Guttridge on 21 Sep 2018, 21:40, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#7

Post by Sid Guttridge » 21 Sep 2018, 21:40

Fascinating.

The normal turn of events at such exposés is for a flood of defenders to now rush in and try to rubbish the character of the writer while not addressing his/her actual points. Watch this space.......

In haste,

Sid

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Re: Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#8

Post by Ken S. » 21 Sep 2018, 21:41

He makes some valid points, but this essay isn't exactly the most eloquent thing written. Perhaps he could have had someone proof read the translation to catch embarrassing errors (eg. "he was awarded the literary price of the soldier’s newspaper" and "his 220nd book"), esp. when he's so intent on pointing out Kurowski's errors with an emphatic "[sic!]". It's interesting that he has some damning criticisms from veterans themselves, but guess what?, when you check he sources they end up being letters and interviews - so I guess we'll just have to take his word for it, then... Note #5 is real gold, too; would this "literary scholar Albin Lenhard" be the author of the children's books "Flummi wirbelt durch London" and "Drachentanz und Pausenclowns - Flummi in London"??? Not a fan of Kurowski's. Nor do I mind myth busting when it leads to a more objective truth, but when comes in the form of an ideological agenda and reeks with its own bias, its own credibility is undermined.
K.Kocjancic wrote:
21 Sep 2018, 07:25
A great essay on this historian: https://www.academia.edu/37429738/The_W ... owski_2018_

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Re: Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#9

Post by Sid Guttridge » 21 Sep 2018, 21:46

Hi Ken S.

And so it begins - within 1 minute of my prophecy!

So, the editor was a bit careless and you don't like one source, but what about the actual substance of the content? You don't address that at all!

What are the "valid points" you identify? Surely those are the important things here?

Sid
Last edited by Sid Guttridge on 21 Sep 2018, 21:54, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#10

Post by Ken S. » 21 Sep 2018, 21:52

Don't you think, that "academic" historian Roman Töppel should be held to his own standards?

NB. the above was in response to Sid's post before he added "So, the editor was a bit careless and you don't like one source, but what about the actual substance of the content? You don't address that at all!".

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Re: Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#11

Post by Sid Guttridge » 21 Sep 2018, 21:56

Hi Ken,

By all means he should be held by his own, or preferably even higher, standards.

But are you doing so in your post by highlighting very minor editing lapses that are presumably not the author's while glossing over the actual content of what he really wrote?

And presumably you know something we don't in writing "academic" in inverted commas. Is he not "academic"? If not, why not? (An open question - I don't know him from a bar of soap!)

Sid
Last edited by Sid Guttridge on 21 Sep 2018, 22:04, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#12

Post by Ken S. » 21 Sep 2018, 22:03

Sid, you've edited your posts several times in quick succession to erase your own errors and misperceptions. I'm not going to reply to you until I know that what I'm replying to will not have been changed while composing the reply.
Sid Guttridge wrote:
21 Sep 2018, 21:46

What are the "valid points" you identify? Surely those are the important things here?

Sid

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Re: Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#13

Post by Ken S. » 21 Sep 2018, 22:06

You see you just did it again...
Sid Guttridge wrote:
21 Sep 2018, 21:56
Hi Ken,

By all means he should be held by his own, or preferably even higher, standards.

But are you doing so in your post by highlighting very minor editing lapses that are presumably not the author's while glossing over the actual content of what he really wrote?

And presumably you know something we don't in writing "academic" in inverted commas. Is he not "academic"? If not, why not? (An open question - I don't know him from a bar of soap!)

Sid

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Re: Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#14

Post by Mori » 21 Sep 2018, 22:12

Sid Guttridge wrote:
21 Sep 2018, 21:56
But are you doing so in your post by highlighting very minor editing lapses that are presumably not the author's while glossing over the actual content of what he really wrote?
Instead of mere allusion, why don't you be explicit? Obviously you put some thought into it and have made yourself an opinion.

I must say I had never even heard of Kurowski before. Yes, contrary to what Töppel says: never had any of his book in my hands, never read any. Probably because I'm more focusing on the Western Front. And maybe because I'm not into panzer porn.

The one thing that struck me was the number of books Kurowski produced. There is just no way one can write 5-10 history books by year (if that's more or less the count) doing proper research. Especially in a pre-internet age. This means Kurowski wrote *very* fast and it's a fair assumption he did not embarass himself with checking sources against each other or taking the other guy's point of view.

The next thing was the kind of publisher he was with. Not only the far right stance (in my own country, France, it's pretty obvious which are such publishers - track the panzer porn), but also that they were amateur-like publishers. I mean: no one could comment on content, give feedback on possible contradiction etc. So the author was really by himself, working in a close environment. And that puts a definitive limit on how much he could develop his skills.

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Re: Roman Töppel: 'The War, One Great Adventure: The Writer and "Historian" Franz Kurowski'

#15

Post by Sid Guttridge » 21 Sep 2018, 22:16

Hi Ken S.

So, not content with having a go at the author, you are now accusing me of editing my posts "to erase (my) errors and misperceptions". Evidence, please? (Oh, and would erasing errors and misperceptions be wrong anyway?)

Actually, I am adding to my posts, but if this inconveniences you, I am sorry.

Can we please stick to the real point.

Leaving aside all the flannel about editing errors, presumed children's authors, and whatever misedemeanours I may or may not have committed, what, in your opinion, are the valid points made, and what, in your opinion, is invalid?

Cheers,

Sid.

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