ABSTRACT
In Kurt Waldheim’s account of his military experience, he presents himself alternatively as a victim and factotum. His victimization began early because the Austrian army regiment for which he had volunteered in 1936/37 was incorporated into the German Wehrmacht and he was forced to rejoin it in autumn 1938. Waldheim’s own war experience had moments of high drama, such as his ordeal on the Eastern Front after sustaining the shrapnel wound. Waldheim dodges accusations that he knew about specific events such as the killings and reprisals at Kozara and the deportation of Salonika’s Jews. Waldheim admits knowledge of deportations and internment camps, but in a manner reminiscent of Albert Speer, he maintains that he had only vague suspicions of the killings, and no specific information. Waldheim’s portrayal of defeat and Stunde Null in Austria is dramatic and vivid, though again the main theme is one of victimization.
