Berlin Diary

The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent, 1934–1941

By: William L. Shirer

Narrated by: Tom Weiner

By the acclaimed journalist and New York Times best-selling author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, this day-by-day eyewitness account of the momentous events leading up to World War II in Europe is the private, personal, utterly revealing journal of a great foreign correspondent.

CBS radio broadcaster William L. Shirer was virtually unknown in 1940 when he decided there might be a book in the diary he had kept in Europe during the 1930s—specifically those sections dealing with the collapse of the European democracies and the rise of Nazi Germany.

Shirer was the only Western correspondent in Vienna on March 11, 1938, when the German troops marched in and took over Austria, and he alone reported the surrender by France to Germany on June 22, 1940, even before the Germans reported it. The whole time, Shirer kept a record of events, many of which could not be publicly reported because of censorship by the Germans. In December 1940, Shirer learned that the Germans were building a case against him for espionage, an offense punishable by death. Fortunately, Shirer escaped and was able to take most of his diary with him.

Berlin Diary first appeared in 1941, and the timing was perfect. The energy, the passion, and the electricity in it were palpable. The book was an instant success, and it became the frame of reference against which thoughtful Americans judged the rush of events in Europe. It exactly matched journalist to event: the right reporter in the right place at the right time. It stood, and still stands, as so few books have ever done, a pure act of journalistic witness.

©1941 William L. Shirer (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“The most complete news report yet to come out of wartime Germany.” ( Time)

The Real Rise and Fall

If you found "Rise and Fall" to be a gripping book, as I did, then I think you will find "Berlin Diaries" to be a wonderful listen. Here you learn all the thoughts of a witness to an amazing place and time. Particularly striking is the insanity of what Shirer is and is not allowed to report. The world was turned upside-down and Shirer tells you about it as if you were having a drink at the press club. Wonderful insights into easy things that the British might have done better... for example, bombing doesn't need to be massive to be effective, Shirer explains that even small bombings during the night in Berlin have the effect of keeping everyone awake and dramatically affecting war production, not to mention jangling nerves. You see Shirer becoming more and more cynical as the war begins to go badly and his access to real news vs. propaganda is limited. The book leaves you wanting to learn a lot more about his wife Tess who seems like a very interesting character in her own right. Shirer explains so clearly successes of the Third Reich early in the war; you understand what it means to build a war machine, to consider all the technical details, to keep all your aircraft hidden a short distance from the airfields so that the bombing of an airfield produces limited damage. Shirer explains Hitler's misperception of British attitudes. I found the book truly fascinating.

Hitler and his Thugs: Up Close and Personal

Anyone who has enjoyed Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich will appreciate Shirer's journal, Berlin Diary, even more. When one consider's the intelligence value of Shirer's observations, rich detail and analysis in this Berlin-stationed, U.S. correspondent's notes, and what would have happened to him if it had been suspected or discovered by Hitler's Thugs, one appreciates Shirer's courage and professionalism even more, as well. With excellent narration and editing into a smooth and fast moving account, this makes the listener feel as Shirer did when Hitler strode into the auditorium packed with shouting, worshiping Nazis: fear, awe and disgust at what was happening to Germany and its people. This account of the beginning of WW2, more than most others I've read, nails down the biggest question and mystery of the War: Why did the German people go along with everything Hitler ordered, including the extermination of millions of Jews? While many interviews with German survivors after the War, by other authors, tend to conclude that "they didn't know" about the atrocities, Shirer concludes differently after talking with Nazi officials and observing the success of Nazi propaganda and media control. Now this is an old-fashioned Journalist!

Real as ww2 can get

Gives very good insight to the mind set of the writer and people around Berlin at the heart of the war. This book gives a 1st persons view and thoughts of the writer. Reading this book gave me a unique understanding of ww2 compared to reading the history of ww2 as a past event. A must read to those who wants to understand events within ww2.

Very Insightful

An excellent diary, where Shirer, famous for his book on Nazi Germany, shares some of the insights into that hateful regime. The narrator is perfect, and the modulation of his voice is much in keeping with the story and time period. I highly recommend this book.

Really Interesting First Hand Account

Really interesting first hand account of the Nazi rise to power and the early years of the war. Shirer was stationed in Berlin and was in Poland, Czech, and France when they were invaded. Great book if you want to know what it was like on the ground, and Shirer is a great writer that keeps things entertaining.

The narrator took me a couple of chapters to get used to, but was good.