"The Wehrmacht and the Holocaust: A Case Study"
Professional Background
David Wildermuth received a Doctorate of Modern Languages in German and Russian from Middlebury College, Vermont in 2010. He also attended the Middlebury College Russian School and received an M.A. in German and political science from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and a B.A. in German from the State University of New York College at Cortland. For his Pearl Resnick Postdoctoral Fellowship, Dr. Wildermuth conducted research for his project, “The Wehrmacht and the Holocaust: A Case Study.”
Dr. Wildermuth is the recipient of many academic awards, including a Fulbright Full Grant in Freiburg, Germany, a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship in Linz, Austria, Middlebury’s Kathryn Davis Fellowship for Peace, and numerous Faculty Development Grants from Skidmore College. While at Skidmore College he taught courses in German language, literature and culture, and developed courses such as German Political Developments of the 20th Century and The Experience of War in German Literature and Film. He participated in the 2009 Silberman Seminar for University Faculty: Teaching the Holocaust: Causes, Course, Consequences at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Dr. Wildermuth has lived and worked in Austria, Germany and Russia and speaks German and Russian.
Fellowship Research
During his tenure at the Center, Dr. Wildermuth conducted research on the role of the German army in Hitler’s war of annihilation against the Soviet Union. His project questioned the extent to which the average soldier knew about and participated in crimes against humanity. His research focused on the experience of one front-line army unit, the 35th Wehrmacht Division, to further debate this controversial question. To complete his research, Dr. Wildermuth utilized the Museum’s archival holdings, including records from the Smolensk State Oblast Archives, the Central Archives of the Federal Security Services of the Russian Federation, and the Central Archives of the Ministry of Defense, Podolsk (1944-45). He also used documents specifically related to the 35th Division, which include reports on partisan activity and transcripts, found at the National Archives and Records Administration.
Dr. Wildermuth was in residence at the Mandel Center from October 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011.