Berlin Diary

The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent, 1934–1941

By: William L. Shirer

Narrated by: Tom Weiner

Length: 15 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

Compelling listening

What did you love best about Berlin Diary?

the book gives the reader the opportunity to see events unfold as per the generation that lived through the second world war. It offers a time travellers view of history as it unfolds

What other book might you compare Berlin Diary to and why?

Possibly on a par with :Downfall but has more impact in its revealing of the key Nazi protagonists

What about Tom Weiner’s performance did you like?

Well read and presented

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I tried to listen in one sitting but the reader need to spread it over a few sittings to appreciate the content

Any additional comments?

The book has chilling impact in the light of hindsight

The Berlin Diary

Spellbinding first-hand observation of the venality of the Nazis and the utter incompetence of the French leaders, the utter stupidity of French war tactics or lack thereof.

Glad it's still available

I "inherited" an old, falling-apart paperback of Berlin Diary from an uncle, and felt bad that it wasn't still in print. I'm glad to see it's still available after all, at least in this form - the reading is top-notch.

History as it happens

Diary of William L. Shirer while he was CBS radio correspondent in Berlin and elsewhere in Europe. Good first-hand accounting of "breaking news" of the time, including the Austrian Anschluss, Munich crisis, invasion of Poland, invasion of Norway, and invasion of the low countries and France. Although I knew generally about the "home front" in Germany during the war, Shirer provides good information on German rationing and the effect of the Allied bombing raids on Berlin.

Yes sir

Very enjoyable audio read. I liked the author’s real time reporting of what was going on in his mind and those folks, big and small, that were living through this pre war period. This book should be a must read along with the author’s Pulitzer work.

Unfolding of war in real time

This diary of William Shirer, published in 1941, provides an unfolding of Europe's plunge into war from 1934-1941 by an American reporter who recorded these events as they happened while he was there during this period. Shirer proved insightful as to what the Nazi's were up to as France and Britain failed to stand up to Hitler's string of demands for more of Europe's land. The narration is excellent as he reads Shirer's diary entries and you feel like you are back there in time listening to the events unfold as Shirer describes them.

Personal and personable account of the nazi rise.

What did you love best about Berlin Diary?

Berlin diary presented a firsthand experiential account of the rise and conquests of Nazi Germany by Shirer, who was actually there (in Berlin and various other relevant locations) at the time. Presented in diary form, the story unfolded as events happened and became known to Shirer, rather than a narrative by one who already "knew how it would end".

What did you like best about this story?

The "voice" of Shirer, the personable way he wrote, the little extras of almost irrelevant diary writings.

What three words best describe Tom Weiner’s voice?

Fast. American. Warm.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. The diary form made it approachable over a period of a couple of weeks.

A WWII classic

Would you listen to Berlin Diary again? Why?

Yes, In order to keep reminding myself of what can happen to a nation of sheep.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Author's understanding of what was going on on in Germany.

Any additional comments?

It shows what can happen in a country when the people of a nation become mesmerized by a leader who demonizes a group in society in order to assume complete power. In Germany it was Jews who were blamed, Here it is "the rich".

So scary!

Given the time we are traversing now in the United Sates and much of the world for that matter, this book is quite disturbing as it gives us with an unflinching eye the political atmosphere around the early World War II period.
Are we going to,lose in the 2024 presidential elections the hard earned human rights because of the rise of fascism in this country? Trump or most of the current Republican candidates, with the support of our current right wing Congress, are doing all they can to bring us back to a time when being of brown skin, Jewish, gay, the free press or anything that does not conform with a supremacist agenda will be considered unfriendly to the current regime. Please tell me that I am wrong!

Behind the scenes of the fascist boots

Wonderful book. If you enjoyed “rise and fall of the third Reich” by the same author, you will enjoy this. If you enjoyed this, then also listen to the above mentioned title.