About the Author

Valdis O. Lumans is the Cleora Toole Murray Professor of History at the University of South Carolina Aiken. He is the author of Himmler’s Auxiliaries: The Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle and the German National Minorities of Europe, 1933–1945.

Reviews

"A comprehensive history of Latvia from 1934..." -Europe-Asia Studies "Discusses the Soviet invasion of Latvia in 1940, the mass deportations and executions that followed, and the further violence of Nazi occupation beginning in 1941." -The Chronicle of Higher Education "Latvia in World War II is a masterly synthesis of one of the most traumatic and contested periods in Latvia's history. Lumans writes a clear and balanced account that simultaneously places World War II within Latvia's history and the Latvian experience into the larger scholarhsip on World War II." -- -Aldis Purs coauthor of Latvia: The Challenges of Change "In clear and eloquent prose, Lumans deals sympathetically but firmly with the mixed interpretations of these horrible events; writes a chilling chapter on the Holocaust in Latvia; and describes many of the human tragedies that underlay the statistics. Amply documented. Highly recommended." -Choice "This exceptional and comprehensive work of synthesis outdistances the existing and more narrowly conceived studies of Latvia in World War II period (1939-45) and will remain a basic reference for a long time." -Journal of Modern History "Highly readable and accessible, the book will indeed be a useful source of reference for students and the general reader, and yet both would be well advised to handle with care, and to cross-reference Lumans's findings to some of the more recent books in the field." -The International History Review "...An instructive history to Latvia and the wider community." -Journal of Military History "Marked by thoughtful and fair balance on such subjects as collaboration, resistance, and the Holocaust, Latvia in World War II will long stand as a comprehensive survey of events in a strategically important portion of Europe." -- -Gerhard L. Weinberg author of A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II