White Knights in the Black Orchestra: A True Story of the Nazi Resistance

FAIN: FZ-261342-18

Tom Dunkel
Unaffiliated independent scholar

Research leading to publication of a monograph on a Nazi resistance group that included German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945). 

My project is a book-in-progress under contract with a publisher. This is not biography or military history. I'm writing a narrative nonfiction book geared to a mainstream American audience; an audience largely unaware of one of the great stories of the Nazi resistance. My focus is the years 1938-1945 and a small group of conspirators primarily based at Abwehr, the German foreign intelligence service. Their goal is to obstruct and, hopefully, destroy the Third Reich from within, if necessary by killing Adolf Hitler. The main protagonists are pastor-turned-resister Dietrich Bonhoeffer, his brother-in-law and Abwehr attorney Hans von Dohnanyi, and Admiral Wilhem Canaris, head of Abwehr. This is a story of personal courage in the face of collective tyranny; of inescapable but dangerous moral choices. As Martin Luther King, Jr. noted, "If your opponent has a conscience, then follow Gandhi and non-violence. But if your enemy has no conscience like Hitler, then follow Bonhoeffer."

Media Coverage

"These Are the 28 Books You'll Want to Read this Fall" (Review)
Author(s): Mackenzie Dawson
Publication: New York Post
Date: 9/3/2022
Abstract: White Knights in the Black Orchestra named to NY Post's lists of best books to read this fall."A fascinating look at the brave “White Knights” — a loose network of German military officers, diplomats, politicians, and civilians who risked their lives to undermine the Third Reich, from reporting troop movements to the Allies to plotting to assassinate Hitler."
URL: http://nypost.com/2022/09/03/these-are-the-28-books-youll-want-to-read-this-fall/?fbclid=IwAR39OfIJC178VtTosDeUrc06ZigjpNBFParDapts3fN7WuBISHhqiA7JWJU

"The story of a group of valiant German voices of opposition to Hitler’s murderous regime" (Review)
Publication: Kirkus Reviews
Date: 8/23/2022
Abstract: Review was published online Aug 23 and in print on Sept 15. "Troubled by Hitler’s racist, unhinged, warlike rhetoric, these Germans, largely from the Christian upper class of Berlin, expressed alarm and attempted to sabotage a variety of Nazi plans. Journalist Dunkel, author of Color Blind: The Forgotten Team That Broke Baseball's Color Line, frames the suspenseful narrative around the work and family of Dietrich Bonhoeffer....A thoroughgoing history of indispensable purveyors of active and passive resistance in Nazi Germany."
URL: http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/tom-dunkel/white-knights-in-the-black-orchestra/

"The courageous German ‘orchestra’ that tried (and failed) to stop Hitler...Tom Dunkel’s absorbing history chronicles the little-known exploits of the Germans’ resistance in WWII" (Review)
Author(s): Julia M. Klein
Publication: The Forward
Date: 10/12/2022
Abstract: "Dunkel’s nonfiction narrative is surprisingly suspenseful, as well as elegantly written. Deftly interweaving divergent stories, Dunkel emphasizes ironies and unforeseen twists as his characters navigate Nazi bureaucracies, shifting ideological currents and the pressures of war. Like Donner’s book, White Knights in the Black Orchestra is a tale of great heroism, shadowed by villainy and mixed motives, at a time and place when the moral stakes could not have been higher…. Because the German resistance failed to stop Hitler; because many resisters died in the attempt; because they did, at best, only a little, the tremendous courage they displayed often has been overlooked. Dunkel’s book is a stirring corrective."
URL: https://forward.com/culture/520999/tom-dunkel-white-knights-in-the-black-orchestra-german-resistance-to-hitler/

"The story of various Germans who tried to destroy the Nazis from within in World War II." (Review)
Publication: History Nerds United
Date: 10/11/2022
Abstract: "White Knights in the Black Orchestra (one of the best titles I’ve seen lately) by Tom Dunkel is an amazing book. It tells the story numerous members of an anti-Nazi group in Germany from the rise of the Third Reich to the end of World War II. As you may expect, there is a lot of sad outcomes, but I will avoid spoiler territory even if this all happened decades ago. Needless to say, a 'happy ending' is not something you would expect if you lived in Germany during World War II. Dunkel’s style is one of the most important aspects of the book. He deftly handles dozens of characters without leaving your head spinning. He cuts up chapters to keep everything in perspective and the focus on specific people without expanding the scope too much. Most importantly, he has an eye for the details which leaves a reader wanting more and desperately hoping the conspirators make it out alive. Even someone who doesn’t normally read history will love this book.."
URL: http://historynerdsunited.com/2022/10/white-knights-in-the-black-orchestra-by-tom-dunkel-book-review-world-war-2/

"Costly Grace" (Review)
Author(s): Karen Lyon
Publication: The Hill Rag
Date: 11/1/2022
Abstract: "A cadre of like-minded military officers, diplomats, politicians and others both within and outside the German government were part of the ‘Black Orchestra’ conspiracy. Their goal was to bring down the Third Reich and put an end to what was quickly becoming a bloodbath. With little support from the allies and at great risk to themselves, they plotted bombings and assassination attempts….In 70 fast-paced chapters, Dunkel’s seamless narrative gives these brave men and women their overdue eulogy….along with a line that could well serve as an epitaph: ‘In darkest days,’ writes Dunkel, ‘righteous souls must let instinct light their path and follow it come what may.’ With threats arising from various fronts these days, we can only hope that our times will produce our own share of righteous souls.”
URL: https://issuu.com/capitalcommunitynews/docs/hill_rag_magazine_noicember_2022/92

"Tom Dunkel joins the podcast" (Media Coverage)
Publication: History Nerds United
Date: 11/23/2022
Abstract: 42-minute discussion about "White Knights" and the writing life with podcast host Brendan Dowd
URL: http://historynerdsunited.com/2022/11/tom-dunkel-white-knights-in-the-black-orchestra-author-interview-book/

"Tom Dunkel Interview" (Media Coverage)
Publication: "The Packaged Tourist" Apple podcast
Date: 11/1/2022
Abstract: 25-minute "White Knights" author interview/discussion with Matt DiBiase, host of the Apple podcast "The Packaged Tourist"
URL: http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tom-dunkel-interview/id1506882766?i=1000584728884

"Tom Dunkel on the Germans Sabotaging the Third Reich" (Media Coverage)
Publication: American Purpose
Date: 2/6/2023
Abstract: A 27-minute interview conducted by Richard Aldous, host of American Purpose’s "Bookstack" podcast and the Eugene Meyer Professor of British History and Literature at Bard College. The podcast is 27 minutes long and available on Spotify, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.
URL: http://www.americanpurpose.com/podcasts/tom-dunkel-on-the-germans-sabotaging-the-third-reich/

Associated Products

White Knights in the Black Orchestra (Book)
Title: White Knights in the Black Orchestra
Author: Tom Dunkel
Editor: Bob Pigeon
Abstract: As the “Final Solution” unfolds, a loose network of German military officers, diplomats, politicians, and civilians are doing everything in their power to undermine the Third Reich from the inside: reporting troop movements to the Allies, feeding disinformation to the Nazi high command, plotting to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and more. The Gestapo nicknames this shadowy confederation of traitors the “Black Orchestra.” Its players include Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a dissident Lutheran pastor, and his brother-in-law Hans von Dohnanyi, a staff attorney at the Abwehr, the German military intelligence service. In this tension-filled narrative, Tom Dunkel traces the perilous movements of these “white knights” as they and their families face constant danger of being exposed and executed. Some act out of moral outrage and patriotism. Some want to atone for their own Nazi sins. When their treasonous activities are finally discovered, Hitler’s SS and the Gestapo are hell-bent on taking bloody revenge as the end of the war rapidly approaches and lives hang in the balance. White Knights in the Black Orchestra is a tautly written, meticulously reported account of men and women heroically resisting Hitler’s ruthless regime. It packs the punch of the best espionage thrillers, but the cat-and-mouse drama and plot twists are grounded firmly in fact. This is a stirring story of people willing to risk all by doing the right thing in a country gone mad, a story that may prompt readers to ask themselves “What would I have done?”
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://www.hachettebooks.com/titles/tom-dunkel/white-knights-in-the-black-orchestra/9780306922183/
Primary URL Description: Hachette Books pre-order page for White Knights in the Black Orchestra
Secondary URL: http://tomdunkel.com
Secondary URL Description: Author website
Access Model: N.A.
Publisher: Hachette Books
Type: Other
ISBN: 9780306922183
Translator: N.A.
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

White Knights in the Black Orchestra (Book)
Title: White Knights in the Black Orchestra
Author: Tom Dunkel
Editor: Bob Pigeon
Abstract: As the “Final Solution” unfolds, a loose network of German military officers, diplomats, politicians, and civilians are doing everything in their power to undermine the Third Reich from the inside: reporting troop movements to the Allies, feeding disinformation to the Nazi high command, plotting to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and more. The Gestapo nicknames this shadowy confederation of traitors the “Black Orchestra.” Its players include Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a dissident Lutheran pastor, and his brother-in-law Hans von Dohnanyi, a staff attorney at the Abwehr, the German military intelligence service. In this tension-filled narrative, Tom Dunkel traces the perilous movements of these “white knights” as they and their families face constant danger of being exposed and executed. Some act out of moral outrage and patriotism. Some want to atone for their own Nazi sins. When their treasonous activities are finally discovered, Hitler’s SS and the Gestapo are hell-bent on taking bloody revenge as the end of the war rapidly approaches and lives hang in the balance. White Knights in the Black Orchestra is a tautly written, meticulously reported account of men and women heroically resisting Hitler’s ruthless regime. It packs the punch of the best espionage thrillers, but the cat-and-mouse drama and plot twists are grounded firmly in fact. This is a stirring story of people willing to risk all by doing the right thing in a country gone mad, a story that may prompt readers to ask themselves “What would I have done?”
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://www.hachettebooks.com/titles/tom-dunkel/white-knights-in-the-black-orchestra/9780306922183/
Primary URL Description: Hachette Books web page for White Knights in the Black Orchestra
Secondary URL: http://tomdunkel.com
Secondary URL Description: Author website
Access Model: N.A.
Publisher: Hachette Books
Type: Other
ISBN: 9780306922183
Translator: N.A.
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

---