Sign-In
Cart
First Class Comrades: The Stasi in the Cold War, 1945-1961
Hardcover
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
ISBN13: 9780857305206
Publisher: Oldcastle Books
Published: Jul 8 2025
Pages: 736
Weight: 2.25
Height: 2.40 Width: 6.20 Depth: 9.30
Language: English
** 'It is the definitive account, a compelling exploration of a mind-bending ideological experiment, its secret servants and the lives they defined' Sunday Times **
After the Second World War, divided Germany was saturated with spies. Among them were the 'first class comrades' of the Stasi - the East German Ministry for State Security. The early Cold War saw the Stasi establish itself as one of the world's most notorious spy and secret police agencies.
Drawing on rarely seen files from the Stasi archives, First Class Comrades tells the Stasi story from a fresh perspective: how it helped to create a new European state, how its foreign intelligence service became one of the most successful ever, and how its spy-catchers tackled vigorous attempts by the West to infiltrate East Germany - attempts that influenced the decision to build the Berlin Wall.
Full of new insights on Cold War espionage, and featuring newly discovered details of the Stasi's operational methods, First Class Comrades shines a light on this lesser-known period of Stasi history, and why its stories and lessons still matter today.
'Essential for all whose libraries contain an espionage section' Strong Words
'This is an intricately researched and truly comprehensive survey from the end of WWII and the Stasi's origins to the Berlin Wall... An important addition to the canon of Cold War European history and espionage' Crime Time
'Masterful... Whenever we think we know all about the Cold War, we find there's more to discover. Boulter's comprehensive and insightful account of the Stasi in the early rough-and-tumble years of that confrontation is unprecedented' Alan Judd, author of Queen & Country
'Boulter's thorough research provides an excellent reference for understanding how the Stasi began and how it fulfilled its responsibilities' Kevin Riehle, author of The Russian FSB
'A fascinating deep dive into the murky waters of Cold War espionage and the early days of East Germany's notorious secret police' Nick Rennison, author of 1974: Scenes from a Year in Crisis
'An impressive work... Boulter really widens the perspective on the Stasi' Dieter Bacher, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on Consequences of War
Perfect for readers interested in twentieth century European politics, military history, true crime and espionage narratives. For fans of Beyond the Wall by Katja Hoyer and readers of Ben Macintyre, Christopher Andrew, Alan Judd and Nigel West.
3 different editions
Also available
Also from
Boulter, J.
Also in
German History
The Occult in National Socialism: The Symbolic, Scientific, and Magical Influences on the Third Reich
Flowers, Stephen E.
Paperback
The Devil's Diary: Alfred Rosenberg and the Stolen Secrets of the Third Reich
Kinney, David
Wittman, Robert K.
Paperback
Germany from Partition to Reunification: A Revised Edition of the Two Germanies Since 1945
Turner, Henry Ashby, Jr.
Paperback
The Origins of Totalitarianism: With a New Introduction by Anne Applebaum
Arendt, Hannah
Applebaum, Anne
Paperback
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
Larson, Erik
Paperback
They Shall Not See the Dawn: The Manhunt for the Third Reich's Most Wanted
Lachman, Charles
Hardcover
Tunnel 29: The True Story of an Extraordinary Escape Beneath the Berlin Wall
Merriman, Helena
Paperback
Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment
Gaines, James R.
Paperback
A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II
Makos, Adam
Alexander, Larry
Paperback
The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of a Single German Town, 1922-1945, Revised Edition
Allen, William Sheridan
Paperback
Churchill, Hitler, and the Unnecessary War: How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World
Buchanan, Patrick J.
Paperback
Hitler's American Model: The United States and the Making of Nazi Race Law
Whitman, James Q.
Paperback
The Faithful Executioner: Life and Death, Honor and Shame in the Turbulent Sixteenth Century
Harrington, Joel F.
Paperback
Defeat at the Dnepr: The XLVIII. Panzerkorps' Counterattack at Kiev, November 1943
Waring, Simon
Hardcover
Reich of the Black Sun: Nazi Secret Weapons & the Cold War Allied Legend
Farrell, Joseph P.
Paperback
Моя Борьба - Майн Кампф: Mein Kampf
Гитлер, Ад&#
Hitler, Adolf
Paperback
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
Larson, Erik
Hardcover
Inside the 22 Cells in Nuremberg: Power, Obedience, and the Psychology Behind History's Darkest Decisions
Adams, Taylor
Paperback
The Sisterhood of Ravensbrück: How an Intrepid Band of Frenchwomen Resisted the Nazis in Hitler's All-Female Concentration Camp
Olson, Lynne
Hardcover
Douglas Kelly and the 22 Cells in Nuremberg: What Happens When Power, Loyalty, and Silence Go Unquestioned
Meier, Torsten
Paperback
Germany in Stalin's Crosshairs: The Red Army's Entry into the Second World War, and the Wehrmacht's Actions in 1941
Schwipper, Bernd
Paperback
The German Genius: Europe's Third Renaissance, the Second Scientific Revolution, and the Twentieth Century
Watson, Peter
Paperback
The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of '89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague
Ash, Timothy Garton
Paperback
All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days: The True Story of the American Woman at the Heart of the German Resistance to Hitler
Donner, Rebecca
Paperback
Nazi International: The Nazis' Postwar Plan to Control the Worlds of Science, Finance, Space, and Conflict
Farrell, Joseph P.
Paperback
The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic
Hett, Benjamin Carter
Paperback
A Village in the Third Reich: How Ordinary Lives Were Transformed by the Rise of Fascism
Boyd, Julia
Patel, Angelika
Paperback
The Shortest History of Germany: From Roman Frontier to the Heart of Europe - A Retelling for Our Times
Hawes, James
Paperback
When Money Dies: The Nightmare of Deficit Spending, Devaluation, and Hyperinflation in Weimar Germany
Fergusson, Adam
Paperback
The Escape Artists: A Band of Daredevil Pilots and the Greatest Prison Break of the Great War
Bascomb, Neal
Paperback
The Myth of the Great War: A New Military History of World War I
Mosier, John
Literary Group International
Paperback
The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil
Ridenour, Al
Paperback
Insignia of the Waffen-SS: Cuff Titles, Collar Tabs, Shoulder Boards & Badges
Michaelis, Rolf
Hardcover
A Hangman's Diary: The Journal of Master Franz Schmidt, Public Executioner of Nuremberg, 1573-1617
Schmidt, Franz
Paperback
Hitler's Table Talk: The Complete Edition 1941-1944
Bormann, Martin
Heim, Heinrich
Picker, Henry
Paperback
Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-Speaking Peoples Since 1500
Wilson, Peter H.
Paperback
Life Is a Cabaret: The Amazing Story of the Real Lives Who Inspired the Iconic Musical
Fairbanks, Brian
Hardcover
Patton at the Battle of the Bulge: How the General's Tanks Turned the Tide at Bastogne
Barron, Leo
Paperback
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (Large Print Edition)
Larson, Erik
Paperback
The Third Way: The Nazi International, European Union, and Corporate Fascism
Farrell, Joseph P.
Paperback
From Occupation to Integration: Recivilizing the French Zone of Post-Nazi Germany, 1945-1955
Flanagan, Drew
Hardcover
The Lighthouse of Stalingrad: The Hidden Truth at the Heart of the Greatest Battle of World War II
MacGregor, Iain
Paperback
Foundational Description of the Art of Fencing: The 1570 Treatise of Joachim Meyer (Reading Edition)
Meyer, Joachim
Paperback
Stalin's Great Raid: The Plundering of Germany and the Rise of the Soviet Union to a Superpower
Musial, Bogdan
Paperback
Knowledge of the Stasi in the East German Literary Sphere: Surveillance, Secrecy, and Revelation
Windsor, Tara Talwar
Jones, Sara
Wasihun, Betiel
Paperback
Most Dangerous Book: Tacitus's Germania from the Roman Empire to the Third Reich
Krebs, Christopher B.
Paperback