Bryan Mark Rigg

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Bryan Mark Rigg (born March 16, 1971) is an American military historian.

Rigg is the author of several books on World War II history, including Hitler's Jewish Soldiers: The Untold Story of Nazi Racial Laws and Men of Jewish Descent in the German Military and The Rabbi Saved by Hitler's Soldiers: Rebbe Joseph Isaac Schneersohn and His Astonishing Rescue.

In addition to his writing, Rigg has also worked as a professor of history at several universities, including American Military University, Southern Methodist University, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He has been a frequent contributor to various media outlets, including CNN, NPR, and The New York Times.

Born and reared as a Baptist,^[1] Rigg studied at Phillips Exeter Academy, graduating in 1991,^[2] then attended Yale University and received his B.A. in 1996.^[3] He received a grant from the Henry Fellowship, to continue his studies in Cambridge University, where Rigg earned his doctorate in 2002.^[4][5] In the summer of 1994 he went to Germany, and met Peter Millies, an elderly man who helped Rigg understand the German in a movie they were watching, Europa Europa, about Shlomo Perl, a full Jew who "hid in plain sight" in the Nazi army, posing as a Volksdeutsche orphan named Josef Peters. Millies later told Rigg that he himself was a part-Jew, and introduced him to the subject which was to become his main research topic for many years.^[6]

Rigg discovered a large number of "Mischlinge" (part-Jews) who were members of the National Socialist German Workers Party (or "Nazi" Party) and/or served in the German Armed Forces during World War II. In the 1990s, he travelled throughout the world, primarily Austria and Germany, and interviewed hundreds of these men. His assembled documents, videotapes, and wartime memoirs on the subject are presented as the Bryan Mark Rigg Collection at the Military Archives branch of the Federal German Archives (Bundesarchiv) in Freiburg, Germany.^[7]

He has taught as a lecturer at Southern Methodist University and American Military University.^[8]

His claims have been used both by Holocaust researchers,^[9][10] as well as Holocaust denial and anti-Zionist groups.

His book Hitler's Jewish Soldiers earned him the Colby Award (for first books in military history) in 2003.^[11] Before his work was published, his research was picked up by several newspapers, most notably the London Telegraph, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, causing much sensation and generating a lot of criticism from some historians. He has been endorsed by such historians like Michael Berenbaum,^[12] Robert Citino,^[13] Stephen Fritz, James Corum, Paula Hyman, Nathan Stoltzfus, Norman Naimark, Jonathan Steinberg, Geoffrey P. Megargee, Dennis Showalter and James Tent.^[14] He has published several other books since then: Rescued From the Reich, with a foreword by Paula Hyman (Yale University Press 2004), Lives of Hitler's Jewish Soldiers (Kansas, 2009) and The Rabbi Saved by Hitler's Soldiers, with a foreword by Michael Berenbaum (Kansas, 2016).

Scholars, like Richard J. Evans, Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge, and Omer Bartov, professor of history at Brown University, consider the titles of Rigg's books, such as Hitler's Jewish Soldiers, misleading, because the books are not about Jews as the term is commonly understood, but in almost all cases about Mischlinge ("half-"Jews and "quarter-"Jews) as defined by the Nuremberg laws but not according to Jewish religious law.^[15]

Yale professor, Dr Henry Turner said that Rigg was not really an intellectual or Historian and not cut out for academia and refused to recommend him for graduate studies. Nevertheless this same professor is quoted as saying Hitler's Jewish Soldiers is the "basic book on the subject. People will use it with reservations, but they'll have to use it."^[16]

Some Historians have accused Rigg's work as being hyperbolic and sensationalist at the expense of historical accuracy.^[17] Rigg's research and books have been described as a misnomer and misleading.^[18]

Rigg was accused of plagiarism during his graduate studies by a German scholar, which led to an investigation by Cambridge university.^[19] After the investigation by the university, Rigg was absolved of any wrong doing.^[20]

In May 2020 there was a court case between Williams v. Rigg in which Williams repeatedly claimed that Bryan Mark Rigg's speech is false, defamatory, and presents a risk of harm to Williams' reputation when the two were working together to write a book.^[21] Despite Woody Williams' numerous attempts to block the publication of Bryan Mark Rigg's book Flamethrower: Iwo Jima Medal of Honor Recipient and U.S. Marine Woody Williams and His Controversial Award, Japan's Holocaust and the Pacific War, a federal judge in West Virginia ultimately ruled in favor of Rigg, affirming the book's right to publication under the First Amendment. This decision upheld the fundamental principle of free speech, despite efforts to suppress the work. ^[22]

Rigg's book meticulously documents numerous instances of Williams' dishonesty, highlighting the challenges Rigg faced in trying to collaborate with Williams on what was intended to be an honest portrayal of his life. Throughout the process, Williams' misrepresentations created obstacles, making it difficult to craft an accurate and truthful biography. Nevertheless, Flamethrower has garnered widespread acclaim, receiving endorsements from some of the most respected figures in the U.S. military. These include General Al Gray, 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Charles Krulak, 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps, former CENTCOM commander General Anthony Zinni, and renowned Marine Corps historian Colonel Jon Hoffman. ^[23]

Ultimately, the publication of Flamethrower stands as a victory for historical integrity and freedom of speech. Despite Williams' efforts to silence Rigg and prevent the book’s release, the pursuit of truth and historical evidence triumphed. The case serves as a testament to the enduring importance of the First Amendment in protecting scholarly work from censorship. ^[24]

• Hitler's Jewish Soldiers: The Untold Story of Nazi Racial Laws and Men of Jewish Descent in the German Military, University Press of Kansas, 2002. ISBN 978-0-7006-1358-8^[25][26]
• Rescued from the Reich: How one of Hitler's Soldiers Saved the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Yale University Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0-300-11531-4^[27]
• Lives of Hitler's Jewish Soldiers: The Untold Stories of Hitler's Jewish Soldiers University of Kansas Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-7006-1638-1
• The Rabbi Saved by Hitler's Soldiers: Rebbe Joseph Isaac Schneersohn and His Astonishing Rescue University of Kansas Press, 2016. ISBN 978-0700622610
• Flamethrower: Iwo Jima Medal of Honor Recipient and U.S. Marine Woody Williams and His Controversial Award, Japan's Holocaust and the Pacific War Fidelis Historia, 2020. ASIN B08666CNSH
• Conquering Learning Disabilities at Any Age: How An ADHD/LD Kid Graduated From Yale and Cambridge, Became A Marine Officer, Military Historian, Financial Advisor And Caring Father Fidelis Historia, 2022. ISBN 978-1734534177
• Japan's Holocaust: History of Imperial Japan's Mass Murder and Rape During World War II Knox Press, 2024. ISBN 9781637586884

• Meno Burg (1789–1853), the highest-ranking Jewish officer in the Prussian army.

• Glenna Whitley (February 26, 2004). "In the Wolf's Mouth". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
• Ruth Almog (August 3, 2005). מעמדי כחייל הוא פרדוקס של ממש, ואין לו שום הסבר הגיוני [Standing as a soldier he is a real paradox, and has no reasonable explanation]. Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved September 2, 2014. Article on Bryan Mark Rigg and his books.
• "Bryan Mark Rigg Video | Interviews". OVguide.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2014. Neo-Nazi 'Liberal-Fascism.com' website.
• "About Bryan Mark Rigg, PHD". Retrieved July 9, 2017. Bryan Mark Rigg website.
• "Flamethrower : The Untold Story of Iwo Jima Medal of Honor Recipient Woody Williams, Japan's Genocide and the Pacific War". Retrieved February 5, 2018. Flamethrower Book Website.
• Appearances on C-SPAN