A complete military history of Nazi Germany
939020
As is well known and noted by other reviewers, Shirer's "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" is widely considered the seminal work on the period, at least in the English speaking world.  Most of my friends who were at least somewhat historically aware were familiar with the book, and regarded it well.  As others have noted, the book is very well written.  A journalist by profession, Shirer writes in an engaging style that holds the reader's interest through complex courses of events and makes what one expects to be a massive literary undertaking to be quite accessible.

The book is also very well researched.  In his foreward, Shirer notes the illustrative stat that the captured Nazi documents weighed a total of about 500 tons (!).  Based on the proliferation of original quotes and annotations, it seems clear that Shirer has researched these as extensively as most authors could.  He lays out events in great and careful detail, and for the discerning reader interested in a great level of detail, this is of great value.  Despite the detail though,  I felt that Shirer's perspective of the larger picture, of long-range trends, causes and effects, and the kinds of analysis that make history so fascinating was somewhat deficient.  Perhaps it's because he's not a professional historian, or perhaps it's because, as others have noted, he's writing with an agenda and uses facts as weapons, but I found this to be a minor deficiency in the writing, though it is easy to overlook since his style is so readable.

Another common complaint is Shirer's clear anti-Nazi bias.  Of course it's foregiveable, since it would be very difficult for any person, especially one who lived under them, to not hate the Nazis, but as the prerogative of a historian is to assume the mantle of objectivity, I find the criticism somewhat valid.

As the title of the review suggests, I found the book too heavily focused on the military picture, and I felt it paid to little attention to other aspects of the Third Reich.  He describes most of the personnel changes in the German general staff, in addition to standing orders and other minor events, in great detail.  This may be because he is fixated on downplaying the German resistance movement.  In any case, I found that much of this was unnecessary and felt that more detail on some of aspects of the Third Reich which the author treats more lightly would have been more valuable.  Examples of such topics include foreign relations with the US, the middle eastern countries and Switzerland, as well as trade policy and the Japanese alliance.  While many of these topics may not be pivotal, I feel they should have been covered in what is supposed to be a comprehensive work.

Finally, Shirer's discussion of life in the Third Reich is very informative and valuable, especially since most of it is from a first person perspective.  He discusses culture and the arts, popular sentiment, militarism, etc.  I wish there had been more of it, but what there was was good.

I recommend this book as a good introduction to the period, and an in-depth exposition on the military events.
1667903
"Thunder in the East: The Nazi-Soviet War 1941-1945", by Historian Evan Mawdsley, is a one-volume history of the war on the Eastern Front during World War II.  Mr Mawdsley is a Professor of International History at the University of Glascow, specializing in Russian History, and was able to take advantage of new studies and source material from the former Soviet Union when writing this book.

I'm somewhat of an amateur historian and own over 500 books on World War II.  Most of the books I've read about the Eastern Front tend to have a "German" slant, because until the last 15-20 years, the Soviet archives were not assessable to historians and what was released was highly censored, so German sources and accounts were primarily used.  In recent years, though, western historians such as David Glantz (as well as a younger generation of Russian historians) have been able to examine and incorporate newly released material into fresh examinations of the Soviet role in World War II and publish new accounts and analyses in English.

In this book, Mr Mawdsley examines the Soviet positions (and to a lesser extent the Germans ones) ... economically, militarily, politically ... and explains why the war unfolded as it did, and how things changed as time when on.  He gives overviews of the major battles, but in a refreshing change, he covers all of the Soviet offensives as well as the German ones.  (There were a lot of Soviet offensives that were dismal failures, which were officially "forgotten" on the Soviet side, and not really covered on the German side as they didn't result in major changes to their front.)  He also shows how each side's strategy evolved as the war went on, and what impact those changes had on the fighting.  This work is written more from the Soviet perspective rather than the German perspective, which is fine by me, as I already own a multitude of books from the German point-of-view.

This is the first book I've read that ties all aspects of the Soviet side of the war together in such a logical, compact, and yet complete manner.  It does not go into great depth on the battles themselves ... the book would have to be triple its length to even begin to provide that level of detail ... but it gives an outstanding overview, explanation, analysis, and summary of the war on the Eastern Front.  The only nit I have is that the book probably needs a few more maps.

I'm not given to gushing, but I've enjoyed this book as much as any I've read all year, and it's earned a place on my top shelf.  Mr Mawdsley's writing style is crisp and easy to digest, and he organized his material very well.  As I mentioned above, while this book is written more from the Soviet perspective, it was not biased toward either side in my opinion.  I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the Eastern Front of World War II.
2862961
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the German Afrika Korps (DAK or Deutsches Afrikakorps). In usual Osprey format this book provides a comprehensive yet detailed overview on the German Axis forces dispatched to North Africa to aid the Italians in their fight with the Allies throughout the early 1940's. This particular series (Osprey's Elite Series) focuses more on the men themselves with some very good info on the history, organization, and the uniforms of the Afrika Korps. If you are like me (a military history buff) and want more info on the Afrika Korps specifically, this book is an excellent place to start. I enjoy this book immensely and refer to it quite often. If you pair this book with another excellent Osprey book "Rommel's Afrika Korps Tobruk to El Alamein" from their popular Battle Orders series you will have a very complete resource on the German forces participating in the North Africa Campaign of WWII. I absolutly give this book 5 stars and when you consider the affordable price, these Osprey books are extremely hard to beat!
362630
Nazi G&ouml;tterd&auml;mmerung
Ian Kershaw's The End is an excellent in-depth examination of the final 10 months of  Nazi Germany's Third Reich.  It spans the time from the failed assassination plot against Hitler in July 1944, to Germany's unconditional surrender on 9 May 1945.  It is a total "big picture" approach to the downfall of Nazi Germany and the Hitlerian mystique.  It is NOT a military history of the final months of the war, but rather a more psychological examination as to how the war could possibly have dragged on for so long in the face of such obvious total defeat.  Mr. Kershaw attempts, rather well, to explain how the entire social, military, governmental and ideological framework of Nazi Germany continued to function right up to, and in fact after, Germany's unconditional surrender.
As Mr. Kershaw so eloquently states, "..... even in the final, terrible phase of death and devastation, faced with insuperable odds, the fight went on amid a mounting series of regional collapses, driven by increasingly irrational but self-sustaining destructive energy."  Analyzing how Nazi Germany could continue to function and fight as she was being torn apart from all sides, was the thesis of this well written history.  Mr. Kershaw does an excellent job of linking the diabolical forces of Hitler's dynamic charisma, the Nazi party's iron stranglehold of everything German, Prussian imbued obedience of the Wehrmacht, and ingrained personal hatred of previous German dishonorable capitulation in WW1, to a driving national force of Gotterdammerung which played out in death and destruction and finally unconditional surrender.  Mr. Kershaw draws NO what-if conclusions, he simply lays out the facts and goes where they take him.  Refreshing in many respects when added to the compendium of other end-of-the-war books written about Germany's last days in WW2.
Again this is NOT a military history.  Mr. Kershaw discusses strategic military action and movements when appropriate but does not dwell on tactical movements.  Nice 16 pages of B&W photographs of the main participants.  9 generic maps showing the slow disintegration of the German military situation.
Excellent study in How and Why Germany was able to continue the fight for so long in the face of such insurmountable odds.  Strong recommend, especially when added to the plethora of other books written about why Nazi Germany lost the Second World War.
NOTE:  The End's in-depth study of the Nazi Party structure concerning regional control under Gauleiters was particularly enlightening concerning how they maintained Germany's functionality in the face of military chaos especially on the Eastern Front.
745173
Books about Hitler are kind of like literary popcorn - some are good, some are not so good, and they can usually be devoured quickly yet never quite sate the appetite. They are fascinating in a morbid way, as though one can only really believe that such a person could have existed by the presence of just one more trivial fact, or one more previously unpublished photo. This book is a pretty decent addition to that library. It is well written, well documented, and very complete. Although the assassination plots it documents start in 1938, there is a nice prologue which sets the stage and provides the background necessary to appreciate why these plots existed, and there is always a background - sometimes quite extensive - on the plotters themselves. There is also quite a bit of description given of the Reich's security apparatus, and how it changed over the years of the war. Also, the title "Killing Hitler" is very apt, since Moorhouse relates attempts to kill Hitler that might not fit a strict definition of "assassination". The only real qualification I would give it is that I wish there were more on how exactly these attempts impacted on Hitler himself. There is some of that, especially near the end of the book, but I think a closer look at that aspect would have been appropriate, and added a lot more interest. All in all, a very good book.
3165367
This latest translation of Walter Spielberger's epic series on German military equipment actually covers far more than the title suggests. The first third of the book is devoted to every wheeled or tracked motor vehicle produced in Czechoslovakia that was adopted for use by the German military during the war (as well as a few postwar projects). It is a comprehensive but necessarily brief survey, given the very ambitious scope of depicting all those cars, trucks, tankettes, armored cars and tractors. The book's final section deals with the Panzer 35(t) tank and the Panzer 38(t) tank, which had originally been designed for the Czech Army. After Nazi Germany seized the country, the German Army was able to add three extra armored divisions before invading Poland and France, thanks to the unexpected bonus of new materiel. The section on the 38(t) also covers the derivative self-propelled guns produced (or just contemplated) for the Germans after the original vehicle had become obsolete as a battle tank.
On the plus side, the book has a mind boggling number of photos, and the reproduction is better here than on some of the other books in this series. And given Spielberger's background as an engineer, the book also addresses the technical issues of tank development rather than dealing only with the cosmetic exterior details, as most other books do. Heavyweight glossy art paper is used here, and the pictures on the whole are not dark and murky like those in the Panzers I and II book. The book also features numerous scale drawings by Hilary Louis Doyle.
On the debit side, the scale drawings are not to any specific scale, and most are lefthand side views only (only the Panzer 38(t) gets four-view drawings, but not every variant is shown, and again, the scale is unspecified and inconsistent). Given that most customers for the book are builders of historical miniatures, this is an unfortunate oversight. Like the rest of this series, the book also suffers from the usual stilted translations of Dr. Edward Force, whose lack of knowledge of basic English engineering terminology means that many terms are rendered literally from the German, and don't make a lot of sense.
The book does duplicate some material covered in other volumes. If your interest is primarily the late war "Hetzer" tank destroyer, it is better covered in the&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Light-Jagdpanzer-Development-Production-Operations/dp/0764326236/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Light Jagdpanzer: Development - Production - Operations</a>&nbsp;title.
2755079
In a Strange Land: The Occupation of Germany, 1918-1923 is a thorough and well-written account of an underrepresented period. Alexander Barnes engages us with a clear and concise writing style as he discusses the large issues facing General Pershing and his leadership team at the end of World War I: cease combat operations, put together an army, move it from a combat zone in France through Luxembourg into Germany, establish a coalition occupation, accept war reparations from a defeated enemy, resume hostilities if required, and eventually, end the occupation.

In well organized and splendidly illustrated chapters, Barnes describes the occupation experiences of the American Forces in Germany (AFG) whose tasks were complicated by an uncertain U.S. diplomatic climate and tumultuous German political situation. The comprehensive and accessible text lays out the development, execution, and results of this exceedingly complex process. Barnes covers the transition from combat force to administrative one, the reestablishment of civilian control and "normal mode of life," social interaction between occupied and occupiers, judicial/legal issues, the role of news publications, and more. Many of these topics have not been adequately addressed elsewhere and Barnes' wide-ranging treatment more than fills the gap. Additionally, he presents excellent short division histories and mini-biographies of key figures in the occupation.

But the real beauty of "In a Strange Land" is the unfolding of the high-level story through the words and images of ground-level participants - primarily soldiers and marines but also YMCA and Red Cross workers, nursing and support personnel, Allied soldiers, and the occupied civilian population. Barnes digs deep and makes outstanding use of archival resources to advance and support the narrative. Letters and photographs, many from private collections, help us understand the individuals who comprised the American Forces in Germany. Contemporary maps, postcards and other ephemera illuminate and reinforce the text. Through their words and images, we gain insight into how the Doughboys performed their military duties, how they spent their leisure time, and what was important to them. Allison Hutton's exceptional photographs of uniforms, equipment, and memorabilia enrich our understanding of the AFG experience.

Barnes' admiration for the soldiers and marines of the AFG and his fondness for Germany are evident. We are fortunate that he cared enough to capture this story and share it with us. In a Strange Land is a long-overdue treatment of the period and will be a superlative addition to research collections of historians, re-enactors, curators, and others interested in the period.
3183682
This is a piece of WW2 military history that fills gaps in the normal narrative. Who organized the secret guerilla units who were ready to attack the Nazis if they had invaded Britain?  Who invented the limpet mine? Who organized the raid on the French dockyard that denied it to the Nazi battleship. Who trained the saboteurs and secret agents that went back into occupied Europe to cripple the Nazi war industry? The authors tells of the gifted and eccentric men and women who started off in a few rooms prior to the war's outbreak to expand into an 'industry' employing thousands. The author fills in the gaps and gives insights into the people responsible fro it all.  A must read for anyone interested in WW2.
2681918
Peter Elstob's _Hitler's Last Offensive_ is still the best account of the Germans' 1944/45 Ardennes Offensive that I have ever read. Written in beautifully lucid language and greatly detailed, it is a clear, comprehensive, and thoroughly interesting account of the full campaign without nationalist hyperbole or subjectivity. Anyone in any degree interested in Hitler's last offensive would find this book invaluable as an account of the Ardennes Offensive, even those of us who are not usually military history readers and consumers. I highly recommend this book.
1084160
For anyone studying the Third Reich, Who's Who in Nazi Germany is a critical reference book to possess.  Organized alphabetically, the book presents well written, concise, and objective biographies regarding a vast array of principals involved in Hitler's Germany; everyone from the well known participants such as Ernst Rohm and Walter Schellenberg to the lesser known figures such as Helene Mayer, an Olympic Gold Medalist and Lil Dagover, a German actress and purported friend of the Der Fuhrer.

Indeed, for a book of its size, just 359 pages, the number of people covered is rather extensive.  At the end of the book, there is a glossary, a comparison between German and Allied military ranks, and a bibliography that is a must read in and of itself for anyone wishing to expand his or her knowledge.  But it is important to keep in mind that this is a reference book.  It is meant as a quick guide to supplement in-depth research, or perhaps just a good history book on the subject, such as William Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.  In fact, for students of the Holocaust, the book is an invaluable resource.  While there are many reference books and dictionaries pertaining to World War II, this book focuses only on Nazi Germany and is one of the best reference books available on the subject.
2070935
Most books about Germany focus entirely on WW2. On one hand it is understandable. But  it is also a shame. This book is made up of excerpts from the diaries and auto-biographies of ordinary German workers during the 19th Century  . A very interesting and readable book . I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in social history
2455777
This is the first comprehensive book in English to cover the lives and careers of Hitler's regional leaders who held the rank and title of Gauleiter. It is a outstanding work of research.  Each of the gauleiters are covered in great detail as to their promotions, assignments awards etc. The volume is chockfull of photographs many from private archives and such asteemed repositories such as the National Archives in Washington and the Bundesarchiv in Germany. Most have never before been published. The photos will be of tremendous help to uniform and decoration enthusiasts as well.  The author has spent years tracking down the even the littlest details associated with their careers and even their postwar activities.  The book is hamsomely bound and printed on high gloss paper -- as one would expect from RJ Bender Publishing.  As someone who is very interested in Hitler's political leaders I highly recommend this book to all those even remotely interested in learning more of how Hitler's associates took power in Germany and established the Third Reich. No WWII library should be without this book. I look forward to the author's companion volume 2.  I also highly recommend the author's book covering the lives of the Leaders of the SS and German Police also published by Bender and which also can be found here on Amazon.
3346570
Finally, a book written about Hitler that is not anti-German.  This book is a bout a little known fact about Hitler, that he not only carried a personal handgun, but he was issued an official permit to carry the handgun!  The story about the gun, where it came from and how he acquired it, is written in an interesting, anecdotal, conversational style that makes for a really good read.  The author focuses also on Hitler's early life and life at school, as well as the opinions and recollections of people who knew him and were around him when Hitler was alive.  The author also was able to interview many of Hitler's personal friends and co-workers to round out his personality and the picture of Hitler as a human being instead of portraying him as a satanic pan-Germanic monster (that so many other authors do to sell their books).  I recommend this book highly to anyone who wants a real and unbiased view of a specific part of world history.  The book is fully illustrated with textual references.  Hitler was a man and this book shows that.
1447246
Vincent P. OHaras The German Fleet at War is the first in a series of excellent books of interest to students of World War II history, but even more particularly of singular interest to naval wargamers.
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The first noteworthy thing about this volume is that it covers the surface operations the World War II German Kriegsmarine more extensively and in greater detail than most any other book.  It shines an overdue light on actions in the Baltic, the English Channel, the Bay of Biscay, the Aegean, the Adriatic and the south of France, vice simply the usual round of River Platte, the two Narviks, the Bismarck, PQ-17 and North Cape.  Over 60 actions detail a German fleet that was far more active than most people realize.
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The details of each battle include time, the nature of the engagement, the weather, the visibility, the sea state, whether surprise was achieved, the mission of each force, and the order of battle for both sides.  Narratives of varying lengths and detail exist for each action, but not every battle includes a track chart, although each chapter includes an area chart giving rough locations for each battle.
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OHaras narratives are cogent and concise and his concluding chapter illuminates both the German surface Navys weaknesses and achievements.  Although long eclipsed by the U-boat force, and tarnished by the spectacular demise of its major surface raiders and the Narvik destroyers, the Kriegsmarines surface forces actually did a remarkable job of protecting Germanys own seaborne communications along the Baltic, Norwegian and French coasts.
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Three appendices cover equivalent terms between the German Navy and other navies; the organization of the Kriegsmarine; and a statistical analysis of the battles documented.
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OHaras work is to be welcomed by both historians and general readers, but it is particularly useful for naval wargamers because of the order of battle, location and weather data provided.  It should be read along with its successor volumes The U.S. Navy Against the Axis and Struggle for the Middle Sea.
4899106
This small book (just 72 pages) consists basically of a collection of (good) pictures, with its respective legends, most of them unpublished until now (at least in the books I got). The stile is similar to "Aircraft of The Luftwaffe Fighter Aces", from Bernd Barbas's. Noteworthy is the initial section, with 11 (eleven) WWII original color pictures, most from the famous Jeff Ethell's private collection. A small introduction summarizes the facts from the birth of Luftwaffe to the end of 1942 (the remaining story is told in the volume 6, " Defeat in the West, 1943-1945, from Mike Spick). The pictures, most in close-ups, are an excellent reference for modelers. As this book is part of a collection, which covers the Luftwaffe action over all fronts, I recommend the purchase of all of them.
4883086
This book is an excellent collection of photographs and first person stories of members of the the Ramcke Brigade. Included is a basic table of organization and chain of command. It contains a brief history of operations but was lacking in details for events after the battle of El Alamein. The famous convoy hijacking consisted of a couple sentences.  The paper and the photos are of very high quality. I recommend it as a starter book for anyone interested in the subject, it is also an excellent reference for reenactors and scale modelers. the only reason I did not give 5 stars was that it lacked  the in depth history I was looking for. Pricey but a must have in any Afrika Korps or Airborne book collection or reference library.
3245709
It is astonishing to realize that more than 60 years after the conclusion of World War II, new books are still being released that expose previously unpublished details of the unparalleled depth of anti-Semitism that occurred during the war.  History is burdened with false claims that Jewish men did not fight on the Russian front, and we are left with visions of meek Jews submissively surrendering to the Nazis.  With the aid of archival sources from Germany, Israel, Russia, and states that were previously part of the Soviet Union, Yitzhak Arad assembled this compilation of facts, details, reports, and first hand accounts of how the Russian Jews fought the Nazis and contributed in many ways to Germany's ultimate loss.

"In the Shadow of the Red Banner" illustrates the full extent of Jewish participation in the war activities.  There are chapters devoted to heroic service in the army, the underground, partisan activities, and detailed explanations of the various ghetto uprisings along with many examples of their distinguished contribution in the development and manufacturing of weapons, and in medical services.  At the time, their help was unwanted, unappreciated, and scarcely recognized.

Yitzhak Arad states, "the annihilation of the Jews in the occupied territories began the day the Germans invaded the Soviet Union and did not stop until the Germans were expelled."  It was not difficult for Nazi propaganda to brainwash the citizens of conquered Soviet territories, since anti-Semitism was deep rooted from the Czarist regime and still prevalent when Stalin was in power.  The Jews knew that captivity by the Germans was sure death, but they were just as likely to die at the hands of local citizens who willingly collaborated with the Nazis.  So they fought loyally for their country and literally for their lives.

A brief introduction recounts the Soviet/German political philosophy and military strategy which played a large part in the success and failure of various countries during the war.  Explanations are also provided regarding Jewish sentiments about communism and their participation in the Russian Revolution, which ties in strongly since Hitler blamed the Jews for the spread of communism.

The most enthralling chapters of the book involved resistance fighting within the ghettos and with the partisan fighters in the vast forests of Russia.  With profound bravery, many Russian Jews escaped the ghettos unarmed and improperly clothed.  They robbed and killed German soldiers and local police stations and entered the dense forests to participate in resistance activities: ambushing German forces, destroying bridges, railroads, and phone wires, and disrupting the German war machine which kept Germans continuously fighting behind their own lines instead of on the front.  And amidst all the starvation, death, and destruction of civilization, there were amazing stories of Jewish family camps in the forests housing as many people as 1200 people; women, children, and unarmed men who served the partisan fighters by setting up make-shift hospitals, bakeries, soap manufacturing, sausage factories, and tailor shops.....never knowing if the partisans or local farmers with incomprehensible cruelty would ruthlessly turn them in to the Germans.

Anyone interested in Russian history, World War II, the holocaust, or Jewish chronicles would find this book a welcome addition to their library.  It is an incredible documentary, reference book, and memoir for the half million Soviet Jews who fought against Nazi Germany.