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The Last 100 Days
The last 100 days of the Nazi regime have long remained clouded by the fact that it was the Soviet armies that reached Berlin first and afterwards controlled the information surrounding the end of it all. Until things had settled down, and let's not forget that they only ever partially settled down (Patton's cry of "Let's push on to Moscow," still rings in one's ears), little or no information was available to the Western press about the successful Russian attack against the German capital.
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First published June 28, 1966
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About the author
John Toland
40 books192 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
John^Toland - 17th century theologian, Philosopher & Satirist
John^^Toland - American writer and historian (WWII & Dillinger)
John^^^Toland - Article: "The Man who Reads Minds"
John Willard Toland (June 29, 1912 in La Crosse, Wisconsin - January 4, 2004 in Danbury, Connecticut) was an American author and historian. He is best known for his biography of Adolf Hitler.[1]
Toland tried to write history as a straightforward narrative, with minimal analysis or judgment. This method may have stemmed from his original goal of becoming a playwright. In the summers between his college years, he travelled with hobos and wrote several plays with hobos as central characters, none of which achieved the stage.[2] At one point he managed to publish an article on dirigibles in Look magazine; it proved extremely popular and led to his career as a historian.
One exception to his general approach is his Infamy: Pearl Harbor and Its Aftermath about the Pearl Harbor attack and the investigations of it, in which he wrote about evidence that President Franklin Roosevelt knew in advance of plans to attack the naval base but remained silent. The book was widely criticized at the time. Since the original publication, Toland added new evidence and rebutted early critics. Also, an anonymous source, known as "Seaman Z" (Robert D. Ogg) has since come forth to publicly tell his story.
Perhaps his most important work, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1971, is The Rising Sun. Based on original and extensive interviews with high Japanese officials who survived the war, the book chronicles Imperial Japan from the military rebellion of February 1936 to the end of World War II. The book won the Pulitzer because it was the first book in English to tell the history of the war in the Pacific from the Japanese point of view, rather than from an American perspective.
The stories of the battles for the stepping stones to Japan, the islands in the Pacific which had come under Japanese domination, are told from the perspective of the commander sitting in his cave rather than from that of the heroic forces engaged in the assault. Most of these commanders committed suicide at the conclusion of the battle, but Toland was able to reconstruct their viewpoint from letters to their wives and from reports they sent to Tokyo. Toland died in 2004 of pneumonia.
While predominantly a non-fiction author, Toland also wrote two historical novels, Gods of War and Occupation. He says in his autobiography that he earned little money from his Pulitzer Prize-winning, The Rising Sun, but was set for life from the earnings of his biography of Hitler, for which he also did original research.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tol...
John^Toland - 17th century theologian, Philosopher & Satirist
John^^Toland - American writer and historian (WWII & Dillinger)
John^^^Toland - Article: "The Man who Reads Minds"
John Willard Toland (June 29, 1912 in La Crosse, Wisconsin - January 4, 2004 in Danbury, Connecticut) was an American author and historian. He is best known for his biography of Adolf Hitler.[1]
Toland tried to write history as a straightforward narrative, with minimal analysis or judgment. This method may have stemmed from his original goal of becoming a playwright. In the summers between his college years, he travelled with hobos and wrote several plays with hobos as central characters, none of which achieved the stage.[2] At one point he managed to publish an article on dirigibles in Look magazine; it proved extremely popular and led to his career as a historian.
One exception to his general approach is his Infamy: Pearl Harbor and Its Aftermath about the Pearl Harbor attack and the investigations of it, in which he wrote about evidence that President Franklin Roosevelt knew in advance of plans to attack the naval base but remained silent. The book was widely criticized at the time. Since the original publication, Toland added new evidence and rebutted early critics. Also, an anonymous source, known as "Seaman Z" (Robert D. Ogg) has since come forth to publicly tell his story.
Perhaps his most important work, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1971, is The Rising Sun. Based on original and extensive interviews with high Japanese officials who survived the war, the book chronicles Imperial Japan from the military rebellion of February 1936 to the end of World War II. The book won the Pulitzer because it was the first book in English to tell the history of the war in the Pacific from the Japanese point of view, rather than from an American perspective.
The stories of the battles for the stepping stones to Japan, the islands in the Pacific which had come under Japanese domination, are told from the perspective of the commander sitting in his cave rather than from that of the heroic forces engaged in the assault. Most of these commanders committed suicide at the conclusion of the battle, but Toland was able to reconstruct their viewpoint from letters to their wives and from reports they sent to Tokyo. Toland died in 2004 of pneumonia.
While predominantly a non-fiction author, Toland also wrote two historical novels, Gods of War and Occupation. He says in his autobiography that he earned little money from his Pulitzer Prize-winning, The Rising Sun, but was set for life from the earnings of his biography of Hitler, for which he also did original research.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tol...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
July 4, 2021
Perfectly researched, crisply written retelling of the end of the war in Europe, spring 1945. Stalin and the Russians pressing west toward Berlin, suppressing dissidents and promoting communists in the 'liberated' countries, Eisenhower juggling Churchill and Montgomery with Bradley and Patton, trying to keep the peace among allies as they cross the Rhine for the final battles. And Hitler, in his bunker, making delusional plans to divide the allies and join the US and Britain in an attack on the Soviet Union.
February 22, 2020
This is a fairly standard account of the final 100 days of Nazi Germany. It does exactly what books written not long after events should do: it gathers evidence via interviews and personal examination and places it into a broader context. Like a lot of popular histories, the book is more about individual narratives than big picture analysis. Witness testimony is used to reconstruct individual events representative of the whole area of conflict. While this is the same approach taken with Toland’s brilliant The Rising Sun, the book has none of that one’s grand narrative drive or revisionist theme. The fire just isn’t there. Nor does it cover novel material. Rather, it mostly just reorganizes commonly-recorded facts into an overall narrative. While the topic covered was interesting, I found that you could find the same account in a dozen other works.
The obvious weakness of the book, given the period in which it was written, is that there is little discussion of the Russian side of things. While Russia’s push on Berlin gets a lot of attention, it’s mainly told from the German point of view. Obviously, Toland wasn’t granted permission to access Soviet archives. One result of this is that Stalin seems even more deceitful and malicious than he was. I don’t doubt, for example, that in installing his own government in Poland he thought he was honoring his agreement at Yalta. As he saw it, Churchill had conceded him control over most of Eastern Europe and then asked for political cover so that he could keep the Polish government in exile in London on side. How could a paranoid and amoral man like Stalin living in a totalitarian state imagine Churchill meant all that guff about “free and fair elections”? To him, the Western allies’ anger at his behavior was just a sign that they were trying to turn world opinion against him. The world looks different when you have no principles.
The book’s heroes are occasionally thrilling, but the villains aren’t particularly loathsome. The Nazi bigwigs, who can usually be relied upon to be suitably nasty, have already committed most of their crimes and aren’t in a position to achieve many more. Hitler is a rather sad old man who’s lost touch with reality. Himmler’s so milquetoast and indecisive you wonder how this pathetic wreck could ever have been the most feared man in Europe. About the only figure who is reviled is Stalin, and apart from the Yalta Conference we rarely seem him (as opposed to hear people talk about him).
It’s kind of interesting to me to see how willing Toland is to toss the horrible crimes done by individual Nazis aside. In part this is just the nature of such a book. We don’t need a polemic against Hitler when we see him ranting about the grand Jewish conspiracy to his dying breath because the story is meant to be detached and scientific, because most of his crimes were committed before the end of his Reich, and because it is taken as read (although it must be said that the focus on grand military/political theater without even a glance at the millions held in concentration camps until the very end gives a decidedly outdated and distorted impression).
But Toland also argues (in the notes) that for a lot of leaders in the Third Reich there was no choice but to obey orders. The younger generation of Germans (meaning the children of the ‘60s) forget this when they attack members of the war generation for crimes they participated in but did not advocate. I’d have said the following generations have come down even harder against the war generation, for all that resistance leaders like Sophie Scholl and Claus von Stauffenberg have been claimed as national heroes, and most works nowadays emphasize just how pervasive the racialist views that permitted foreigners to be butchered like cattle really were. It would be interesting to know what Toland would think of that. For my part, I can’t help but notice that the chief reason German generals (or the German populace for that matter) abandoned the Nazi leadership was that they realized their warmongering had led them to disaster. Not that it led them to commit horrible warcrimes.
The obvious weakness of the book, given the period in which it was written, is that there is little discussion of the Russian side of things. While Russia’s push on Berlin gets a lot of attention, it’s mainly told from the German point of view. Obviously, Toland wasn’t granted permission to access Soviet archives. One result of this is that Stalin seems even more deceitful and malicious than he was. I don’t doubt, for example, that in installing his own government in Poland he thought he was honoring his agreement at Yalta. As he saw it, Churchill had conceded him control over most of Eastern Europe and then asked for political cover so that he could keep the Polish government in exile in London on side. How could a paranoid and amoral man like Stalin living in a totalitarian state imagine Churchill meant all that guff about “free and fair elections”? To him, the Western allies’ anger at his behavior was just a sign that they were trying to turn world opinion against him. The world looks different when you have no principles.
The book’s heroes are occasionally thrilling, but the villains aren’t particularly loathsome. The Nazi bigwigs, who can usually be relied upon to be suitably nasty, have already committed most of their crimes and aren’t in a position to achieve many more. Hitler is a rather sad old man who’s lost touch with reality. Himmler’s so milquetoast and indecisive you wonder how this pathetic wreck could ever have been the most feared man in Europe. About the only figure who is reviled is Stalin, and apart from the Yalta Conference we rarely seem him (as opposed to hear people talk about him).
It’s kind of interesting to me to see how willing Toland is to toss the horrible crimes done by individual Nazis aside. In part this is just the nature of such a book. We don’t need a polemic against Hitler when we see him ranting about the grand Jewish conspiracy to his dying breath because the story is meant to be detached and scientific, because most of his crimes were committed before the end of his Reich, and because it is taken as read (although it must be said that the focus on grand military/political theater without even a glance at the millions held in concentration camps until the very end gives a decidedly outdated and distorted impression).
But Toland also argues (in the notes) that for a lot of leaders in the Third Reich there was no choice but to obey orders. The younger generation of Germans (meaning the children of the ‘60s) forget this when they attack members of the war generation for crimes they participated in but did not advocate. I’d have said the following generations have come down even harder against the war generation, for all that resistance leaders like Sophie Scholl and Claus von Stauffenberg have been claimed as national heroes, and most works nowadays emphasize just how pervasive the racialist views that permitted foreigners to be butchered like cattle really were. It would be interesting to know what Toland would think of that. For my part, I can’t help but notice that the chief reason German generals (or the German populace for that matter) abandoned the Nazi leadership was that they realized their warmongering had led them to disaster. Not that it led them to commit horrible warcrimes.
January 14, 2013
John Toland writes clearly and is able to move from the high levels (Churchill and Roosevelt, Hitler) to the details of individual soldiers on the battlefield. He has performed an important task of interviewing hundreds of people (from Generals to civilians fleeing the Soviet Army). He weaves a massive canvas of the final days of the Third Reich.
Thank-fully he does not accuse Churchill and Roosevelt of betraying Poland at Yalta. He points the finger clearly at Stalin and the Soviet Union for the suppression of Poland (and for that matter the rest of Eastern Europe). As Mr. Toland demonstrates the promises for free elections and the participation of the London Poles in the new government were never kept – in fact the London Poles were incarcerated upon their arrival in Moscow.
The description of Mussolini’s last days is lurid. The adoration of Hitler by several of the faithful in the bunker is nauseating.
One aspect missing from this vast account is the liberation of Holland. There were descriptions on events in Denmark and Czechoslovakia and the liberation of Vienna. Mr. Toland writes at a personal level and captures well those harrowing days.
Thank-fully he does not accuse Churchill and Roosevelt of betraying Poland at Yalta. He points the finger clearly at Stalin and the Soviet Union for the suppression of Poland (and for that matter the rest of Eastern Europe). As Mr. Toland demonstrates the promises for free elections and the participation of the London Poles in the new government were never kept – in fact the London Poles were incarcerated upon their arrival in Moscow.
The description of Mussolini’s last days is lurid. The adoration of Hitler by several of the faithful in the bunker is nauseating.
One aspect missing from this vast account is the liberation of Holland. There were descriptions on events in Denmark and Czechoslovakia and the liberation of Vienna. Mr. Toland writes at a personal level and captures well those harrowing days.
December 3, 2014
-En su momento, ejemplar y de referencia. Ahora no tanto.-
Género. Historia.
Lo que nos cuenta. Visión casi periodística, con momentos novelados, de los últimos cien días de Segunda Guerra Mundial en el frente europeo a través de un gran número de participantes en los hechos. Libro también conocido como “Los cien últimos días” (sí, en serio).
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Historia.
Lo que nos cuenta. Visión casi periodística, con momentos novelados, de los últimos cien días de Segunda Guerra Mundial en el frente europeo a través de un gran número de participantes en los hechos. Libro también conocido como “Los cien últimos días” (sí, en serio).
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
January 4, 2021
John Toland's The Last 100 Days reconstructs the end of World War II in Europe, as the Third Reich battled for survivals and the alliance between the United States, England and the Soviet Union began to crack under the pressure of eminent victory. Toland's book reads, essentially, as a massive work of reportage; writing in 1965, he interviewed literally hundreds of participants on all sides, capturing the war from the highest military-diplomatic summits to the experiences of frontline soldiers, POWs and civilians. Thus Toland minutely recreates momentous battles, from the American storming of the Bridge at Remagen to the Red Army's capture of Berlin; the experiences of German civilians suffering from Anglo-American bombs, abuse, looting and rape from vengeful Soviet soldiers and the madness of their own leaders; disputes over strategy between Eisenhower, Montgomery and their subordinates; the fabled Conference at Yalta, FDR's sudden death and the early stirrings of the Cold War, even as Western and Soviet troops meet victorious on the battlefield. There's also an oddly affecting portrait of Benito Mussolini's last days, as the once all-powerful dictator becomes a hapless fugitive hunted by Allied troops and Italian partisans, then betrayed by his German allies. And, of course, the mad Gotterdammerung of Adolf Hitler in the Berlin bunker, refusing entreaties to flee or surrender, perishing along with his Third Reich. Toland is most effective simply reconstructing events and sketching his protagonists; when he presses a personal thesis (arguing, for instance, that Eisenhower can and should have outraced the Soviets to the Berlin) the book feels unconvincing. Still, though, a valuable narrative of the end of History's Greatest War, a picture of heroism and villainy, triumph and frustration, a manmade apocalypse that laid one totalitarian regime low, only to initiate a confrontation with another.
December 6, 2015
Interesting look 'behind-the-scenes' at the last 100 days of World War II in Europe. Mostly about The Big Three vs. The Germans (Italy and Mussolini get a mere two chapters!), with all the usual players: Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Eisenhower, Bradley, Patton, Montgomery, Truman, Dulles, Smith, Harriman, Hitler, Göring, Goebbels, Himmler, Speer.
Political wranglings, military manoeuvrings, agreements made & broken, 'displaced persons', refugees, the usual war-time atrocities (mass rape, looting, killing, you know...), POW camps, concentration camps, executions, suicides, partisans, and let's not forget the controversial fire-bombing of Dresden. Have I left anything out? Probably. How does the song go? 'We didn't start the fire, it was always burning, since the world's been turning...'
The potential for the human race to be absolutely cruel to itself seems to know no bounds...
Political wranglings, military manoeuvrings, agreements made & broken, 'displaced persons', refugees, the usual war-time atrocities (mass rape, looting, killing, you know...), POW camps, concentration camps, executions, suicides, partisans, and let's not forget the controversial fire-bombing of Dresden. Have I left anything out? Probably. How does the song go? 'We didn't start the fire, it was always burning, since the world's been turning...'
The potential for the human race to be absolutely cruel to itself seems to know no bounds...
May 13, 2020
"THE LAST 100 DAYS" offers the reader compelling views - from both sides --- of the last 100 days of the War in Europe, from blunting, containing, and ending the final German offensive in the West (the Battle of the Bulge) to V-E Day (May 8, 1945). John Toland is at his best in crafting a compelling and poignant story of war in its terminal stages.
March 27, 2013
Having read at least two of Toland's books previously, I picked this one up with some confidence and was not disappointed. Toland, a professional writer, not an academic historian, effectively weaves into his grand historical narrative enough small illustrative examples that the reader is repeatedly reminded of the personal, human dimension of war. Much of his material is original, based on his interviews with survivors.
April 1, 2019
Tremendous account of the most momentous three and a half months in human history.
If one were to form an impression of this book based in the first 60 pages or so, one might conclude that Toland has bitten off more than he could chew, that the thing is too scattershot, and possibly too random in attempting its broad canvassing of the war from the lowliest prisoner and civilian to the heights of the leadership, but that would be wrong. Once this thing kicks in, it becomes un-putdownable -- a 60-horsepower jeep, driving hard through all kinds of mud to afford a clear and seemingly complete view of the terrain at hand. From the vividly told meetings of three giants: Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt at Yalta --their every gesture and modification of reaction in the negotiations conveyed -- to stories like the one where a Russian prisoner takes an American prayer leaflet to the latrine because he'd not seen "such soft paper in years," the level of detail matches any great novel you can name.
It's a magisterial achievement, one of the ur-text books on the Second War War, and rather than belabor the point, I'm simply recommending it without reservation.
-eg/kr '19
If one were to form an impression of this book based in the first 60 pages or so, one might conclude that Toland has bitten off more than he could chew, that the thing is too scattershot, and possibly too random in attempting its broad canvassing of the war from the lowliest prisoner and civilian to the heights of the leadership, but that would be wrong. Once this thing kicks in, it becomes un-putdownable -- a 60-horsepower jeep, driving hard through all kinds of mud to afford a clear and seemingly complete view of the terrain at hand. From the vividly told meetings of three giants: Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt at Yalta --their every gesture and modification of reaction in the negotiations conveyed -- to stories like the one where a Russian prisoner takes an American prayer leaflet to the latrine because he'd not seen "such soft paper in years," the level of detail matches any great novel you can name.
It's a magisterial achievement, one of the ur-text books on the Second War War, and rather than belabor the point, I'm simply recommending it without reservation.
-eg/kr '19
January 3, 2019
(english below)
Esta obra complementa muy bien otro gran libro más actual sobre el fin de la II Guerra Mundial: Berlin, La caída de Beevor. Beevor pudo acceder a muchos más archivos soviéticos y la visión desde el lado ruso es más completa (e interesante) pero esto no quita que este libro sea extremadamente informativo, aunque centrado más en como se vivió por parte de los alemanes, los americanos y los británicos.
Asistimos a la caída del Tercer Reich y a los desesperados intentos de detener el inevitable final. Toland recrea los diálogos de las principales reuniones (en la Cancillería en Berlín, en los diferentes centros de mando militares y en la conferencia de Yalta) de una forma que casi parece una novela, proporcionando un gran realismo al mismo tiempo. La Historia se vuelve viva. Lo hace allí donde existen archivos detallados o para los que pudo entrevistar a los actores principales. La descripción de las tragedias marinas del Wilhem Gustloff o del Goya son especialmente sobrecogedoras, así como la del bombardeo de Dresde, la de las violaciones masivas por parte del Ejército Rojo o la de los sufrimientos innecesarios debido al fanatismo e intransigencia de muchos militares nazis.
ENGLISH:
This work complements very well another great more recent book on the end of World War II: The Fall of Berlin by Beevor. Beevor was able to access many more Soviet archives and the view from the Russian side is more complete (and interesting) but this does not alter the fact that this book is extremely informative, although it focuses more on how the Germans, the Americans and the British experienced it.
We are witnessing the fall of the Third Reich and the desperate attempts to stop the inevitable end. Toland recreates the dialogues of the main meetings (at the Chancellery in Berlin, at the different military command centres and at the Yalta conference) in a way that almost resembles a novel, providing great realism at the same time. History becomes alive. It does so where detailed archives exist or for which it was able to interview the main actors. The description of the Wilhem Gustloff's or Goya's marine tragedies is especially startling, as is the bombing of Dresden, the massive rapes by the Red Army or the unnecessary suffering due to the fanaticism and intransigence of many Nazi militaries.
Esta obra complementa muy bien otro gran libro más actual sobre el fin de la II Guerra Mundial: Berlin, La caída de Beevor. Beevor pudo acceder a muchos más archivos soviéticos y la visión desde el lado ruso es más completa (e interesante) pero esto no quita que este libro sea extremadamente informativo, aunque centrado más en como se vivió por parte de los alemanes, los americanos y los británicos.
Asistimos a la caída del Tercer Reich y a los desesperados intentos de detener el inevitable final. Toland recrea los diálogos de las principales reuniones (en la Cancillería en Berlín, en los diferentes centros de mando militares y en la conferencia de Yalta) de una forma que casi parece una novela, proporcionando un gran realismo al mismo tiempo. La Historia se vuelve viva. Lo hace allí donde existen archivos detallados o para los que pudo entrevistar a los actores principales. La descripción de las tragedias marinas del Wilhem Gustloff o del Goya son especialmente sobrecogedoras, así como la del bombardeo de Dresde, la de las violaciones masivas por parte del Ejército Rojo o la de los sufrimientos innecesarios debido al fanatismo e intransigencia de muchos militares nazis.
ENGLISH:
This work complements very well another great more recent book on the end of World War II: The Fall of Berlin by Beevor. Beevor was able to access many more Soviet archives and the view from the Russian side is more complete (and interesting) but this does not alter the fact that this book is extremely informative, although it focuses more on how the Germans, the Americans and the British experienced it.
We are witnessing the fall of the Third Reich and the desperate attempts to stop the inevitable end. Toland recreates the dialogues of the main meetings (at the Chancellery in Berlin, at the different military command centres and at the Yalta conference) in a way that almost resembles a novel, providing great realism at the same time. History becomes alive. It does so where detailed archives exist or for which it was able to interview the main actors. The description of the Wilhem Gustloff's or Goya's marine tragedies is especially startling, as is the bombing of Dresden, the massive rapes by the Red Army or the unnecessary suffering due to the fanaticism and intransigence of many Nazi militaries.
February 2, 2023
A 27 hour unabridged audiobook.
Some sections that stuck out- the firebombing of Dresden as seen through German survivors, the capture of the bridge at Remagen as viewed from both sides. Hans Rudel the luftwaffe pilot and stuka dive bomber. But what's also intriguing is that it was published in 1966. Well before many sources were open to public, translated into English, easily accessible. This is a very good book, and has withstood the test of time.
Some sections that stuck out- the firebombing of Dresden as seen through German survivors, the capture of the bridge at Remagen as viewed from both sides. Hans Rudel the luftwaffe pilot and stuka dive bomber. But what's also intriguing is that it was published in 1966. Well before many sources were open to public, translated into English, easily accessible. This is a very good book, and has withstood the test of time.
January 8, 2017
Reconstrucción de los últimos 100 días de la segunda guerra mundial en Europa, es decir desde mediados de enero hasta mayo de 1945.
Lo primero que hay que decir es que este libro se publicó en 1965, apenas 20 años después de la caída de Hitler y en pleno apogeo de la guerra fría. Esto es muy importante tenerlo en cuenta porque es uno de sus principales atractivos y a la vez su mayor defecto.
Escrito por John Toland, un periodista americano metido a historiador cuyas obras publicadas en los años 60 y 70 gozan de gran prestigio en los USA.
El primer punto a destacar es el estilo del libro, es una reconstrucción narrativa de los hechos, no un ensayo histórico al uso. Toland pone en boca de sus protagonistas diálogos reconstruidos y narra las acciones con una prosa épica que hace parecer por momentos al libro como una novela.
La ventaja de este método es que es un libro fácil de leer y de engancharse, para aquellos que huyan de los ensayos de investigación histórica porque son demasiado arduos o aburridos este libro es una buena oportunidad para introducirse.
Por contra, los inconvenientes a mi entender son muchos. Al final del libro hay una extensa bibliografía donde el autor justifica los hechos que cuenta o reconstruye, aun así se me hace difícil de creer, sobre todo los diálogos reconstruidos entre los habitantes del Bunker de Berlin. Da la impresión de que muchas de las cosas aquí comentadas proceden de una sola fuente, interesada y participante de los hechos. Por otro lado, juega en favor del libro el que se realizara mediante centenares de entrevistas a los participantes reales, ventaja que los historiadores actuales ya no tienen.
Esto en cuanto a la forma, en cuanto al enfoque del libro también hay que decir que se ha visto superado por investigaciones posteriores y que los datos disponibles en aquellas fechas, sobre todo los provenientes de Rusia o catalogados como secretos por los aliados, eran tergiversados o directamente inexistentes.
La principal crítica a este libro es que Toland da una visión exclusivamente “yankee-centrista” de la historia, el maniqueísmo con el que presenta la lucha de los inocentes y valerosos americanos contra los nazis que fue arteramente aprovechada por los bolcheviques para adueñarse de Europa. Aunque la realidad se parece bastante a esta afirmación, la vida no es tan simple. En su cruzada anticomunista, Toland llega incluso a “encariñarse” demasiado con ciertas figuras nazis, como el General de las SS Karl Wolf, del que se lamenta que aun esté en la cárcel (en el año 1965) cuando en su favor tenía el intento de rendir Alemania a los occidentales, con la secreta esperanza de que los Estados Unidos e Inglaterra comenzaran una guerra contra Rusia.
El tema polaco también es tratado de una forma muy benévola, exculpa totalmente a Churchill y Roosevelt a los que considera inocentemente engañados por el pérfido Stalin. Otros libros consideran que la "venta" de Polonia a Rusia formaba parte de los acuerdos de Yalta entre los "tres grandes".
A su favor, todo hay que decirlo, hay que destacar la reconstrucción llamando las cosas por su nombre del infame bombardeo angloamericano de Dresde, decisión política de los aliados occidentales aunque, según Toland, lo único que pretendían era hacerle un favor a Stalin y demostrarle que eran fieles aliados de la URSS contra los nazis....el resultado fue un autentico genocidio de población civil.
Las investigaciones actuales también ponen en duda el axioma de este libro: Los Rusos llegaron los primeros a Berlín porque los americanos les dejaron, Eisenhower valoró más las cuestiones militares que políticas y dejó a los Rusos anotarse el tanto propagandístico de entrar en Berlín.
Lo más aceptado hoy es que era inevitable que Stalin izara la bandera soviética en el Reichtag sin enfrentarse abiertamente a Rusia.
El libro es muy interesante si se sabe contextualizarlo en la época en que fue escrito y con el objetivo con el que fue escrito, sobre todo si se puede comparar con otros libros publicados sobre este tema, los hay a cientos pero yo recomendaría compararlo con Después del Reich: crimen y castigo en la postguerra alemana de Giles MacDonogh y con Berlín : la caída, 1945 de Antony Beevor, libros muy serios y esclarecedores de lo que pasó al final de la guerra y escritos por autores conservadores nada sospechosos de antiamericanismo y tan anticomunistas como Toland, pero que realizaron un trabajo de investigación realmente muy bueno.
Lo primero que hay que decir es que este libro se publicó en 1965, apenas 20 años después de la caída de Hitler y en pleno apogeo de la guerra fría. Esto es muy importante tenerlo en cuenta porque es uno de sus principales atractivos y a la vez su mayor defecto.
Escrito por John Toland, un periodista americano metido a historiador cuyas obras publicadas en los años 60 y 70 gozan de gran prestigio en los USA.
El primer punto a destacar es el estilo del libro, es una reconstrucción narrativa de los hechos, no un ensayo histórico al uso. Toland pone en boca de sus protagonistas diálogos reconstruidos y narra las acciones con una prosa épica que hace parecer por momentos al libro como una novela.
La ventaja de este método es que es un libro fácil de leer y de engancharse, para aquellos que huyan de los ensayos de investigación histórica porque son demasiado arduos o aburridos este libro es una buena oportunidad para introducirse.
Por contra, los inconvenientes a mi entender son muchos. Al final del libro hay una extensa bibliografía donde el autor justifica los hechos que cuenta o reconstruye, aun así se me hace difícil de creer, sobre todo los diálogos reconstruidos entre los habitantes del Bunker de Berlin. Da la impresión de que muchas de las cosas aquí comentadas proceden de una sola fuente, interesada y participante de los hechos. Por otro lado, juega en favor del libro el que se realizara mediante centenares de entrevistas a los participantes reales, ventaja que los historiadores actuales ya no tienen.
Esto en cuanto a la forma, en cuanto al enfoque del libro también hay que decir que se ha visto superado por investigaciones posteriores y que los datos disponibles en aquellas fechas, sobre todo los provenientes de Rusia o catalogados como secretos por los aliados, eran tergiversados o directamente inexistentes.
La principal crítica a este libro es que Toland da una visión exclusivamente “yankee-centrista” de la historia, el maniqueísmo con el que presenta la lucha de los inocentes y valerosos americanos contra los nazis que fue arteramente aprovechada por los bolcheviques para adueñarse de Europa. Aunque la realidad se parece bastante a esta afirmación, la vida no es tan simple. En su cruzada anticomunista, Toland llega incluso a “encariñarse” demasiado con ciertas figuras nazis, como el General de las SS Karl Wolf, del que se lamenta que aun esté en la cárcel (en el año 1965) cuando en su favor tenía el intento de rendir Alemania a los occidentales, con la secreta esperanza de que los Estados Unidos e Inglaterra comenzaran una guerra contra Rusia.
El tema polaco también es tratado de una forma muy benévola, exculpa totalmente a Churchill y Roosevelt a los que considera inocentemente engañados por el pérfido Stalin. Otros libros consideran que la "venta" de Polonia a Rusia formaba parte de los acuerdos de Yalta entre los "tres grandes".
A su favor, todo hay que decirlo, hay que destacar la reconstrucción llamando las cosas por su nombre del infame bombardeo angloamericano de Dresde, decisión política de los aliados occidentales aunque, según Toland, lo único que pretendían era hacerle un favor a Stalin y demostrarle que eran fieles aliados de la URSS contra los nazis....el resultado fue un autentico genocidio de población civil.
Las investigaciones actuales también ponen en duda el axioma de este libro: Los Rusos llegaron los primeros a Berlín porque los americanos les dejaron, Eisenhower valoró más las cuestiones militares que políticas y dejó a los Rusos anotarse el tanto propagandístico de entrar en Berlín.
Lo más aceptado hoy es que era inevitable que Stalin izara la bandera soviética en el Reichtag sin enfrentarse abiertamente a Rusia.
El libro es muy interesante si se sabe contextualizarlo en la época en que fue escrito y con el objetivo con el que fue escrito, sobre todo si se puede comparar con otros libros publicados sobre este tema, los hay a cientos pero yo recomendaría compararlo con Después del Reich: crimen y castigo en la postguerra alemana de Giles MacDonogh y con Berlín : la caída, 1945 de Antony Beevor, libros muy serios y esclarecedores de lo que pasó al final de la guerra y escritos por autores conservadores nada sospechosos de antiamericanismo y tan anticomunistas como Toland, pero que realizaron un trabajo de investigación realmente muy bueno.
July 29, 2012
The last 100 days of the Nazi regime have long remained clouded by the fact that it was the Soviet armies that reached Berlin first and afterwards controlled the information surrounding the end of it all. Until things had settled down, and let's not forget that they only ever partially settled down (Patton's cry of "Let's push on to Moscow," still rings in one's ears), little or no information was available to the Western press about the successful Russian attack against the German capital. John Toland's "The Last 100 Days," first published in 1966, was therefore a welcome addition to the growing literature on the end of the regime. Perhaps the most interesting sections of the book deal with the taking of Berlin and the stubborn defence offered by the citizenry (both old men and boys were killed at the barricades). For American readers, there is no doubt that the race for Berlin is of greater interest still. With the fastidious Bernard Montgomery apparently holding up the progress of U.S. army corps, it was a time of grand confusion. No one wanted to be restrained from the final fruits of victory. Impatient army commanders resented every delay, while at home, political leaders tried to balance the final thrust to victory against the prospect of further warfare in Europe, once the Germans were beaten. And of course, beyond the first difficulties in East/West relations, there remained Japan to be beaten in the Pacific.
All the main characters have their turn on Toland's stage, whether they be American and Russian generals calculating the mileage separating them from their goal, or high-ranking Nazis twisting and turning in the net that is slowly closing around them. A fast-paced book, matching the tempo of the times, "The Last 100 Days" is one of the best books about the end of the Second World War to be published so far.
All the main characters have their turn on Toland's stage, whether they be American and Russian generals calculating the mileage separating them from their goal, or high-ranking Nazis twisting and turning in the net that is slowly closing around them. A fast-paced book, matching the tempo of the times, "The Last 100 Days" is one of the best books about the end of the Second World War to be published so far.
October 21, 2019
I am probably more familiar with this book than anybody except the author and his publishers, having used it as a reference in three books of my own. And I gave it 5 stars, despite a few reservations. I did that because it was first published in 1966 and Toland was dealing with the plusses of having living participants of the actions he describes whom he could interview, as well as the minuses inherent for those same participants.
For example, the astute reader is left frustrated by Toland's quotes from a Waffen-SS panzer officer named Fritz Hagen, who cannot be found on the roles of the SS units in question. Like so many others, this 'Hagen' was obviously a nom de plume for a real officer who didn't want his name out there. That's because it the immediate postwar period the Waffen-SS was declared a criminal organization and it's members were arrested on the spot. However justified that might have been, it led to the inability to use their stories in future histories without qualifying them. In my own case I listed them as apocryphal.
Regardless, Toland's original research was astounding and all future historians owe him a huge debt of gratitude.
For example, the astute reader is left frustrated by Toland's quotes from a Waffen-SS panzer officer named Fritz Hagen, who cannot be found on the roles of the SS units in question. Like so many others, this 'Hagen' was obviously a nom de plume for a real officer who didn't want his name out there. That's because it the immediate postwar period the Waffen-SS was declared a criminal organization and it's members were arrested on the spot. However justified that might have been, it led to the inability to use their stories in future histories without qualifying them. In my own case I listed them as apocryphal.
Regardless, Toland's original research was astounding and all future historians owe him a huge debt of gratitude.
July 11, 2023
It took me way too long to double back and realize this was written in 1965. Which in retrospect makes a lot of sense when it comes to certain elements I found distasteful (the weird way it writes about minorities, the lack of discussion about the Holocaust compared to German refugees fleeing the soviets and allied prisoners of war, the fact the Soviets are treated as a worse enemy than the Nazis). It’s a very good book full of stuff I had no idea we even had records of, but it is a bit dated, and I’d be curious to see what modern historians thought of it. Still worth reading, and dovetails well with other work on the subject. I do think it’s funny how Mousellini is so sidelined by the last bit of the war he only becomes relevant again so we can talk about him getting murdered.
January 6, 2016
John Toland's The last 100 Days is a countdown about Europa's front; like a novel Toland tell us from many points of view, simultaneous testimonials of soldiers or leaders, with a great narrative the author tell us historical events based on diaries and war documents, Toland describes important events like conference at Yalta, or the devastation of Berlin.
In conclusion the book help us understand the war's final on Europe. More 50 years after final of war, Toland's work is one of the best books about WWII. Highly recommend.
In conclusion the book help us understand the war's final on Europe. More 50 years after final of war, Toland's work is one of the best books about WWII. Highly recommend.
September 25, 2012
Uneven, with fiction and the 'maybe history' genre intertwined. Even so, Toland is a good writer and creates an interesting story of the machinations among FDR, Churchill, and Uncle Joe, who comes off far more sophisticated than most accounts I have ever read.
The collapse of Berlin and the Third Reich is gut wrenching, personal, and murderous to the bitter end.
The collapse of Berlin and the Third Reich is gut wrenching, personal, and murderous to the bitter end.
April 3, 2019
A dramatic countdown of the final months of World War II in Europe, "The Last 100 Days" brings to life the waning power and the ultimate submission of the Third Reich. To reconstruct the tumultuous hundred days between Yalta and the fall of Berlin, John Toland traveled more than 100,000 miles in twenty-one countries and interviewed more than six hundred people--from Hitler's personal chauffeur to Generals von Manteuffel, Wenck, and Heinrici; from underground leaders to diplomats; from top Allied field commanders to brave young GIs. Toland adeptly weaves together these interviews using research from thousands of primary sources. When it was first published, "The Last 100 Days" made history, revealing after-action reports, staff journals, and top-secret messages and personal documents previously unavailable to historians. Since that time, it has come to be regarded as one of the greatest historical narratives of the twentieth century.
August 2, 2022
Excellent and well written. Refutes criticism that FDR was too sick to negotiate effectively at Yalta. While the trip was grueling and the President certainly was not well, the agreements were flawed and not kept was due to the negotiating tactics utilized by Stalin. He was both stubborn and clever, and following the conference, he broke his word.
Two quotes from the book to illustrate the depth of the discussion:
"... one of the chief barriers to understanding between representatives of a totalitarian state like Soviet Russia and those of a democracy like the United States 'was not the difference in language or custom but the fact that they do not know what we mean by public opinion.'"
"As FDR explained to Stettinius and Hopkins in a conversation they had in early January, the British "were working to undermine our whole policy with regard to China." Indeed it appeared to the president that London "still clung to the idea of White supremacy in Asia."
Two quotes from the book to illustrate the depth of the discussion:
"... one of the chief barriers to understanding between representatives of a totalitarian state like Soviet Russia and those of a democracy like the United States 'was not the difference in language or custom but the fact that they do not know what we mean by public opinion.'"
"As FDR explained to Stettinius and Hopkins in a conversation they had in early January, the British "were working to undermine our whole policy with regard to China." Indeed it appeared to the president that London "still clung to the idea of White supremacy in Asia."
June 26, 2011
A very interesting read, although it takes a bit to really get going. It jumps around the timeline quite a bit, particularly towards the beginning. That said, it settles down about halfway through and gets much easier to follow.
It was very eye opening and informative, however the fact that it was written by an American and published during the height of the Cold War I can't help but feel some of the descriptions of the Soviet armed forces are a bit biased. It isn't that I don't think they're factual, but they seem a bit less objective than descriptions of others, including the Germans.
That said, it definitely includes one of the more frank discussions of the bombing of Dresden, and some of the less than stellar decisions Roosevelt and Churchill made towards the end of the war. Then again, hindsight is usually 20/20.
It was very eye opening and informative, however the fact that it was written by an American and published during the height of the Cold War I can't help but feel some of the descriptions of the Soviet armed forces are a bit biased. It isn't that I don't think they're factual, but they seem a bit less objective than descriptions of others, including the Germans.
That said, it definitely includes one of the more frank discussions of the bombing of Dresden, and some of the less than stellar decisions Roosevelt and Churchill made towards the end of the war. Then again, hindsight is usually 20/20.
February 20, 2019
This is the first work I have read by John Toland and I found it thoroughly enjoyable and well done. While the German side was more interesting to me, the entire book is worth a read. I really enjoy books that have numerous characters with several different story lines going at the same time but end up all being intertwined in some way. The reader can tell that Toland put a lot of time and research into the work, as he himself states at the end of the book. While there are some minor historical inaccuracies, these are probably due to the fact this book was written before some information was proven to be incorrect or before other information had been revealed to the public. Regardless, this book is well worth your time and one for any person interested in World War Two.
August 31, 2025
Grim but very informative. This important book shines a light on a brief period of time that has had (and continues to have) such a lasting impact on the world. Well constructed and highly readable, it paints a devastating but inevitable picture of the end of WW2 and how it has cast a long shadow over everything that’s happened since.
Highly recommend for anyone interested in a more complete picture of the war and the world it created. People who enjoy the mental exorcise of “what if” will have a field day because at every turn, it’s hard not think, with the benefit of hindsight, what if. What if, indeed.
Highly recommend for anyone interested in a more complete picture of the war and the world it created. People who enjoy the mental exorcise of “what if” will have a field day because at every turn, it’s hard not think, with the benefit of hindsight, what if. What if, indeed.
November 12, 2015
This is a very long and detailed history that concentrates on the last 100 days of World War II in Europe. I listened to the audible.com version. Very well written. The author tells the story from all sides -- primarily, America, Britain, Russia and Germany. Diplomacy, communications, troop movements, major battles, the impact on civilian populations -- all are described in a chronological narrative; and it is a fair and balanced account. If you think you know all about these fourteen weeks, try this book. You may be surprised to learn how much more there is to the story.
September 28, 2008
This book is amazing...it has everything!!! it show us how the people (german, amarican and russian soldiers, etc)lives these final days and in the same time represents the final experiences of characters so important like Hitler, Mussoulini and Rosevelt and the the impresions of Stalin and Churchill
June 6, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it is heavy duty history with a lot of direct quotes from original source material. I think the time period, last 90 days of WWII, was a very critical time period for the world, but for the US in particular as it shaped the opening of the Cold War. Highly recommended for history buffs, not so much for those looking for history lite or only entertainment.
February 19, 2008
Much of the draw for my WWII hobby is the information regarding organizational and individual leadership behaviors. This work was particularly good at describing the interpersonal and organizational dynamics of Hitler's inner circle.
December 20, 2021
The Last 100 Days by John Toland
Some notes from this very thorough and well written book about the history of the end of the Nazi regime as the Allies closed in.
The Polish Home Army went underground in January 1945 when it became clear that Stalin planned to make Poland a communist Soviet state. In the Warsaw uprising of August 1944, the Poles were not supported by the Russians across the river but the Americans did provide airlift support. The uprising failed and m 15,000 Polish troops died and hundreds of thousands of Warsaw citizens were executed by the Nazis. In 1945 with the Nazis fleeing, the Poles had not forgotten Russia's abandonment of them and it was not hard to imagine how Russia felt about the Poles.
Rheinberg was an important city on the Rhine heavily defended by Germans that the Americans captured in their offensive to cross the Rhine in March 1945. Further south in Cologne on March 6th, the Germans blew up the Hohenzollern Bridge as Americans tried to cross and capture Cologne as part of Operation Lumberjack. The Americans later that day led by the 9th Armored Division crossed the Rhine via the intact Ludendorff bridge - thirty miles further south of Cologne at Remagen. Hitler was furious at the failure to blow the bridge and Eisenhower was ecstatic.
Four equestrian statues of Prussian kings adorned both ends of the old Hohenzollern bridge. The Cologne Cathedral was one of the only intact buildings left after Allied bombing throughout the war. The citizens who were unsympathetic toward the Nazis and in fact welcomed the Allies warmly even while German troops were still defending the city.
A few weeks later an impatient Patton ordered his army to cross the Rhine in assault boats near Oppenheim. It was the first time since Napoleon that the Rhine was breached from the west by boat.
On the other side of Germany, Russian general Zuchov had breached the Oder River and was only fifty miles from Berlin.
Much is made of Hitler's madness late in the war. He in effect knew the war was lost in early 1945 but wished to show strength with the western Allies who he thought he could negotiate with, particularly if they couldn't breach the Rhine. He was more concerned about the Russians who he knew would not be open to a peace treaty. Nonetheless some of his advisors were urging him to surrender to avoid the needless slaughter. He thought he could still preserve Germany and in this he was deluded. It is also almost certain that he Hitler knew he would be executed by the Allies if surrendered so this was probably in his calculus.
On March 23rd, in the largest airborne drop of the war, more than 10,000 allied troops were dropped a dozen miles inside the Rhine near the cities of Wesel and Essen.
On March 27th, 1945 tank task force Braum arrived at the Hammelburg POW camp to liberate it where they were met with fierce resistance. Many prisoners escaped but many a large number of American tank troops were captured by the Germans. The Germans were horrified that the Americans had penetrated so deeply into German territory. By the time American forces successfully liberated the camp on April 6th, most POWs had already been marched 90 miles to another POW camp.
In March 1945, Hitler espoused his scorched earth policy - which some of his generals and even his favorite advisor Speer opposed. It is believed that as a consequence of the slow peddling of Hitler's directive that many tens of thousands of PoWs and Jews lives were spared.
At the end of March, Eisenhower reasoned that with the Russians so close to Berlin that the Allies would go ahead and push towards Munich first.
Beyond discussion of detonating bridges, liberating POW camps and discussing the rape and pillaging done by Russians on the Eastern front, there are other vignettes such as the discovery by Eisenhower's men of hundreds of million in gold bullion reserves in the German salt mines of Bavaria.
The Allied commanders were especially repulsed by the Germans after seeing the concentration camp at Ohrdruf Nord. Patton actually vomited and said "You'll never believe how bastardly these Krauts can be."
On April 13th, Roosevelt died and the German high command were almost giddy with the prospects of a more moderate Truman. They would quickly learn that Truman had no interest in negotiating.
It was General Zukhov's job to take Berlin even though Stalin was telling his allies that Dresden not Berlin was their immediate objective. But the Allies knew what was going on.
In late April, Hitler ordered Goring arrested at Olbersalzburg for high treason. Goring could be spared death if he resigns all positions.
Mussolini makes an appearance as he is effectively under house arrest on the isle in the middle of Lake Garda. He flies while hiding in a Nazi column exiting the country in the north. Hitler dies at his own hand after killing Eva Braun and his dog.
4 stars
Some notes from this very thorough and well written book about the history of the end of the Nazi regime as the Allies closed in.
The Polish Home Army went underground in January 1945 when it became clear that Stalin planned to make Poland a communist Soviet state. In the Warsaw uprising of August 1944, the Poles were not supported by the Russians across the river but the Americans did provide airlift support. The uprising failed and m 15,000 Polish troops died and hundreds of thousands of Warsaw citizens were executed by the Nazis. In 1945 with the Nazis fleeing, the Poles had not forgotten Russia's abandonment of them and it was not hard to imagine how Russia felt about the Poles.
Rheinberg was an important city on the Rhine heavily defended by Germans that the Americans captured in their offensive to cross the Rhine in March 1945. Further south in Cologne on March 6th, the Germans blew up the Hohenzollern Bridge as Americans tried to cross and capture Cologne as part of Operation Lumberjack. The Americans later that day led by the 9th Armored Division crossed the Rhine via the intact Ludendorff bridge - thirty miles further south of Cologne at Remagen. Hitler was furious at the failure to blow the bridge and Eisenhower was ecstatic.
Four equestrian statues of Prussian kings adorned both ends of the old Hohenzollern bridge. The Cologne Cathedral was one of the only intact buildings left after Allied bombing throughout the war. The citizens who were unsympathetic toward the Nazis and in fact welcomed the Allies warmly even while German troops were still defending the city.
A few weeks later an impatient Patton ordered his army to cross the Rhine in assault boats near Oppenheim. It was the first time since Napoleon that the Rhine was breached from the west by boat.
On the other side of Germany, Russian general Zuchov had breached the Oder River and was only fifty miles from Berlin.
Much is made of Hitler's madness late in the war. He in effect knew the war was lost in early 1945 but wished to show strength with the western Allies who he thought he could negotiate with, particularly if they couldn't breach the Rhine. He was more concerned about the Russians who he knew would not be open to a peace treaty. Nonetheless some of his advisors were urging him to surrender to avoid the needless slaughter. He thought he could still preserve Germany and in this he was deluded. It is also almost certain that he Hitler knew he would be executed by the Allies if surrendered so this was probably in his calculus.
On March 23rd, in the largest airborne drop of the war, more than 10,000 allied troops were dropped a dozen miles inside the Rhine near the cities of Wesel and Essen.
On March 27th, 1945 tank task force Braum arrived at the Hammelburg POW camp to liberate it where they were met with fierce resistance. Many prisoners escaped but many a large number of American tank troops were captured by the Germans. The Germans were horrified that the Americans had penetrated so deeply into German territory. By the time American forces successfully liberated the camp on April 6th, most POWs had already been marched 90 miles to another POW camp.
In March 1945, Hitler espoused his scorched earth policy - which some of his generals and even his favorite advisor Speer opposed. It is believed that as a consequence of the slow peddling of Hitler's directive that many tens of thousands of PoWs and Jews lives were spared.
At the end of March, Eisenhower reasoned that with the Russians so close to Berlin that the Allies would go ahead and push towards Munich first.
Beyond discussion of detonating bridges, liberating POW camps and discussing the rape and pillaging done by Russians on the Eastern front, there are other vignettes such as the discovery by Eisenhower's men of hundreds of million in gold bullion reserves in the German salt mines of Bavaria.
The Allied commanders were especially repulsed by the Germans after seeing the concentration camp at Ohrdruf Nord. Patton actually vomited and said "You'll never believe how bastardly these Krauts can be."
On April 13th, Roosevelt died and the German high command were almost giddy with the prospects of a more moderate Truman. They would quickly learn that Truman had no interest in negotiating.
It was General Zukhov's job to take Berlin even though Stalin was telling his allies that Dresden not Berlin was their immediate objective. But the Allies knew what was going on.
In late April, Hitler ordered Goring arrested at Olbersalzburg for high treason. Goring could be spared death if he resigns all positions.
Mussolini makes an appearance as he is effectively under house arrest on the isle in the middle of Lake Garda. He flies while hiding in a Nazi column exiting the country in the north. Hitler dies at his own hand after killing Eva Braun and his dog.
4 stars
December 16, 2022
A superb account of what key players thought, felt and experienced at the culmination of the war in Europe. Toland's trade mark style is telling the story having extensively interviewed some of those involved with an immediacy and verve that captures the breathtaking excitement, terror and chaos of the those months.
Easier to read than The Rising Sun, on the Pacific War, mainly because the main characters and events were better known to me. Obviously a work of this kind is not intended to be a strategic overview but the story of those involved.
Amidst the shambolic, dystopian chaos of Hitler's final days, and his forlorn idea that the Western Allies would fall out with Russia, and join Germany attacking Bolshevism, various Nazi leaders, particularly Himmler, surreptitiously reached out to the West to try to negotiate surrenders. Few seemed to be able to break themselves away from the spell of the Fuhrer. Some, having been discovered, were executed with days left of the war.
One remarkable story is breaching of the main barrier in the West, the River Rhine. The unexpected capture of a rickety bridge at Remagen shows how the best laid plans fall apart and a general who has the gumption to seize the initiative, and the freedom to do so, can dramatically alter a battle. Hitler had instructed his troops only to blow up bridges at the last moment. But here, as rattled German officers bickered over who was responsible for giving the critical order, charges failed and there was no time to rewire them. Immense bravery by American troops secured the bridgehead turning the flanks of the German army.
I realise Toland may be wanting to showcase the American army but his account shows how well they were organised and generalled. By this stage in the war they had become battle-hardened and extremely effective.
The book also covers the last days of Roosevelt. A man of wide ambitions and unrealistic great hopes yet it was Churchill who consistently showed better foresight at what the future of Europe would look like with Russia in charge. The impossibility of forming a representative Polish government was the key breach with Stalin.
The reader is left with no doubt that this was a time of great horror, destruction, rapine and pillage for Germany. Both their actions earlier in the way, and disastrous defensive decisions by Hitler, left huge numbers of people, military and civilian, to be rampaged over by the Soviet army. Seeing what has happened in Ukraine we should be under no illusions how terrible this was.
But at last victory came, the Americans under Eisenhower chose not to push for Berlin, when they had the means to do so. Instead the Allied Forces met to the west of Berlin and a new dividing line appeared in Europe.
Easier to read than The Rising Sun, on the Pacific War, mainly because the main characters and events were better known to me. Obviously a work of this kind is not intended to be a strategic overview but the story of those involved.
Amidst the shambolic, dystopian chaos of Hitler's final days, and his forlorn idea that the Western Allies would fall out with Russia, and join Germany attacking Bolshevism, various Nazi leaders, particularly Himmler, surreptitiously reached out to the West to try to negotiate surrenders. Few seemed to be able to break themselves away from the spell of the Fuhrer. Some, having been discovered, were executed with days left of the war.
One remarkable story is breaching of the main barrier in the West, the River Rhine. The unexpected capture of a rickety bridge at Remagen shows how the best laid plans fall apart and a general who has the gumption to seize the initiative, and the freedom to do so, can dramatically alter a battle. Hitler had instructed his troops only to blow up bridges at the last moment. But here, as rattled German officers bickered over who was responsible for giving the critical order, charges failed and there was no time to rewire them. Immense bravery by American troops secured the bridgehead turning the flanks of the German army.
I realise Toland may be wanting to showcase the American army but his account shows how well they were organised and generalled. By this stage in the war they had become battle-hardened and extremely effective.
The book also covers the last days of Roosevelt. A man of wide ambitions and unrealistic great hopes yet it was Churchill who consistently showed better foresight at what the future of Europe would look like with Russia in charge. The impossibility of forming a representative Polish government was the key breach with Stalin.
The reader is left with no doubt that this was a time of great horror, destruction, rapine and pillage for Germany. Both their actions earlier in the way, and disastrous defensive decisions by Hitler, left huge numbers of people, military and civilian, to be rampaged over by the Soviet army. Seeing what has happened in Ukraine we should be under no illusions how terrible this was.
But at last victory came, the Americans under Eisenhower chose not to push for Berlin, when they had the means to do so. Instead the Allied Forces met to the west of Berlin and a new dividing line appeared in Europe.
January 11, 2021
In view of the recent events in Washington, it may be good to read or re-read John Toland’s “The Last 100 Days.” This is an excellent history of the end of World War II written from the perspective of both the Allies and the Germans.
Two things make this book compelling. First, the author has been able to collect documents that illustrate each stage of the final collapse of Germany. We see the war from the perspective of Roosevelt, Truman, Churchill and Stalin. The author gives us the big picture.
Second, the reader also is given a variety of interesting side stories that were not publicized at the time and have long since been forgotten by many historians. For example, the story is told how American General George Patton discovers his son-in-law is a prisoner in a German POW camp far outside the American lines. He orders a group of Americans to storm through the German lines and conducts a daring attempt to free the prisoners. The raid is a disaster and many Americans lose their life in a senseless sacrifice that would probably have been avoided if Patton had waited for the overwhelming American forces to push back the Germans first. (BTW Patton’s son-in-law was injured but survived the war.)
But perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the book is how Toland documents the fanatical loyalty of some high-ranking German officers to Hitler. Even when it was clear that Germany would lose the war, many officers were so enthralled with Hitler that they sent countless thousands of soldiers to their death in a futile effort to save the Third Reich. Sadly, it that’s type of fanaticism on display recently in Washington when the U.S. Congress was overrun by a mob dedicated to overthrowing the government. Perhaps readers will view the disaster that befell Germany as a warning to our country.
Two things make this book compelling. First, the author has been able to collect documents that illustrate each stage of the final collapse of Germany. We see the war from the perspective of Roosevelt, Truman, Churchill and Stalin. The author gives us the big picture.
Second, the reader also is given a variety of interesting side stories that were not publicized at the time and have long since been forgotten by many historians. For example, the story is told how American General George Patton discovers his son-in-law is a prisoner in a German POW camp far outside the American lines. He orders a group of Americans to storm through the German lines and conducts a daring attempt to free the prisoners. The raid is a disaster and many Americans lose their life in a senseless sacrifice that would probably have been avoided if Patton had waited for the overwhelming American forces to push back the Germans first. (BTW Patton’s son-in-law was injured but survived the war.)
But perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the book is how Toland documents the fanatical loyalty of some high-ranking German officers to Hitler. Even when it was clear that Germany would lose the war, many officers were so enthralled with Hitler that they sent countless thousands of soldiers to their death in a futile effort to save the Third Reich. Sadly, it that’s type of fanaticism on display recently in Washington when the U.S. Congress was overrun by a mob dedicated to overthrowing the government. Perhaps readers will view the disaster that befell Germany as a warning to our country.
February 7, 2021
Gripping. Mr. Toland's retelling of the last 100 days of the European Theater in WWII does not include any rose colored glasses or waxing nostalgic of the greatest generation, just a brutal recount of the end of extremely bloody conflict. The political machinations, heroism and brutality of war are all here. What struck me the most was the fire bombing of Dresden, wow, and the disconnectedness or madness of the Nazi leadership as the war shifted from pushing them back to ending their regime. Mr. Toland conveys this via personnel accounts and documentary evidence. So it was amazing to hear how Hitler and his associates lived under the delusion that a miracle (wonder weapons, tactical genius, German superiority, the West?) would save them as the allies overwhelmingly pressed in on all sides. This failure to understand the political and military reality cost untold lives as the Nazi's held to their untenable position at all costs (to the last man)... vastly different then the approach that Robert E. Lee took in the American Civil War. Lee's (fairly) early capitulation when victory (or even stalemate) was impossible against the overwhelming might of the North, should have served as a model to the Third Reich, causing them to surrender very early in 1945. Instead they pointlessly plowed ahead while burning through men, materiel and infrastructure. The early realization (failure to realize?) that Soviet Russia was next great threat was also interesting, hints of the Cold War in Poland and Czech Republic even before WWII was even complete. Amazing. Great read.
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