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Hitler's Commanders
Provides biographical backgrounds on approximately 200 of Hitler's officers, including Goering, Jodl, von Paulus, and Doenitz
- GenresWorld War IIHistory
353 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 29, 2019
This is a fun little book. It traces the histories of the secondary figures in the German WWII Galaxy of "Stars'. So not Manstein, but guys like Sperrle are chronicled. It's sort of a cross-section of characters- semi-randomly- but it does help fill in both the depth of one's knowledge about the German war effort. And it does give you an diea of the "average German officer" in all arms of service in WWII. Let's face it- they almost all cross Hitler in the end- on some core point of Tactical or Strategic maneuver- and get the sack. And then they go to Russian jail for ten years... its not uplifting reading- but it sure covers a lot of ground.
There are several takeaways. Short -term better to be a Nazi- it was great for career advancement. The Navy and Air Force guys were more worldly and better educated- pretty logical. And then when you get to the SS Generals- yep- most were thugs to begin with- often of the lowest kind. Some become quite accomplished- but seldom learn enough for their eventual level of operations- chosen politically. But the stories are always compelling reading- and fill in a lot of gray areas for even a seasoned WWII reader.
For the junior reader this is a good survey- although some adult content about 30s German scandals might make 12 the youngest suggested reader. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast- great stuff- filled with anecdotes and tactical discussions (almost all German Officers fought their way out of some "pocket" or another in the "Great Retreat" across the Steppe) as well as political/military hierarchical clashes. I am pretty sure this book will result in Scenario/diorama improvements- I think a club could make a campaign just from this book alone. Newcomer WWII readers might find this too detailed- but the serious audience will have a field day!
There are several takeaways. Short -term better to be a Nazi- it was great for career advancement. The Navy and Air Force guys were more worldly and better educated- pretty logical. And then when you get to the SS Generals- yep- most were thugs to begin with- often of the lowest kind. Some become quite accomplished- but seldom learn enough for their eventual level of operations- chosen politically. But the stories are always compelling reading- and fill in a lot of gray areas for even a seasoned WWII reader.
For the junior reader this is a good survey- although some adult content about 30s German scandals might make 12 the youngest suggested reader. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast- great stuff- filled with anecdotes and tactical discussions (almost all German Officers fought their way out of some "pocket" or another in the "Great Retreat" across the Steppe) as well as political/military hierarchical clashes. I am pretty sure this book will result in Scenario/diorama improvements- I think a club could make a campaign just from this book alone. Newcomer WWII readers might find this too detailed- but the serious audience will have a field day!
September 5, 2015
A good overview of Germany's WW2 military leaders - covers all branches of Wehrmacht and also Waffen-SS. The text focuses more on personality, career progression and the relationship with the Nazi regime, rather than on the characters' battlefield performance. Commanders were chosen so as to illustrate a particular personality type - eg. Friedrich Fromm as an example of an opportunistic, unscrupulous criminal, Heinz Guderian was picked for his professional brilliance, and Bernhard Lossberg for his independent thinking.
The eclectic mix of officers adds interest and a touching feel to the book, while the reader follows the fates of very different characters ranging from OKH senior staff down to individual panzer commanders. On the other hand, it also makes the coverage rather patchy, especially as many commanders one would expect to find in the book are not covered at all - namely, most of the field marshals are completely ignored (the authors have written another text focusing on them).
With that said, this is still a first-rate resource, especially for readers not conversant in the German language - and as long as a comprehensive coverage of all high-ranking officers is not expected, the text will surely not disappoint.
The eclectic mix of officers adds interest and a touching feel to the book, while the reader follows the fates of very different characters ranging from OKH senior staff down to individual panzer commanders. On the other hand, it also makes the coverage rather patchy, especially as many commanders one would expect to find in the book are not covered at all - namely, most of the field marshals are completely ignored (the authors have written another text focusing on them).
With that said, this is still a first-rate resource, especially for readers not conversant in the German language - and as long as a comprehensive coverage of all high-ranking officers is not expected, the text will surely not disappoint.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews