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Hitler : Military Commander
A comprehensive examination of Hitler’s military strategies.As Führer of the Third Reich, Hitler was responsible for deciding the German war aims in 1939. As head of the Armed Forces from February 4th, 1938, he was also responsible for the overall Wehrmacht strategy intended to achieve these aims. Military Commander examines with impeccable detail Hitler's key military decisions during the Second World War, and assesses how far these decisions were militarily justified in the light of the intelligence available at the time. Perhaps most importantly, it tackles the larger questions of how a non-German former corporal, albeit the holder of the Iron Cross First Class, managed to take personal control of an army with the Prussian traditions of the German army; to appoint, sack, and sentence to death its generals at will, to lead it into a World War it was not prepared for; and to ultimately destroy it. Featuring black-and-white photographs, maps, biographical context, tactical analysis, and more, this new edition of Military Commander will give readers the comprehensive overview of Hitler's military decisions and downfall.
240 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 2, 2019
I am impressed with the number of books Rupert Matthews has written and the range of topics. It seems impossible with this collection to give any topic the depth it deserves - and Hitler's record as a military commander deserves a serious treatment. Instead. we have a light narrative that lacks depth.
You don't need to go far to find evidence that makes you worry about the quality of the research:
At the start of the introduction there is a quote attributed to Hindenburg calling Hitler a "jumped up Bohemian corporal". This quote was immediately suspect. Why would Hindenburg call Hitler Bohemian when he was Austrian? A quick check of Google and Google Books tells me that the phrase was first used by Matthews.
The first sentence in Chapter 1 reads "When Hitler became Führer in 1933 he automatically became the head of the German armed forces." This may seem like a quibble, but he became Chancellor in 1933 and it was in 1934 (after Hindenburg died) that he combined that office with that of President as Führer. At this stage, the German armed forces took an oath of loyalty to Hitler as the Führer. General Werner von Blomberg held the title of Minister for Defence (later Minister for War) and Commander-in-Chief of the German armed forces from 1933 to 1938, when Hitler assumed the title.
Still on the first page of Chapter 1, we learn that "The army officers jealously guarded the army's traditional right to be the only body in Germany authorised to carry arms..." This is a curious statement. Apart from the police forces, Germany had been awash with militias and private armies from the end of the First World War until the rise of Hitler. Some were affiliated with political parties, as the SA was, but there were many others that had the clandestine support of the the Army: the Freikorps or Black Reichswehr.
Matthews does not offer footnotes or a bibliography, or even a preface to explain his approach and who helped with research. Popular histories often lack these, but their absence makes it difficult to see this book as a credible history.
You don't need to go far to find evidence that makes you worry about the quality of the research:
At the start of the introduction there is a quote attributed to Hindenburg calling Hitler a "jumped up Bohemian corporal". This quote was immediately suspect. Why would Hindenburg call Hitler Bohemian when he was Austrian? A quick check of Google and Google Books tells me that the phrase was first used by Matthews.
The first sentence in Chapter 1 reads "When Hitler became Führer in 1933 he automatically became the head of the German armed forces." This may seem like a quibble, but he became Chancellor in 1933 and it was in 1934 (after Hindenburg died) that he combined that office with that of President as Führer. At this stage, the German armed forces took an oath of loyalty to Hitler as the Führer. General Werner von Blomberg held the title of Minister for Defence (later Minister for War) and Commander-in-Chief of the German armed forces from 1933 to 1938, when Hitler assumed the title.
Still on the first page of Chapter 1, we learn that "The army officers jealously guarded the army's traditional right to be the only body in Germany authorised to carry arms..." This is a curious statement. Apart from the police forces, Germany had been awash with militias and private armies from the end of the First World War until the rise of Hitler. Some were affiliated with political parties, as the SA was, but there were many others that had the clandestine support of the the Army: the Freikorps or Black Reichswehr.
Matthews does not offer footnotes or a bibliography, or even a preface to explain his approach and who helped with research. Popular histories often lack these, but their absence makes it difficult to see this book as a credible history.
December 18, 2022
Didn't expect a lot but was ok with a more detailed analysis of his decisions throughout the war. It made clear the decisions he made throughout, some good, mostly bad and mad! Interesting.
October 15, 2024
No selected sources or bibliography.
December 5, 2022
All the charm of a textbook without any pesky citations or bibliography. As interesting as this could have been, the absence of sources made it difficult to take any of the author's assertions as more than baseless opinion.
A non-fiction book which presents historical facts really should offer proof that those facts have been verified through other scholarly works, and unfortunately this book has not done so. I tried multiple times to get into this one, but every time found myself asking "Where did this information come from?" too often. The enjoyment from this kind of reading comes from learning new and interesting information, and I just couldn't trust the content of this book enough to enjoy it.
A non-fiction book which presents historical facts really should offer proof that those facts have been verified through other scholarly works, and unfortunately this book has not done so. I tried multiple times to get into this one, but every time found myself asking "Where did this information come from?" too often. The enjoyment from this kind of reading comes from learning new and interesting information, and I just couldn't trust the content of this book enough to enjoy it.
March 5, 2019
It's not that this was a bad book. For someone relatively unfamiliar with Hitler and World War II in Europe, it might be a good place to begin. Anyone who has done a fair bit of reading about the subject will gain little or nothing from reading this book.
October 24, 2023
i'm not a very political person so i'm going to be honest and say that i didn't really care too much.
add that i don't read non-fiction very often and when i do it's very select and i have to want to read it to fully enjoy it.
so when this came up to be the next on my reading list i was a bit worried because i knew that i would probably dnf it. i tried reading up to a 100 pages and i would dnf it after that but i saw that i was already halfway and i didn't want to waste the days of this reading challenge only to dnf a book so i persisted.
i did skim a lot of the book because i wanted to get this over and done with.
i'm not really interested in hitler and his achievements. the book does cover a whole heap of his failures as well. this just talks about his strategies throughout world war 2.
i just think this book is a reference book. probably catered to researching about this topic. this would excellent because i think covers everything.
not really sure why i picked this up. even more unsure how this book ended up in my collection.
i didn't really make any notes because i just really into it.
soz.
add that i don't read non-fiction very often and when i do it's very select and i have to want to read it to fully enjoy it.
so when this came up to be the next on my reading list i was a bit worried because i knew that i would probably dnf it. i tried reading up to a 100 pages and i would dnf it after that but i saw that i was already halfway and i didn't want to waste the days of this reading challenge only to dnf a book so i persisted.
i did skim a lot of the book because i wanted to get this over and done with.
i'm not really interested in hitler and his achievements. the book does cover a whole heap of his failures as well. this just talks about his strategies throughout world war 2.
i just think this book is a reference book. probably catered to researching about this topic. this would excellent because i think covers everything.
not really sure why i picked this up. even more unsure how this book ended up in my collection.
i didn't really make any notes because i just really into it.
soz.
March 5, 2019
Yes, but no
Only a few chapters into the book. Full of nice anecdotes and information about the machinations of Hitler’s High Command from 1934-45. However, one is left questioning the validity of the facts declared due to simple historical errors elsewhere within the text. So, and for example, Valkyrie:
“Hitler, however, had not been killed. By chance he had stepped around the desk and was shielded from the blast by its solid wooden frame.”
The bag containing the bomb was moved - not Hitler. Pity as the book really is a good interesting read. More to follow ......
Only a few chapters into the book. Full of nice anecdotes and information about the machinations of Hitler’s High Command from 1934-45. However, one is left questioning the validity of the facts declared due to simple historical errors elsewhere within the text. So, and for example, Valkyrie:
“Hitler, however, had not been killed. By chance he had stepped around the desk and was shielded from the blast by its solid wooden frame.”
The bag containing the bomb was moved - not Hitler. Pity as the book really is a good interesting read. More to follow ......
August 21, 2021
The engineering of the artillery and management details of how the Nazism built their strength was interesting but I think iv watched and read to much stuff on ww2 at this point so wasn't overly content content the book. Written well though.
May 10, 2024
This book is riddled with spelling errors, grammar mistakes and has no citations or bibliography anywhere. If you can get past that then it’s an okay book! Great for people wanting to learn about the control Adolf Hitler had over German citizens and how he kept his control until the end
November 5, 2018
An excellent read which made me realize that Hitler's interference shortened WW II.
A frightening realization is that there are parallels between Hitler & a few of today's leaders.
A frightening realization is that there are parallels between Hitler & a few of today's leaders.
December 20, 2020
A good book on the tactical side of Hitler's military life. I became aware more of what happened in his war and the sheer size and nature of German warfare and all the aspects he juggled.
March 29, 2023
although in the final pages it indicates where the citations come from, the book requires proper citation, if not, it is only an opinion of the author.
September 14, 2023
Good read
Excellent and concise history of Hitler’s failures. Recommended for Hitler and WW 2 buffs. Also gives a good account the general attitude of German generals for th time.
Excellent and concise history of Hitler’s failures. Recommended for Hitler and WW 2 buffs. Also gives a good account the general attitude of German generals for th time.
January 17, 2025
It's about Hitler's era in Germany. Mainly about his war actions, decisions, and what made his downfall. Based on true events. I liked it
December 17, 2012
It was an okay book. At times, it can be a bit boring. Depends on how interested you are in WW2. I am only half way through it so I'll edit this review when I'm finished. To sum it up succinctly, it is educational but not very entertaining. I often judge books on how entertaining they were to read. Not really on information or knowledge. Hitler is described as someone clever but not capable of dealing with WW2. He was better suited to WW1 with his tactics. He did manage to convince a few countries to either stay neutral or help him out. Italy and Spain for example were key players in his war. Italy sided with him (at first) and Spain didn't really make up its mind. Hungary stayed neutral but behind closed doors a few "deals" were made before Hitler invaded Poland.
Hope that helps.
Hope that helps.
October 7, 2011
This was a fascinating read. A bit heavy going at times and for anyone not interested in the history of war it could be a bore. Matthews, however, has moved inside and out of Hitler's persona, backing up his thesis with facts about events and the main players surrounding those happenings.
He demonstrates that Hitler was not a great military commander, but had the energy of hate to propel with his ideology and nurturing those with criminal minds to carry out his dirty work. This book will stay on my shelf, a great find considering I bought it at Crazy Clarke's for $2.00!
He demonstrates that Hitler was not a great military commander, but had the energy of hate to propel with his ideology and nurturing those with criminal minds to carry out his dirty work. This book will stay on my shelf, a great find considering I bought it at Crazy Clarke's for $2.00!
February 7, 2015
Interesting book but only really covers facts already known about his tactics and blunders, essentially his biggest flaw was to use the same plan over and over as soon as the allies realised this they could combat it and Hitler was unable to think of another! Essentially he was trying to fight a double fronted war on single front tactics!
April 4, 2014
An interesting slant on Hitler's military decisions during the Second World War. It underlines the facts of how he stubbornly forced the Germans into a war they were ill prepared for and which ultimately resulted in failure. Hitler was a Nazi first and foremost and a commander second.
July 27, 2016
Great book. Especially enjoyed how Matthews expanded on the mindset of Hitler. The author explained the events Hitler went through during the Great War which ultimately created the callous and ruthless leader that he was. Anyone interested in war history will enjoy this book.
August 23, 2014
how hitler lost the unloseable war
May 18, 2015
This book as about hitler and some of the bad things that he done. But it is just st that nothing really revew about.
April 23, 2017
Твърде повърхностна. Става само за първоначално, повърхностно запознаване с темата. Има далеч по-подробни и детайлни изследвания, но, за съжаление, засега не са преведени и издадени на български език. И една малка забележка към българското издание, което току-що прочетох (изд. "Прозорец", 2016 г.) - изключително невежото предаване на фамилното име на гросадмирал Редер, изписано навсякъде в книгата като "Рьодер".
December 1, 2018
A brilliant and engaging book that is highly recommended to anyone interested in Hitler, Nazi Germany and the second world war.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews