Blitzkrieg: From the Rise of Hitler to the Fall of Dunkirk
Amazon Online Reader : Blitzkrieg: From the Rise of Hitler to the Fall of Dunkirk
I thought I'd write up a short review of this book which I got for Christmas a year or two ago.
I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in the European theatre of WWII. The book goes into great detail outlining the German plan to push to the channel, and eliminate the Allied armies within Europe. It also devotes a great deal to describing the process by which Hitler was able to rise from relative obscurity to Fuhrer, investigating his personal relationships with many influential Germans at the time who backed him both financially and politically. Including the brilliant, yet unscrupulous, manipulation of the government and the people of Germany which allowwed him to gain such influence.
Deighton describes every element of the blitzkrieg style of warfare, from the pioneers on point, to the heavy flak guns dragging up the rear, leaving no tactical or strategic element unexamined. Even the methods by which the advancing army (which usually far outpaced the supply corps behind it) was able to feed the troops, facilitate tank repairs, and refuel while all the time deep in enemy territory.
The book also describes in some detail the variou armoured cars and early tanks designed and employed by the Germans specifically for the task at hand. It includes exerpts from interviews with guderian, Manstein and a host of other high-ranking German officers who were the brains behind the push to the channel.
Some of the most interesting parts I foud, were the descriptions of the invasion of Norway and Denmark, a side of the war very rarely mentioned in the more popular-culture books/films. As well as the fact that the Manstein plan (which was the one used to push through Poland to the channel) was almost overlooked in favour of a ridiculous WWI style action until Manstein and Guderian finally convinced Hitler that it'd never work.
Though the term "blitzkrieg" is thrown around a lot and usually meant to refer to any action the Germans took during thre war, there was truly only one episode in which the blitzkrieg docterine was truly employed. This book covers that episode and it's further implications in a way that is highly technical while still easily readable. INcluding said interviews with officers as well as daring tales from the spearhead (including one in which a young tank commander called Rommel has the tank in front of him and behind him destroyed by french guns, and only narrowly escapes by reversing his tank over a ledge).
I was also surprised to learn that, at the time of the initiation of hostilities by the Germans, the French army employed tanks and planes which were far superior to those the Germans had. THe reason the Germans were successful lied in their new blitzkrieg tactic and their revolutionary method of command, which allowed for realtively junior officers to exploit opprutunities in a way that French officers would have been court-martialed for doing.
Now that you've listened to me ramble on about the book, I suggest looking it up yourself. You surely can't be dissapointed if you've any interest in the early stages of the war.
