THE FATAL DECISIONS

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 23, 1956

The Battles of Britain, Moscow, El Alamein, Stalingrad, Normandy, and the Ardennes"" from an outline of German defeat in terms of the war's major turning points. The top Nazi brass, figuring in these battles and strategy, present the factors which dominated their thinking -- and Hitler's, especially, and the editors have skilfully put the explications together, while Lt. Gen. Siegfried Westphal's running commentary keeps the total global aspect of Nazi planning before the reader. The first theme is Hitler's arbitrary rule, blind optimism and insane conceit. The British forces fleeing Dunkirk were not attacked by land forces, for he placed too much faith in air destruction of England. He put off, disastrously, the invasion of Russia and, when the best fighting weather was gone, should clearly have struck at Leningrad and Moscow. The troops lacked clothing and equipment for a Russian winter. The entire sixth Army at Stalingrad was needlessly decimated. Rommel was not permitted to withdraw at El Alamein until overrun by Montgomery. A second theme is the lack of integration at top levels, and such unthinkable nonsense as Goering's lying about the strength of the Luftwaffe. A third theme is that of the ""professional soldier"", and the attitude- that human and moral elements are of no concern to the soldier and that the Allied victory was rather like a sports event in which the better team won out -- is odious in recall. The six German Generals who give these first hand accounts provide substantial alibi material for the military historian and analyst and offer much of interest to the general reader of history.

Pub Date: May 23, 1956

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow-Sloane

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1956

Categories: NONFICTION