Full Description
As early as 1941, Allied victory in World War II seemed all but assured. How and why, then, did the Germans prolong the barbaric conflict for three and a half more years?In The German War , acclaimed historian Nicholas Stargardt draws on an extraordinary range of primary source materials,personal diaries, court records, and military correspondence,to answer this question. He offers an unprecedented portrait of wartime Germany, bringing the hopes and expectations of the German people,from infantrymen and tank commanders on the Eastern front to civilians on the home front,to vivid life. While most historians identify the German defeat at Stalingrad as the moment when the average German citizen turned against the war effort, Stargardt demonstrates that the Wehrmacht in fact retained the staunch support of the patriotic German populace until the bitter end.Astonishing in its breadth and humanity, The German War is a ground-breaking new interpretation of what drove the Germans to fight,and keep fighting,for a lost cause.
Contents
PART ONE Defending the Attack 1. Unwelcome War 2. Closing Ranks 3. Extreme Measures PART TWO Masters of Europe 4. Breaking Out 5. Winners and Losers PART THREE The Shadow of 1812 6. German Crusade 7. The First Defeat PART FOUR Stalemate 8. The Shared Secret 9. Scouring Europe 10. Writing to the Dead PART FIVE The War Comes Home 11. Bombing and Retaliation 12. Holding Out 13. Borrowed Time PART SIX Total Defeat 14. Digging In 15. Collapse 16. Finale Epilogue: Beyond the Abyss
