The Allied landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944, marked the beginning of the German defeat in the West. Military historian Samuel W. Mitcham, Jr. vividly recaptures the desperation of the Wehrmacht as the thin gray line in Normandy finally snapped, the 5th Panzer and 7th Armies collapsed, and the survivors fled the Allied steamroller in a mad dash back to the Reich. From the reactions of soldiers in the field to military decisions at the highest levels, this is the story of the Reich's unraveling told from a German perspective.
Fighting hedgerow to hedgerow in the pitted Normandy landscape would delay the Allied Advance and make each small victory a costly one. Western forces would achieve their first strategic objective, the port of Cherbourg, but they would find it reduced to rubble, a result of the best-planned demolition in history. Still, the Allies did benefit from an ongoing anti-Hitler conspiracy that relayed false information to Berlin. While German forces would finally bring the Allied juggernaut to a halt on the borders of the Reich itself, this brief success would only delay the inevitable. With colorful descriptions and informative details, Mitcham recounts the German military retreat and the erosion of Germany's stronghold on Europe―as viewed through the eyes of a defiant, but ultimately defeated Wehrmacht.

Retreat to the Reich: The German Defeat in France, 1944

History

Mitcham Jr., Samuel W.

Military

Praeger

The Rise of the Wehrmacht is the first comprehensive work to deal with the German war effort in World War II from this point of view. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it covers the entire war effort from the point of view of the German military that actually conducted and fought the war, something that has never been done before on this scale. Excellent books have been written about the German Army, Navy, the Luftwaffe, and the SS, as well as about the Panzer branch, the parachute arm, the U-Boat forces, etc., but this is the first to cover them all in depth.
Mitcham also covers the German Wehrkreise (roughly translated as military district) system in depth and recognizes its importance, both in the formation and expansion of the German Army before the war and in its continuing importance throughout the conflict. He deals with the German rearmament in greater depth and detail than has been done before, points out the importance of the police in the development of Germany's reserves before and during World War II, and offers new insights into the evolution and development of the German military doctrine of Kesselschlact (the decisive battle of encirclement and annihilation). In addition, The Rise of the Wehrmacht explains the problems the Wehrmacht faced because of its too rapid expansion. This expansion was far more rapid than the German generals intended and resulted in many problems, especially in terms of equipment shortages and a shortage of qualified officers. Finally, Mitcham addresses the contributions of the Hitler Youth to the war effort, where their work on farms, fire and rescue crews, in nursing, and as postal workers, for example, provided essential services to German infrastructure.

The Rise of the Wehrmacht [2 volumes]: The German Armed Forces and World War II [2 volumes] (Praeger Security International)

In 1940, nineteen army and six Luftwaffe field marshals held the highest rank in Germany's military. Their string of victories at the outset of World War II demonstrated to the world their power and ability, and brought much of Europe under the control of Hitler. Yet by the war's last days, only two of these field marshals would still be leading troops in Germany's desperate last battles.Hitler's Field Marshals and Their Battles documents the rise and fall of the paramount officers of the German war machine. Each chapter examines the life, career, and battles of the Third Reich's leaders on the fields of combat. The portraits comprise a surprising collection of men: Erich von Manstein, hailed as one of the greatest military minds of WWII, intimidated even Hitler with his remarkable ability and ran afoul of Nazi police several times, once for protesting Nazi race laws. Erwin Rommel, the brilliant 'Desert Fox,' had repeated victories against larger and better-equipped opponents. Walter Model went to the most dangerous flashpoints in Europe to 'troubleshoot' for Hitler's army, until, during his last battle, he deliberately tried to get himself shot. Baron von Weichs was a devout Catholic. The aristocratic Ewald von Kleist was a monarchist. Erwin von Witzleben, for attempting to assassinate Hitler, was hanged by his Fuehrer from a meathook. The descriptions of the other field marshals are no less engrossing.

Hitler's Field Marshals

Europe

HarperCollins, Publishers

<li>A pivotal year of World War II through German eyes </li>
<li>The campaigns of the German army, air force, and navy described by a master storyteller </li>
<li>Covers the aftermath of Stalingrad, Kursk, Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, the U-boat war, and air battles After a crushing loss at Stalingrad, the German war machine regrouped in early 1943 to stave off total defeat, but it could not stem the rising Allied tide. In the Mediterranean, Rommel's early successes in Africa were erased by the surrender of Tunisia, and German forces barely escaped Sicily before the Allies seized the island. On the Eastern Front, Soviet T-34s beat German armor in the massive tank battle at Kursk. At sea, the Allies countered the U-boat threat, and in the air, Allied forces dominated the Luftwaffe and took the war to the German home front
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Blitzkrieg No Longer: The German Wehrmacht in Battle, 1943

Stackpole Books

<li>The story of the Normandy campaign from a German perspective </li>
<li>Covers every point of view, from soldiers in the field to generals at high command The Allied landings in France on June 6, 1944, marked the beginning of the German defeat in the West. Military historian Samuel W. Mitcham, Jr., vividly recaptures the desperation of the Wehrmacht as its thin gray line finally snapped amidst brutal hedgerow-to-hedgerow fighting in Normandy and as the survivors fled the Allied steamroller in a mad dash back to the Reich. With colorful descriptions and informative details, Mitcham recounts the German military retreat and the erosion of Germany's stronghold in Europe--as viewed through the eyes of a defiant, but ultimately defeated, Wehrmacht.
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Retreat to the Reich: The German Defeat in France, 1944 (Stackpole Military History Series)

<li>The campaign for Sicily from the Axis point of view</li>
<li>Reassesses the German Army's performance</li>
<li>Details about German commanders who have been neglected by historiansIn July 1943 the Allies launched a massive amphibious assault on Sicily. The invasion proved successful, bringing fame to American Gen. George S. Patton and British Gen. Bernard Montgomery, whose "race" to Messina was immortalized in the movie Patton. But according to Mitcham and Stauffenberg, the Allies lost a significant opportunity for total victory when the Germans mounted a brilliant defense. With only 4 divisions, the Germans held off the invaders for 38 days and then escaped, almost entirely intact, to mainland Italy, dooming the Allies to a prolonged battle of attrition up the Italian peninsula.
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The Battle of Sicily: How the Allies Lost Their Chance for Total Victory (Stackpole Military History Series)

Stauffenberg, Friedrich von

<li>Character-based study of why the German air force was defeated</li>
<li>Recounts the Luftwaffe in combat from the blitzkrieg of 1939-40 and the Battle of Britain to the Eastern Front and the Normandy campaignFrom its secret post--World War I beginnings to its virtual destruction by the Allied air forces, the story of the German air force is best told by examining its leaders--brilliant, ambitious, ruthless, and deceitful men like Hermann Goering, the drug-addicted Luftwaffe commander; Erhard Milch, the half-Jewish head of aircraft production; and Adolf Galland, the general of fighters who often clashed with Goering. Mitcham profiles them and others while describing the Luftwaffe's battles--both in the skies and behind the scenes--and explaining why it was so decisively defeated.
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Eagles of the Third Reich: Men of the Luftwaffe in WWII (Stackpole Military History Series)

<li>The most famous battles of one of World War II's most legendary commanders</li>
<li>Told largely from Rommel's perspective, using his papers and lettersIn a series of battles marked by daring raids and quick-armored thrusts against a numerically superior enemy, Erwin Rommel, the notorious Desert Fox, and his Afrika Korps waged one of World War II's toughest campaigns in the North African desert in 1942. The Axis campaign climaxed in June with the recapture of Tobruk, a triumph that netted 33,000 prisoners and earned Rommel a field marshal's baton. By fall, however, after setbacks at Alam Halfa and the 2 battles of El Alamein, the Afrika Korps teetered on the brink of defeat, which would come in Tunisia 6 months later.
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Rommel's Desert War: The Life and Death of the Afrika Korps (Stackpole Military History Series)

Africa

<li>Narrative histories highlighting organization, combat experiences, and casualties of each division </li>
<li>Lists of constituent units and division commanders </li>
<li>Sources for further reading on each division This is the first of 3 definitive volumes that cover the German ground forces that swept across Europe with such ruthless efficiency in 1939 and 1940 and battled the Allies around the globe until the bitter end in 1945. Taken together, these volumes are the most comprehensive and accessible reference available on the Germany Army in World War II, unmatched in the information compiled on each division from inception to destruction. Volume One covers the 1st through 290th Infantry Divisions.
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German Order of Battle: 1st-290th Infantry Divisions in WWII (Volume 1) (Stackpole Military History Series, Volume 1)

<li>Narrative histories highlighting organization, combat experiences, and casualties of each division </li>
<li>Lists of constituent units and division commanders </li>
<li>Sources for further reading on each division This second of 3 volumes on German ground forces in World War II covers the 291st through 999th Infantry Divisions; named infantry divisions (e.g., Division von Manteuffel and Division Sicily); jaeger, light, and mountain divisions; security divisions; and Luftwaffe ground divisions, including parachute, flak, and field troops. The units presented here show how truly diverse the German Army was.
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German Order of Battle: 291st-999th Infantry Divisions, Named Infantry Divisions, and Special Divisions in WWII (Volume 2) (Stackpole Military History Series, Volume 2)

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