Dönitz: The Last Führer

"Padfield's compellingly readable book conveys a flavor of Nazi leadership unmatched by anything outside the memoirs of Albert Speer. It is difficult to frame higher praise."--John Keegan. A distinguished naval historian and biographer paints a riveting portrait of Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, the Supreme Commander of the German Navy and mastermind of World War Two's devastating submarine war. As Padfield so eloquently proves, dedicated officer Dönitz was corrupted by his inner need for a cause and for a leader to serve--both of which he found in Adolf Hitler. As Germany slid inexorably toward defeat in 1945, the Führer duly rewarded his most loyal supporter and confidant by appointing Dönitz his successor: the last leader of the Third Reich.