A masterly account of the flawed brilliance of German generalship The reasons for actions that have shaped world history The German armed forces suffered crushing defeat in the last century. Kenneth Macksey examines the reasons behind these catastrophic military failures: the random fortunes of war, or the inevitable result of a particular structure, leadership and history? A nation with few natural defensive boundaries, Germany traditionally had to struggle to survive, and developed an aggressive and militant outlook. ...
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A masterly account of the flawed brilliance of German generalship The reasons for actions that have shaped world history The German armed forces suffered crushing defeat in the last century. Kenneth Macksey examines the reasons behind these catastrophic military failures: the random fortunes of war, or the inevitable result of a particular structure, leadership and history? A nation with few natural defensive boundaries, Germany traditionally had to struggle to survive, and developed an aggressive and militant outlook. Its great strengths were the brilliance of individual generals and military thinkers, the innovative development of the military forces, and the skill and tenacity of the fighting men.Set against all this was a short-term war policy, a tendency to underestimate the enemy and believe its own propaganda, and the politicisation of the military staffs. These and many other factors were to lead Germany from nineteenth-century success, and dreams of world domination, to twentieth-century defeat. Kenneth Macksey's other books include Guderian: Panzer General, Rommel: Campaigns and Battles, and the alternate history Invasion: The German Invasion of England, July 1940.
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The title is provocative, and the book dodges slightly the key question of why Germans (and others let's be frank) might choose war as a first option. Arrogance is not a trait exhibitied only by Germany. The book is a solid coverage of German military leadership in two world wars, with significant space given to the disasters of 1939-45. Rommel's status takes a hammering: I recall early 60's British military history being much more generous to the Desert Fox. A good read.
