Introduction; 1. The letters of the Panzer generals: validity, veracity and verification; 2. The private generals: embracing family and war; body, mind and soul; Burdens of the heart; Burdens of command; 3. The public generals: military celebrity; Charm offensives; Status symbols; The power of privilege; 4. The criminal generals: enemy in the East; Criminal orders; The war behind the front; War of annihilation; 5. The military generals: Delusion and disclosure; Discord and dysfunction; Operational silences; Narcissistic command; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.
A comparative biography of four of Germany's leading panzer commanders on the eastern front based on their private wartime letters.
David Stahel is a leading authority on German military history in the Second World War. He is a senior lecturer in history at the University of New South Wales in Australia. His previous publications include Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East (2009), Kiev 1941 (2012), The Battle for Moscow (2015) and Retreat from Moscow (2019).
'Already renowned for his brilliant studies of the war on the
Eastern Front, David Stahel has once again used his forensic skills
to great effect. Drawing on original research - notably a treasure
trove of intimate correspondence, much of it never before published
- Stahel has produced a revelatory portrait of the four Panzer
commanders who spearheaded Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union
in 1941. These military giants of historical myth re-emerge as
complex, vulnerable and often deeply troubled human beings, who
loved their families and their country but were also unswervingly
loyal to the Nazi cause. This is revisionist history of the highest
order. It is also a superb read.' Jonathan Dimbleby, author of
Barbarossa: How Hitler Lost the War
'In this penetrating, first-of-its-kind study, David Stahel
critically examines the personal letters of the panzer generals. He
skillfully strips away the layers of myth and exaggeration to
reveal an intimate portrait of the men beneath-their personal
lives, quirks, and flaws, as well as their complicity in Hitler's
genocidal project. Readers will come away with a deeper
understanding not only of Germany's command culture but the social
world of the Third Reich.' David A. Harrisville, author of The
Virtuous Wehrmacht: Crafting the Myth of the German Soldier on the
Eastern Front, 1941–1944
'Superb. David Stahel has become the foremost historian chronicling
the war on the Eastern Front and this new study of four of the
panzer generals is a major contribution to our understanding of how
and why the German Army fought as it did and the consequences of
their approach. Completely original in its study, this marks the
first time any historian has so meticulously peeled back the layers
of German high command in the war. The result is revelatory,
immensely thought-provoking, compelling, and, frankly, eye-opening.
It is a quite brilliant piece of work and deserves to be widely
read for generations to come.' James Holland, author of Brothers in
Arms
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