Excellent book, takes a look at the major strategic decisions by Hitler on the Eastern Front during World War Two and why they were incorrect.
A worthwhile read, it seems like rather than ultra helping the Allies win the war it was Hitler, thinking of himself as a master tactician.
A fascinating read for students of the war on the Eastern Front.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Bashford does a fine job of explaining how the invasion of Russia, was fundamental in destroying Hitler's vision for Europe and the cause of the destruction of Nazi Germany. Up to the time of the Russian invasion, the Nazi Armies were invincible and had destroyed every other Army in Europe. But he never had a strategy to beat the Soviets that was well thought through.

Everything that was done in Russia was on an Ad Hoc basis. It was almost as if Hitler felt that since he was in charge, everything would work out well. His biggest blunder was to never understand the need to have plans for how troops would be fed, clothed and resupplied. Unlike Western Europe, the lands of Western Russia were enormous and could take weeks to conquer. The distance from Berlin to Moscow and Leningrad were over a thousand miles and major cities were hundreds of miles apart.

Having determined that the Soviet system could be overcome in six months, there was no planning for "General Winter" when it came in 1941/1942. When the roads turned into quagmires where only tracked vehicles could move, the German Armies were saddled with mostly wheeled equipment. On to of the effect of the the weather on the soldiers, equipment wasn't prepared to handle constant temperatures of 20-30 degrees below zero which froze the oil in trucks and tanks.

It also seemed that as the situation in Russia deteriorated militarily, Hitler deteriorated mentally. He became fixated on not giving up any land that had been conquered thereby over stretching troops that had been thinned by losses, lack of food and ammunition and frostbite. More and more he took over control of the Military while weakening the troops he had by having them attach in area that weren't important while ignoring signs of Soviet build-ups of offensive forces.

Many times the Germans could have created defensive lines behind the front lines to fall back to but Hitler wouldn't approve any type of retreat, thus causing the Stalingrad debacle and others like it during the long retreat after 1942.

An interesting look at the influence and mistakes Hitler had in directing his armies during WW2. The author focuses on several key battles where Hitler's inability to allow his experienced Generals direct the campaigns led to utter defeat and losses that were avoidable. His ego would not allow him to remain out of the picture resulting in horrendous decisions for Germany's troops. A very informative and well written novel. A great read for the military reader!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A informative but heavy book about the flaws in Hitler’s campaign in Russia from the German point of view. The author makes a point, presents the evidence, concludes, then makes the same point with different evidence. It would be easier to read if the author presents all the evidence for a point for the entire campaign, then transitions to a different point.