That Hitler came to occupy so much of continental Europe by 1941 was undoubtedly due to the efficiency of the Third Reich's military strategy and its effective implementation. It was this same ability which held fast against the Allied counter-attacks and delayed the German defeat.
James Lucas, a British Army veteran, is an admirer of soldiering virtues and, since his wartime experiences, has spoken with many members of both Axis and Allied forces so as to understand its effect on all combatants. His studies of the German forces have brought a greater awareness to an international audience.
Here he selects fifteen leading players in Hitler's war effort; he describes their role and function in the German military hierarchy and their input at strategic or battlefield level. The selected characters, Lucas suggests, had an extra dimension, an additional quality - administrative skill, the ability to motivate, great tactical awareness, originality of thought - which set them apart from others of equal rank. By learning more about those who directed the German war effort we come to a greater knowledge of what made World War Two such an awesome conflict.
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