Search

In early 1945, the Red Army plunged into the Third Reich from the east, rolling up territory and crushing virtually everything in its path, with one exception: the city of Breslau, which Hitler had declared a fortress-city, to be defended to the death. This book examines in detail the notorious four-month siege of Breslau.The first full-length English-language account of the bloody siegeChronicles the bitter struggle as the Red Army encircled Breslau and eventually pillaged the city, taking savage retribution on the survivorsDetails the brutal methods used by the city's Nazi leaders to keep German troops fighting and maintain order

A dramatic account of how the Nazis were driven out of Breslau, drawing on the words of those who witnessed it. In January 1945, the Red Army unleashed its long-awaited thrust into Germany with terrible fury. One by one the provinces and great cities of the German East were captured by the Soviet troops. Breslau, capital of Silesia, a city of 600,000 people, stood firm and was declared a fortress by Hitler. A bitter struggle raged as the Red Army encircled Breslau, then tried to pummel it into submission while the city's Nazi leadership used brutal methods to keep the scratch German troops fighting and maintain order. Aided by supplies flown in nightly and their building improvised weapons from torpedoes mounted on trolleys to an armored train, the men of Fortress Breslau held out against superior Soviet forces for three months. The price was fearful. By the time Breslau surrendered on May 6, 1945, four days after Berlin had fallen, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians were dead, the city a wasteland. Breslau was pillaged, its women raped and every German inhabitant driven out of the city which became Wroclaw in postwar Poland. Based on official documents, newspapers, letters, diaries, and personal testimonies, this is the bitter story of Hitler's final fortress.

Based on letters, diaries, and other sources, a detailed account of the Nazi invasion of Poland—the beginning of the Second World War. At dawn on Friday, September 1, 1939, the Germans launched their land, sea, and air assault on Poland—and the world became aware of the awesome power of Hitler's Third Reich and the limitless and ruthless nature of his ambition. The Blitzkrieg (Lightning War) attack, spearheaded by panzers, took the German forces to the gates of Warsaw in a week. The vital port of Danzig fell, crushed by naval and air bombardment and land assaults. The Polish Air Force, outnumbered and outgunned, was driven from the skies. In a month, Warsaw fell amid great bloodshed—and in six weeks, the Poles were defeated. The speed of the German conquest was matched by its brutality. Lives and property meant little to the invaders, and civilians and POWs were summarily executed. Jews received particular attention and these atrocities were not just perpetrated by the SS but by soldiers of the Wehrmacht. Blitzkrieg Unleashed is told in the words of those who conquered Poland, based on the author's research into letters, diaries, unpublished accounts, official documents and histories, and newspapers of the time.

The Normandy campaign from the German perspective Covers D-Day, Villers-Bocage, Cherbourg, St. Lô, Caen, Avranches, and other battles in hedgerow country Erwin Rommel, Michael Wittmann, and Kurt Meyer appear Drawing on letters, diaries, firsthand accounts, and official documents, The Germans in Normandy paints a vivid and frequently horrific picture of life for the men who held Hitler's vaunted Atlantic Wall when the Allies invaded France in June 1944 and who put up a bitter but ultimately hopeless defense throughout that summer. These are the German soldiers who manned the pillboxes on Omaha Beach, fired the machine guns across farmfields, and commanded the Tiger tanks. To read about the war from their point of view is sobering and informative.

This account of the D-Day invasion—from the German point of view—includes maps and photos. The Allied invasion of Northern France was the greatest combined operation in the history of warfare. Up until now, it has been recorded from the attackers'point of view—whereas the defenders'angle has been largely ignored. While the Germans knew an invasion was inevitable, no one knew where or when it would fall. Those manning Hitler's mighty Atlantic Wall may have felt secure in their bunkers, but they had no conception of the fury and fire that was about to break. After the initial assaults of June established an Allied bridgehead, a state of stalemate prevailed. The Germans fought with great courage—hindered by lack of supplies and overwhelming Allied control of the air. This book describes the catastrophe that followed, in a unique look at the war from the losing side.