Hitler's arctic war: the German campaigns in Norway, Finland and the USSR 1940-1945 - Hardcover

MANN, Chris & JORGENSEN, Christer

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0711028990 ISBN 13: 9780711028999

Publisher: Brown Partworks Ltd, 2002

Synopsis

The German army's first campaign in the far north was an outstanding success: between April and June 1940 German forces of less than 20,000 seized Norway, a state of three million people, for minimal losses.

The army learned new skills to fight effectively in snow and ice. As the terrain prohibited the use of tanks and heavy artillery, and lack of airfields restricted the employment of aircraft, the war became an infantry duel, waged across a frozen landscape. The war in the far north was a most effective campaign, and yet, despite the losses inflicted on the Red Army and Allied convoys, the Wehrmacht resources committed there ultimately drained the German war effort. In the end, Hitler's obsession with the prospect of an Allied invasion of Norway diverted men and materiel from the main effort of the Allies.

About this title

About the Author:

Chris Mann is a lecturer in European history at the University of Surrey and University College, London. A holder of a doctorate in war studies from King's College, London, his area of expertise is Scandanavian military history in the twentieth century, specifically during World War II. He is the author of Norwegian Armed Forces in Exile 1940-1945, and The T-34, and co-author of Inside Hitler's Germany. He currently lives in London.

Review:

"The Scandinavian theatre of WW2 is often overlooked as a peripheral area of limited significance, yet this book demonstrates its strategic importance and the considerable resources which both sides were obliged to commit there, despite the extraordinary challenges of moving and supplying armies in horrendous weather across utterly remote, inaccessible terrain. Much of it concerns the remarkable efforts of the Finns, in resisting the Russian invasion of 1939, the later fighting alongside their German Allies to destabilise Stalin's northern flank, and their ultimately successful struggle to preserve their independence in the face of inevitable defeat. The book also describes the invasion o f Norway in 1940, and Hitler's obsession with this country which, despite desperate need elsewhere, remained garrisoned by an extremely large force until the end of the War. A large chapter is devoted to the British Arctic Convoys, which ran a perilous gauntlet of bombers, u-boats and battleships, to bring desperately needed supplies to Russia. Each of these are enormous subjects in their own right and so this book can only be seen as an overview, yet it is lavishly furnished with photographs, and the concise narrative provides a gripping introduction to this very different war." (Pegasus Archive)

“Well illustrated and organized... The authors effectively explain how soldiers dealt with the arctic conditions and the extensive hardships they endured while fighting at the top of the Continent. The book is a good general history of the various operations in Norway, Finland, and the Soviet Union during the war.” (WWII History)

About this edition

• Publisher: Brown Partworks Ltd
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0711028990
• ISBN 13: 9780711028999
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1