Hitler Slept Late and Other Blunders That Cost Him the War - Hardcover

Duffy, James P.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0275936678 ISBN 13: 9780275936679

Publisher: Praeger, 1991

Synopsis

In this surprising reinterpretation of Hitler's impact on the outcome of World War II, James Duffy reveals that the war was not won through American strength and ingenuity alone. Rather, it was lost due to Hitler's phenomenal military blunders. Challenging popular American views, the author shows how Nazi Germany at first substantially won the war in Europe. Yet Hitler proceeded to lose it even before the United States had entered the conflict. Hitler Slept Late sets the stage for each of Hitler's major errors, uncovering why each was made, what happened as a result, and how the outcome of the war might have been different had Hitler followed the advice of others. Duffy shows how Hitler's conquest of Europe ultimately failed due to two glaring faults--his inability to develop a concrete long-range plan and his maniacal belief in the strength of his own will. Offering new insight into Hitler as a military leader, this provocative study provides a clear view of Hitler's strengths and weaknesses and looks at what might have happened had he not blundered so often at vital times during the war.

Duffy begins with a look at Hitler's early victories in the Rhineland, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. These victories, achieved through swift surprise attacks, worked because of the indecisiveness and reluctance to act exhibited by the British and French. Hitler's most egregious errors included his belief in his own infallibility as a military leader, his failure to heed the warnings of advisers, and his ultimate decision to surround himself with yes men. Fatal strategic errors include allowing the British army to escape from Dunkirk, failing to invade Great Britain immediately after Dunkirk, and not recognizing the primary importance of Moscow as a target in the Soviet invasion. These character flaws and leadership foibles, as described and analyzed in Hitler Slept Late, vividly illustrate the words of Sir Christopher Foxley Norris, retired Air Chief Marshal of the Royal Air Force: Had it not been for Hitler, [the Germans] would have won.

About this title

About the Author

JAMES P. DUFFY is a writer and lecturer./e A life-long interest in military history, especially decisions that resulted in victory or defeat, led to this, his fifth book.

Reviews

These books pay tribute to a continuing interest in the Third Reich and its leadership. Duffy's title refers to Hitler's errors in preparing for the Normandy invasion, culminating in his sleeping through the first hours of D-Day. Duffy describes the Fuhrer as making war on the basis of will and intuition, scorning the advice of professionals as he followed his destiny to catastrophe. Other crucial mistakes included failure to mount a cross-Channel invasion immediately after Dunkirk, invading Russia before dealing with Britain, and declaring war on the United States in 1941. Duffy derives his interpretations from standard accounts and exaggerates the impact of specific decisions. General readers, particularly young ones, may find this well-written summary interesting. However, Ronald Lewin's Hitler's Mis takes (Morrow, 1984), addresses the same subject with greater comprehension. Hitler's Commanders offers thumbnail military biographies of officers from all three branches of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS. The authors furnish no criteria for selection beyond personal interest in particular careers. The result is a haphazard compendium of descriptive narratives whose subjects range from grand admirals to tank commanders and fighter pilots. The book's random structure significantly limits its contribution to our understanding of the German officer corps. A work of the same size focusing on division and corps commanders, with a comparative and analytical dimension, would be well within the authors' demonstrated capabilities and have far more appeal to both general readers and specialists.
- Dennis E. Showalter, Colorado Coll., Colorado Springs
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Praeger
• Publication date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0275936678
• ISBN 13: 9780275936679
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192