Why the Germans Lose at War: The Myth of German Military Superiority - Hardcover

Macksey Kenneth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1853676934 ISBN 13: 9781853676932

Publisher: Greenhill Books, 2006

Synopsis

A masterly account of the flawed brilliance of German generalship The reasons for actions that have shaped world history The German armed forces suffered crushing defeat in the last century. Kenneth Macksey examines the reasons behind these catastrophic military failures: the random fortunes of war, or the inevitable result of a particular structure, leadership and history? A nation with few natural defensive boundaries, Germany traditionally had to struggle to survive, and developed an aggressive and militant outlook. Its great strengths were the brilliance of individual generals and military thinkers, the innovative development of the military forces, and the skill and tenacity of the fighting men.Set against all this was a short-term war policy, a tendency to underestimate the enemy and believe its own propaganda, and the politicisation of the military staffs. These and many other factors were to lead Germany from nineteenth-century success, and dreams of world domination, to twentieth-century defeat. Kenneth Macksey's other books include Guderian: Panzer General, Rommel: Campaigns and Battles, and the alternate history Invasion: The German Invasion of England, July 1940.

About this title

About the Author

Kenneth Macksey joined the Royal Armoured Corps in 1941, saw action in Normandy in 1944 and Germany in 1945, and after World War II spent more than twenty years as an officer of the Royal Tank Regiment. He is internationally known for his works on military history, including Guderian: Panzer General, Kesselring: The Making of the Luftwaffe, and his recent Why the Germans Lose at War.

Review

It was the case I finished this book and firstly it seemed interesting but not passionating. But these idea dured only a few minutes because I listened news coming from a little rich Germanic centroeuropean country where a very, very conservative politician had won much votes and whose name starts by H as Hitler. Immediately I saw the book with new eyes, seeming to have unexpected life and I reflected -well, truly, why Germans lose at war?- This is the case Germans seems to have exactly the vices and virtues that Spanish lack. Perhaps for this we have so many Germans living in Spain and viceversa. Why a wealthy country works so well but doesn't know to live the life? In my opinion some Germans suppose that there is something that makes them superior to the other peoples. I think that distinction they believe it's the "Kultur". Kultur seems for they as the Divine Grace for the human gender in wide sense: God gives a soul and the Grace to the mankind, but no to the cattle, therefore we can eat a beefsteak without remorse. Well, I think something alike happened to many German philosophers which thougth his Kultur was worth in itself and an isolated unique German invention, but I believe Kultur is absolutely nothing withouth Culture. Bach might not have done nothing without the previous contributions of the Italian music or the Spanish polyphony and neither Leibniz without contributions of foreign mathematicians and thinkers. Unnecesary to remember what use of these idearium did people as military or politics even the most brilliants Von Clausewitz, Bismarck, Rommel, never mind. The practical result of these ideas is already well known: a man can be high and tall but if he walks badly, he does a terrible noise when he falls. --By A Customer

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenhill Books
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1853676934
• ISBN 13: 9781853676932
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256