The Death of Hitler's War Machine: The Final Destruction of the Wehrmacht

by Samuel W. Mitcham Jr.

Overview

It was the endgame for Hitler's Reich.

In the winter of 1944–45, Germany staked everything on its surprise campaign in the Ardennes, the “Battle of the Bulge.” But when American and Allied forces recovered from their initial shock, the German forces were left fighting for their very survival—especially on the Eastern Front, where the Soviet army was intent on matching, or even surpassing, Nazi atrocities.

At the mercy of the Fuehrer, who refused to acknowledge reality and forbade German retreats, the Wehrmacht was slowly annihilated in horrific battles that have rarely been adequately covered in histories of the Second World War—especially the brutal Soviet siege of Budapest, which became known as the “Stalingrad of the Waffen-SS.”

Capping a career that has produced more than forty books, Dr. Samuel W. Mitcham now tells the extraordinary tale of how Hitler’s once-dreaded war machine came to a cataclysmic end, from the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 to the German surrender in May 1945.

Making use of German wartime papers and memoirs—some rarely seen in English-language sources—Mitcham’s sweeping narrative deserves a place on the shelf of every student of World War II.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684511389
Publisher:	Skyhorse Publishing
Publication date:	02/02/2021
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	680,711
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

SAMUEL W. MITCHAM JR. is a military historian who has written extensively on the German army in the Second World War, including his major biography of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, Desert Fox. A U.S. Army helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War and a graduate of the Command and General Staff College, he remained active in the reserves, qualifying through the rank of major general. A former visiting professor at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, he has appeared on the History Channel, CBS, NPR, and the BBC. He lives with his family in Monroe, Louisiana.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Chapter I Setting the Stage 1

Chapter II Defeat in the Ardennes 15

Chapter III Operation Northwind and the Battle of the Colmar Pocket 27

Chapter IV The Battle for Hungary 41

Chapter V Stalin's January Offensive 67

Chapter VI The Russians Close In 115

Chapter VII Back across the Rhine 139

Chapter VIII Remagen 163

Chapter IX The Battle of the Ruhr Pocket 181

Chapter X Defeat in Italy 203

Chapter XI On the Edge 221

Chapter XII Goetterdaemmerung 251

Chapter XIII The Surrenders 285

Appendix 1 303

Appendix 2 307

Appendix 3 309

Appendix 4 311

Appendix 5 313

Bibliography 315

Notes 329

Index 371