Book Reviews: Hitler's Defeat on the Western Front, Seidler & Hitler's Defeat on the Eastern Front, Baxter

This has reached me in a timely fashion, right after reading a series of books such as Operation Totalize and The Germans in Normandy, which cover the same period and territory. Being an Images of War title, this is naturally a more pictorial treatment, which nicely complements the aforementioned text based books.

In this title, the text is largely confined to four brief 'chapters': Defending Northern France; Battles in Holland and Belgium; Defending the Rhine; Last Battles in the West. Each of these is followed by big chunks of captioned photographs. Some of these images will be familiar to hardened veterans of WWII studies, but there are also a good number that live up better to the 'rare photographs from wartime archives' tagline.

This view of an SdKfz 251 from atop a tank is great.

As is quite common in series such as this, there are a few editorial gaffes, such as when the same image appears twice, as does a Panther passing wrecked buildings, appearing on both p.11 and p.66. At least the captions differ! Speaking of the captions, they're okay. But given that they form the bulk of the text, they could've been better, i.e. more informative and/or interesting. Once again there's some redundant repetition.

Still, overall the pictures are great, and having them at ones' fingertips as reference in book form is fab. There are also some additional appendices, giving unit compositions and OOBs. So, all in all, a useful and enjoyable addition to the Images of War series.

Rommel inspects SPGs and crews. Note natty sackcloth tank tops!

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This title sounds like it should be the perfect complement to Siedler's book, as reviewed above. And in some respects it is. Certainly it's a complement. But, alas, it's far from perfect. As usual with Ian Baxter's work, in my experience of it thus far, the prose is occasionally very clumsy, and some captions are either boringly obvious, redundantly repetitious, or just plain wrong.

In this particular addition to the highly useful but quality-wise fairly variable Images of War series, Baxter seems peculiarly obsessed with the SS. The SS are, I would say - and I perhaps share the fascination many, Baxter quite obviously included, have with this darkly fascinating branch of the Nazi war machine - very over-represented here. And a lot of the references to them seem almost gushingly admiring.

A nicely dramatic shot. SS? Yes!

The only real acknowledgement of their complicity in war crimes comes in reference to the crushing of the Warsaw uprising. The rest of the time Baxter continually sings their praises. As much as I'm fascinated by the SS myself, I found this irksome. And in a book purporting to cover the Eastern Front as a whole, this SS-focus just seemed a bit odd.

One possible explanation might be the sourcing of the photos, perhaps? In his acknowledgments Baxter refers to his gratitude re the use of photographs from several private sources. Maybe those sources are mainly SS related? If so, some kind of mention of that fact ought to have been made. 

More SS...

... and more.

On the positive side, this is one of the few Images of War titles wherein I haven't recognised lots of the images from other sources, such as the Bundesarchiv. Structurally it's akin to Seidler's Western Front book, with five brief chapters - Kursk; Fighting Withdrawal; Winter Warfare; Bagration & Aftermath; Last Battles - supported by the captioned photographs. But there's more text here than in Siedler's Western counterpart. This means more detail. However, it also means more lumpen prose and repetition. So, a mixed blessing!

The photos themselves are useful and interesting, if of quite varied quality. The over-representation of the SS may or may not irritate others. As I like their funky camo' gear, I can live with it. But it's not as broadly representative visually as Siedler's Western Front counterpart. Several appendices cover info on organisation, equipment and uniforms. I only glanced at the latter, so won't pass judgement on them here, they may be useful additions. Then again, they may not.

Can it be! Is this possibly not an SS unit?

Not the best of the Images of War offerings. But still interesting and useful for reference.

And lest ye forget... yet more SS!*

* I will confess that SS camo' gear is something I never tire of seeing.

Book Review: The Germans In Normandy, Richard Hargreaves

Whilst this isn't 100% perfect - very little in life is! - it's bloody good. And I use the word bloody deliberately. This is very much in the (combat ruptured) vein of Anthony Beevor's WWII writings, in its expert deployment of firsthand testimony from all levels, revelling in mud and blood.

The book starts with pre-invasion preparations, and the odd mixture of ennui and anxiety, as the occupiers wait for the inevitable but long time coming opening of the 'second front' [1]. Once the invasion gets underway we move around, from the German reactions to initial Allied paratroop drops, to the lethargic response of the fractured chain of command, so familiar from other accounts and the depiction in the classic Longest Day movie. Yep, Hitler really was left to slumber!

Hitler demanded the impossible of von Kluge, at left. [2]

We frequently encounter characters such as Rommel, and Von Kluge, and it's interesting to note how their outward actions relate to their own inner personal feelings, the former apparent from their orders and their relations with both subordinates and superiors, the latter coming via less guarded comments to colleagues, or letters home. It's very clear that for all the vaunted fighting spirit, cutting edge materiel, and the dynamism and flexibility of auftragstaktik, the fragmented nature of the German armed forces and the complicated chain of command worked against decisive action.

But as the book proceeds, the air of inevitability builds: the Luftwaffe was by this point a spent force, the Kriegsmarine never became the equal of the Royal Navy, let alone the combined might of the UK/US maritime coalition, and the ground forces - split between the Wehrmacht, the SS, and diluted with Ostruppen, the young and the old Volksturm, etc. - were simply overwhelmed by the weight of Allied materiel.

Rommel on a tour of inspection of the Atlantikwall.

When the fighting is near the coast and the Allied position on land is still tenuous - Rommel's idea that Germany could only win if they prevented the Allies gaining a foothold was almost certainly the best hope they had [3] - the Allies could still bring to bear not only their airborne superiority, a decisive factor on the Western Front from hereon in, but also the incredible weight of their naval flotilla's firepower.

As the fighting moved inland the combination of total Allied airborne dominance and the scraping-bottom dribs and drabs situation for the German's, combined with Hitler's by now totally unrealstic and detrimental 'power of the will' philosophy, which would countenance no retreats, was a certain recipe for disaster. What's most amazing is how the Germans continued to believe and obey. I suppose sheer desperation and having been locked into a victorious mindset for so long may have enabled this.

It's not just top brass, this book is a paean to the trials of the 'Landser'.

As I say, this isn't perfect: there's no glossary, and the maps could've been more plentiful and informative. The photos aren't the best selection on the subject I've seen [4], and occasionally the text repeats itself somewhat. But this is not a dry recitation of unit names and troop movements, as so many military history books are, and is instead a very well put together patchwork or collage of firsthand testimony, which really brings the events to life.

I found this terrifically informative exciting and compelling, and would highly recommend it.

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NOTES:

Funk, poster-boy got the German war effort.

The main dustjacket photo is a colourised version of a very famous image of 18 year-old Hitlerjugend panzergrenadier Otto Funk, right after a small unit action in Rots, Normandy, 1944. Here's an interesting link to a webpage where you can learn more about the series of photos this came from, Otto Funk, and the location 'then and now'. The above image, cover of a German photo-feature magazine, is from the same series

[1] Really a third front, with the Ostfront (and Balkans) as the first, and the north-Africa then Italian/Med as the second.

[2] Kluge typifies the German generals: honour bound to obey, but ultimately unable to deliver, vacillating between belief and despair. His relation to the Stauffenberg plot and the fallout from that is a fascinating and tragic sub-plot. And it's a story echoed in the actions and fate of Rommel and others as well.

[3] Albeit still a forlornly unrealistic one.

[4] Apart from the Funk cover pic, all my picture selections for this post are not in this book.

Kit Review: Ace 1/72 Cabriolet

Currently building the bottom one of these two.

The first of my On Track purchases to be built is this 1938 model Cabriolet. I also have the very similar looking four-door saloon to look forward to, as well. These are the first of what I hope will be numerous cars and other vehicles that could be either military or civilian.

Working on the glazing.

I didn't photograph the first few steps. So we come straight into this at the point where I was working on the glazing. I also diverge from the suggested assembly by basically constructing the chassis and wheels and the body work as two separate stages. This is due to the fact that I'll need to paint the interior before putting these two sections together.

Getting parts organised.

The underside of the chassis, and the open-top body.

Short run injection moulded kits such as Ace specialise in are great in some respects, inasmuch as you can get kits of vehicles otherwise difficult to obtain, but less good in others, as in often suffering from excessive flash, or parts that don't fit together terrifically well. In this instance both issues are present. This is another reason to assemble in the two primary stages I've adopted, so as to keep some control over fit. 

I guess there's also a concomitant risk doing it this way of the two halves not mating properly. The biggest arse-ache so far has certainly been the fairly frequent need to heavily trim certain parts in order to get a viable fit. The bonnet, wings and bumpers were an area of particular troublesomeness. And they'll require some post-build plastic surgery to neaten them up somewhat.

My current batch of German vehicles.

As usual, my reluctance to reach for the airbrush means an ever-growing pile of unfinished vehicles. Above you can see three Krupp Protz, the RSO 175, and now this little staff car. There are also the three Elefant/Ferdinand, two M7 Priest, and the Quad, limber and gun... oh, and the Universal Carrier and gun. And that's just my current batch! Upstairs on my 'display shelves' I have dozens more!

The entire Ace cabrio' is about the size of the RSO cab!

The main thing for me, however, at present at least, is that it's fun. And it is fun. A great deal of fun! At times I despair of my ever attaining a level of skill and finish that will satisfy me. But on the other hand, if I just follow my whims and have fun along the way, perhaps that's reward enough? I do dream of creating little forces with which to wargame, in some manner. But I have no urgent timetable with which to comply. Should I have?

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UPDATE:

A 1938 model Opel Olympia in use as a Wehrmacht staff car.

First off, I decided to trawl the web to find out exactly what type this car is. I don't think that ipantpywheee, except perhaps on the box-art illustration, there is a mention that this is an Opel Olympia. There are loads still on the road,  including a good number done up in Wehrmacht colours and markings. This is handy, for reference, in addition to period photos, naturally.

A very nice surviving example. Interesting rear stowage!

Today I've had a bout of pure exhaustion. I get them periodically, possibly as a result of my underlying conditions, and/or the medication I'm on, etc. I slept from whenever I went to bed/sleep, last night (11-ish?), straight through to about 11.30... i.e. the best part of a solid 12 hours!

Having them got up and active, after a house-clearing trip to the municipal dump (these are never ending, and mostly supplied by the gradual removal of crap from our back garden; that's another story!), and some light shopping, I managed about an hour or two of reading before falling asleep again. This time just for a couple of hours.

One of many beautiful civilian style Opel Olympias still gracing the roads.

There's even one in the Tintin adventure, King Ottokar's Sceptre!

Images like this are helpful, re interior detail, etc.

I mention all this because - relatively unusual as such bouts of exhaustion are - it shows how even on an ostensible day off, a day when I might hope to get a bit of modelmaking or figure painting in, that's not always possible. I did manage about 45 minutes of very slow work on the Opel Olympia. And it's now finished, construction wise, save for rear-view mirror and windscreen wipers. They'll have to wait until the remainder of the model is painted, and the window masks have been removed.

Today it was mostly tiny detailing elements, such as number plates, rear lights (on ant like antennae!), the front bumper, door-handles (very fiddly!), and a scratch-built petrol filler cap. The latter self made because the supplied piece of styrene was hare-lipped to the point of unusable deformity. I might make my own rear-view mirror for similar reasons. And there are no supplied windscreen wipers. So I'll have fabricate them as well.

Here's how she looks today.

Filling some gaps with white Milliput.

Will need to trim or file the filler a bit once dry.

That's it for today.

WWII Miscellanea: Foreign Troops In German Service

Yang Kyoungjong, who's life story in WWII is tantalisingly bizarre.

Numerous things prompt this post. Having just read (and thoroughly enjoyed and been educated by) Ben Shepherd's Hitler's Soldiers, and also recently having watched, entranced and appalled, the amazing Russian film Come And See, one thing that has struck me as particularly odd and intriguing was the role of foreign troops in German service. [1]

That the Germans made cynical use of POW's and others, from Jews of all nations to intellectuals or Communists from occupied territories (and even Germany herself) as slave labour is well-known, and accords with the brutal tenets of Nazism. In this short post I just want to very briefly look at a few of the many people who did fight, willingly or unwillingly, alongside the Germans.

Looking every bit like the prototypical SS officer, with a firm self-belief in his belonging to the 'master race', Christian Frederik von Schalburg was a Dane who served in SS Wiking, before founding the Frikorps Danmark. [2]

Spanish troops of the Blue Division.

French soldiers of the Légion des Volontaires Français.

As well as such political/military allies as Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, Germany's Axis partners, whose troops all fought alongside the Germans at various times, there were also numerous units made up of foreign troops, such as the Spanish Blue Division, the Frikorps Danmark, and so on.

Kenneth Berry and Alfred Minchin, two of the very few Britons who responded to calls for a British Free Corps.

British fascist John Amery even suggested to the German leadership that there should be a British outfit, which was eventually called the British Free Corps. Primarily recruited from British POWs, and sold as a crusade against communism, apparently only about 50 or so men ever joined, and the unit never exceeded 27 men at any one time! Amery, son of the very prominent politician Leo Amery, was hanged for treason in 1945.

Gen. Vlasov addressing troops of the ROA, or Russian Liberation Army. [3]

If alliances with Communist Russia, and even Japan - given that these were considered 'Asiatic' peoples, and that that term was a byword for backward and barbaric in the German/Nazi lexicon of this era - seem odd enough, there were still stranger bedfellows, such as the Bosnian Muslims who became SS troops in the Balkans campaign.

The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem at a parade of the 1st Croatian or 13th Waffen SS Mountain Division, aka Handschar.

Men of the Handschar [4] Reading propaganda material (one assumes?).

As Ben Shepherd discusses in Hitler's Soldiers, whislt the German army wasn't inherently Nazi, it colluded with the regime in order to see itself grow and prosper. And as the war went on it grew every more enmeshed and compromised in the crimes the Nazi regime was perpetrating. Therefore, to arm such people as they did, and have them fight for their cause? It does seem rather odd, to my mind. [5] 

The Nazis were very reluctant to employ women in their war effort, especially German women, who they saw as wives and mothers, not warriors. And given the deeply racist nature of Nazism, the actual fact of these many native auxiliaries (as opposed to the volunteers from places like France, Spain and Denmark, etc.) seems a strange mix of hypocritical utilitarianism on the one hand, and an acceptance, on the other, that one can't simply wipe whole people's out, but need their co-operation, if only to wage a war the eventual aim of which is to wipe those same people out. 

Well, war is madness, I guess!

The Indian Legion, originally a Wehrmacht unit, was transferred to the SS eventually. 

Despite the messy complexity of the subject, there are numerous examples of this happening in the German Army, ranging from Sikhs of the Indian Legion fighting the Allies in Normandy, to Russian 'volunteer' units, containing troops of numerous ethnicities, and even Croatian Muslims in the SS, and Cossacks acting as police type auxiliaries. [6]

Cossacks in German service, on parade.

Moustachioed Cossacks on parade, under the stern eye of a German commander.

At the top of this post is a picture of Yang Kyoungjong, a Korean who, aged only 18, was press-ganged into Japanese service, having been conscripted in Manchuria, the Japanese puppet state on Chinese territory, to fight the Russians. Captured by the Russians, after a spell of forced labour he was sent to fight the Germans, who, in their turn, pressed him into service. The picture shows him, in german uniform, being registered as a POW by the Americans (he settled in America, where he had a family, dying in 1992). 

A South Korean documentary has concluded that the evidence for his existence is not conclusive. I hope the story is true. It'd make for an amazing film ... Indeed, there is such a film, called My Way, made for the Asian market). I've got to check it out!

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NOTES:

[1] Other things I've seen that stimulate this thread include uniform illustrations in Blandford's old Uniforms of WWII book (a German cossack auxiliary, in particular), Anthony Quayle pretending to be a German pretending to be South African in Ice Cold In Alex (not strictly in line with this topic, perhaps, but a reminder about the multinationalism of WWII and the shifting and varied allegiances people might have), and ... well, see note 6 below.

[2] Schalburg was killed during fighting in the Demyansk Pocket, attempting to lead from the front, in true hung-ho SS style.

[3] There's an interesting scene in the five-film Russian epic Liberation, in which a character who looks very like Vlasov tries to recruit some Russian POWs. He also talks briefly to Stalin's son, Yakov Dzhugashvili, suggesting a prisoner swap with (I think?) Gen. Paulus.

[4] I wondered what the units name meant. Apparently, according to some 'talk' on the wiki page: 'The name "handschar" is the German spelling of a Balkan word for a sword or knife, ultimately from Arabic khanjar (خنجر).'

[5] It's a bit like Afro-Americans fighting for the South. And indeed, some did. But that's a whole other story! 

[6] There are some chillingly repellent characters in Come And See who are clearly Russians in German service, aiding in the burning of a village and its inhabitants. As Alan Clark says in his study of Barbarossa, Russia was the theatre 'where the septic violence of Nazism festered openly', in 'scenes of not so much medieval as of pre-Roman barbarism'.

Book Review: Hitler's Soldier's - Ben Shepherd

In Brief

This is an excellent book. At something over 500 pages it might appear daunting at first glance. But considering how much is covered - from the blitzkrieg in Poland and France, to the heat of North Africa or the cold of Russian winters; from heady victories to abject defeats, on the frontline and in the occupied rear areas - it's actually remarkably concise.

Over twenty-four chapters, subdivided into five parts whose headings pithily map the narrative trajectory - Military Ascent, Moral Decline; Triumph & Hubris; Losing The Initiative; Beleaguered; Defeat, Destruction & Self-Destruction - Ben Shepherd both tells the story and analyses the actions of the German Army between 1933-45. 

Victories came easily in the early days.

I don't want to give too much away for readers coming to this fresh, a great deal of whom will probably know much of the history beforehand anyway. But, in brief, Hitler's brinkmanship and the army's own 'auftragstaktik' doctrine (something Shepherd makes much of) initially appear to serve the German cause well. 

But, ultimately, the huge gulf between ends and means, and the toxic racism central to Nazi ideology, ensure that the rot sets in very quickly. Once the regime's brutal belligerence - the army being a chief tool in this respect - has angered and alienated a large enough coalition, the 'thousand year Reich' and the army used to create it, are doomed to an early demise.

Bogged down in Russia.

This comprehensive and compelling account is, above all else, a very nuanced and balanced reading of this dark and messy chapter of recent history. And as the books subtitle, The German Army in the Third Reich, suggests, as well as simply telling us what happened, Shepherd examines the context, asking such questions as how complicit was the German army in Nazi atrocities? and why did it continue to fight so ardently when it was clear the war was lost?

A woman weeps as Jews are rounded up in Greece.

This pic is from Albania. The war in the Balkans was, as in Russia, very brutal.

Journeying throughout the varied theatres of this monumental conflict with the German armed forces, as Shepherd seeks the answers to these questions, was fascinating and enlightening. A sure-fire sign that a book is worth reading is when it's hard to put down, and stokes the fires of interest in further, deeper reading. This book assuredly does both.

Up next: I wanted to get this when it first came out in hardback, but managed to wait till the cheaper paperback (as pictured) arrived.

In Depth (well, a bit more depth, anyway...)

As alluded to at the end of the brief review above, there were aspects of the content of this book that intrigued me, regarding further future reading. As it happened, at one of the recent '40s events we attended, I picked up the memoirs of Panzer General von Mellenthin, a German commander I'd not heard of before, but who Shepherd quotes a number of times.

I'm reading this now.

But as well as getting better knowledge of the source material, there are whole other areas, such as the conflict between the various commands (e.g. the OKH and the OKW), and the growing encroachment of the SS upon the army's roles, or the individual campaigns, all of which excite interest in further exploration.

Some of the other things that I found interesting here include the following: the concept of auftragstaktik; the different faces of occupation, from the relatively civilised [1] west to the openly and deeply barbaric east; individual campaigns (pretty much all of them, but perhaps especially the blitzkrieg in France, Barbarossa, and the campaign in Italy); and the roles of other arms, e.g. the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine.

Brauhitsch, an old-school German commander, of aristocratic origin. He had a chequered career, in and out of favour. Despite his high rank (field marshal, and even C-in-C in the early part of the war), he was often sidelined. Whilst conspiring with Halder to try and get rid of Hitler somehow, as early as 1939-40, he ultimately backed out. Surviving the war he died in captivity, before he could be brought to trial.

Jodl was one of the new breed at the top of the german army. A frontkampfer in WWI (and therefore more like both Hitler and his ideal of the new Nazi soldier), who rose through the ranks, ultimately signing both the infamous 'commissar order' (1941), and the unconditional surrender (1945). He was hanged in 1946 for war crimes

Some of this involves reflecting on the content of what this book covers (the german army's doctrine of auftragstaktik would be a case in point, as would their complicity in Nazism's ideological crimes), and other aspects involve delving deeper into stuff Shepherd only has time/space to briefly allude to. 

One good example of the latter case would be the way that, at the outset of the war, the germans combine arms very successfully. Whereas, by the middle of the war, and ever more so as it goes on, they are reduced to a one-dimensional force: once they lose air and sea supremacy they only have  the edge (if they ever have any advantage at all), or just a fighting chance, on land.

Combined arms: look very carefully and you'll see a diving Stuka in this pic.

The bulk of german armour early in the war was light, such as the Pz I, Pz II, Pz38s (Czech chassis!), with only a few Pz III and IV.

An iconic image of Blitzkrieg in France.

Planes such as these Stukas played a vital role in early german victories, psychologically as well as tactically.

So, when the German Army invades France the Luftwaffe's dominance in the air is crucial to the success on the ground. And likewise, at the other end of the war, as they retreat from France, it's lack of air support (never mind supremacy!) that is decisive in sealing their doom, as manoeuvres can only be carrie out at night, and the transport infrastructure is constantly hammered by the Allies.

Auftragstaktik is a term that creates difficulties in explanation, even for the experts (check this link, to see what I mean), including, to some degree, Shepherd himself. Interestingly, it is very different from the Napoleonic style of command - something Hitler would aim to emulate ever more as the war progressed - whereby the central commander knows and directs all, and only tells subordinates the minimum they need to know to execute his will. Auftragstaktik, by contrast, very much depends on knowledge, flexibility, and independence, all the way down the chain of command, but especially at the 'sharp end'.

Rommel, in North Africa.

Guderian gets lambasted.

Some commanders emerge from this account relatively okay, although very few (if any) could claim to be to be free from the taint of implanting Nazi policy. Rommel is taken down a peg or too from his most exalted myth, but not trashed as some have seen fit to do. Guderian is portrayed more hardly still, as a self-serving careerist, who overstates his own importance, happily sacrificing others, from rank and file to high level colleagues, in furthering his own ambitions.

Shepherd certainly focusses a lot on how the officer corps composition evolves, away from the old-school Prussian aristocratic model (ready enough to embrace Nazi militarism as it was) to the broader volksgemeinschaft of Hitler's Nazi vision, a classless meritocracy (of sorts!), in which bravery and fanaticism were key components. Schörner emerges from Shepherd's account as the exemplary of this latter type. A leader who could be as brutally terrifying to his own troops as the enemy!

To combat escalating desertion rate ardent Nazi commander Ferdinand Schörner implemented an infamous order requiring on the spot court-martials and hangings for troops found separated from their units.

Shepherd makes good use of material from the lower ranks as well, often quoting from letters home. So, to finish off this review, here are some pictures of the more rank and file type elements. 

Landser... trudging through the vast Steppe.

Panzergrenadiers of the GrossDeutschland regt.

A nice colour image from the german magazine Signal.

War whatever the weather.

Despite her much vaunted mechanisation, and those feared Blitzkrieg weapons the Panzers, Germany remained heavily reliant on old-fashioned horsepower.

Still trudging through the Steppe.

I forget the exact figures Shepherd gives for German wartime casualties, but I thinks it's something like 700,000 on the Western Front and 1,700,000 on the Eastern Front. [2] Many more were missing and never accounted for, and of course many more were wounded. Again, my memory for the figures is hazy. But I think Germany mobilised about 9,000,000 of their armed forces, during the war as a whole.

These kids are actually SS (Totenkopf). By the end of the war Hitler and Germany were scraping the barrel, rather like the Marie-Louises of the Napoleonic era.

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NOTES:

Shepherd's book is illustrated, chiefly with a section of pics in the middle. The pics I've used here are not from his book, but Wikipedia and the web in general.

[1] I say relatively advisedly. Whilst the Germans might have enjoyed civilised relations, especially initially, with the social/racial groups they considered their equals, such as the French, or the Germanic/Nordic peoples, the army was heavily complicit in enacting Nazi racist policy as regards the 'out groups', with the Jews being the primary target.

[2] I thought I'd check on Wikipedia, but it's clearly a messy and complex subject, as this link demonstrates.