Armageddon
The Battle for Germany 1944-45
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3.9 • 12 Ratings
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- £9.99
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- £9.99
Publisher Description
In Armageddon, one of Britain's most highly regarded historians tells the epic story of the bloody last eight months of the war in Europe.
'Hastings triumphs . . . he conveys brilliantly what fighting was like for those who had to do it' – David Stafford, The Times
'Masterly' – Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday
In 1944 German forces suffered catastrophic defeats during the battles for Holland and the German border. Yet in the following weeks the ailing Wehrmacht was able to achieve one of the greatest military feats of the Second World War. The Germans regrouped and found the strength to halt the seemingly inexorable Allied advance, prolonging the war into 1945.
Drawing on original research and fascinating individual experiences, Max Hastings's definitive account provides a fresh and gripping insight into the final twists and turns of the war, revealing how Europe's fate hung in the balance until the bitter end.
'Magisterial . . . Armageddon is a magnificent achievement' – Christopher Silvester, Financial Times
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This huge and splendid volume tells the grim tale of the final collapse of the Third Reich. It does so from the viewpoints of the upper millstone (the Western Allies), the lower millstone (the Russians) and the grain being ground in between (the Germans). The research includes previously untapped Russian archives (particularly in the accounts of Soviet veterans) and leads to a gripping and horrifying story that serious students of military history will find almost impossible to put down. The blunders recounted are numerous, from the Allied failure to open Antwerp in the fall of 1944 to the Russian frontal assault on Berlin, and the Wehrmacht is depicted as the best army of the war and also the most atrocious in its treatment of civilians. Indeed, the treatment of civilians is a major theme, since they were slaughtered on a scale unheard of since the Thirty Years' War, and not only the Nazi camp inmates but also the inhabitants of Poland and East Prussia were numbered among the victims. The author hands out praise and blame with his usual edged aplomb (Anglophile readers may be happy to see a partial rehabilitation of Montgomery) and willingness to engender controversy, and also with his usual thorough research and clear writing (along with 24 pages of photos) to sustain every case he makes. His book ranks among the very best military history volumes of the year.
