A penetrating study of the German army’s military campaigns; relations with the Nazi regime; and complicity in Nazi crimes across occupied Europe For decades after 1945; it was generally believed that the German army; professional and morally decent; had largely stood apart from the SS; Gestapo; and other corps of the Nazi machine. Ben Shepherd draws on a wealth of primary sources and recent scholarship to convey a much darker; more complex picture. For the first time; the German army is examined throughout the Second World War; across all combat theaters and occupied regions; and from multiple perspectives: its battle performance; social composition; relationship with the Nazi state; and involvement in war crimes and military occupation. This was a true people’s army; drawn from across German society and reflecting that society as it existed under the Nazis. Without the army and its conquests abroad; Shepherd explains; the Nazi regime could not have perpetrated its crimes against Jews; prisoners of war; and civilians in occupied countries. The author examines how the army was complicit in these crimes and why some soldiers; units; and higher commands were more complicit than others. Shepherd also reveals the reasons for the army’s early battlefield successes and its mounting defeats up to 1945; the latter due not only to Allied superiority and Hitler’s mismanagement as commander-in-chief; but also to the failings—moral; political; economic; strategic; and operational—of the army’s own leadership.
#1508439 in Books 2010-02-23Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.90 x .90 x 5.80l; .90 #File Name: 0300164254304 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Scholarly; yet highly readableBy lscollisonI bought Thomas M. Truxes' "Defying Empire" based on Rick Spilman's review on the [...] as research for my fictional trilogy-in-progress Barbados Bound (Patricia McPherson Nautical Adventure).The subject of commerce; of trading with the enemy during the Seven Years War; is one that is usually dealt with in a piecemeal manner. I was delighted to find an entire book on the subject which lies at the heart of the American Revolution which was shortly to follow.The author brings to life colonial New York during the 1750's-60's; in a thoroughly researched text. I was immediately swept up in the clear; vividly written; footnoted account.Numerous maps; a chronology; and glossaries of terms and persons enhance this fascinating text; which both academics and armchair historians will relish. Not many authors with the necessary credentials can bridge that gap; but I believe Truxes has.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Defying EmpireBy Chip FordThe overall arching question this work asks is "What part did economics play in the colonial Atlantic World?" According to Truxes; quite a bit actually. Basically the work concentrates on the trade economics of the colony of New York shortly before and during the Seven Years War. What it explores is the ways that New York traders kept on trading with the French during this period and how that exemplified an interdependence and interconnection within the colonies of North America rather than the interdependence and interconnections between colony and metropole. One other theme this work explores is the effects of Imperialism on North America and how colonists reacted; adapted; and accommodated it. If you are studying Atlantic World; First British Empire; or Colonial North America I would recommend reading this book.12 of 12 people found the following review helpful. History comes to lifeBy Mad MacThis book dispels any preconceived notions that history is dull; unless Disneyfied or; even worse; distorted and hyperbolized beyond recognition in order to peddle it to the unsuspecting masses. (please...let's do away with "based on a true story") Truxes has sifted through archives; documents; letters; and newspaper stories of colonial New York City to bring an untold story to life and this is one incredibly rich; exciting tale. The characters are not the upstanding colonial saints we've come to expect in any American history book. The plot is not one of patriotic fervor or self-sacrificing martyrs but greed; revenge; and illegal trade which reveals the sordid underbelly of New York City's populace; both rich and poor.For history nuts; this is what we live for. For those who like tales of intrigue; this is a gripping story made all the better because it's not fiction. For those who like fiction; this will convert you to the pleasures of reading well-written; true stories. This will knock your socks off and leave you wanting more.And I do hope Truxes will write more!
