PDF WHY THE GERMANS LOSE AT WAR: The Myth of German Military Superiority by Kenneth Macksey in History

Review

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful. Unenlightening rehash of readily available informationBy John A. KuczmaThe early chapters of Why the Germans Lose at War show a great deal of promise. There is an informative and thorough examination of the metamorphosis from the early Prussian leadership; with its constant infighting between aristocracy and professional soldier; to the modern German General Staff; circa WWI; with its thoroughly inbred bickering between the Kaiser and his circle of confidantes; the remaining professional soldiers of high rank; and the plethora of hangers-on who invariably interfere with and denigrate the effectiveness of any military decision making process. Unfortunately; as the book moves into the Hitlerian era; it loses much of its focus and provides almost no original information.From 1933 on; the book becomes a stock review of the petty jealosies between OKH; OKW; OKL and OKM. There is nothing here that anyone with a more than passing familiarity with Nazi Germany will find surprising. The lone breath of fresh air is a frank appraisal of the strategic and tactical capabilities of the twin masters; Kesselring and Guderian; and a pointed debunking of the myth of Rommel.Why the Germans Lose at War provides a limited number of insights into the origins of the psyche and staff level mechanisms that led to the debacles of the World Wars but; in the final analysis; is more than a little disappointing.7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Inaccurate title; with little new informationBy MetallurgistThe title of this book is completely misleading. Almost all of it pertains to WWII; so a much more accurate title would have been "Why Germany Lost WWII". The conclusions; arrogance; over confidence and a denigration of ones opponents are universal contributors to all defeats; not just those suffered by Germany. They apply to Napoleon and his army as well as to Germany and its army. Thus; a better title might have been; "Why Wars are Lost". To be sure there were special factors leading to the German defeat in WWII; such as the fact that the German Enigma machine was defeated and their radio messages read. Nazi criminality also led potential allies (such as the Ukrainians) to become implacable enemies. Also; Hitler's interference with the conduct of the war was an important factor leading to Germany's defeat. He was a gambler; whose early gambles paid off; leading him; and most Germans; to believe that he was a military genius. Later his overreaching led to his; and Germany's; downfall. While interesting; these conclusions are not novel or new and form the core of most histories of WWII.This book is interesting as an overview of WWII from the German perspective. It also contains a useful list of German leaders and organizational charts for the Prussian staff system; the WWII Army High Command and the WWII Supreme High Command. There are; however; many much more comprehensive books on the European aspects of WWII.38 of 40 people found the following review helpful. A basic overview; but nothing really new...By BrindleAll in all this book is a very basic overview of the Second World War; with some history of the general staff thrown into the mix. Ultimately this book does not live up to its' title. If you are moderatly to well read on the Second World War; you will find very little new in this book. In fact; any general history of the Second World War is a recitation of German military blunders; which is basicly all this book is.If you have read "The Rise Fall of the Third Reich"; "Inside the Third Reich" and throw in "The Arms of Krupp" for some odd insight into the Germans; you have read 85% of this book. Unfortunatly; I read Overy's "Why the Allies Won" prior to this book and that pushes the percentage (for me) to 98%.Does the book offer anything new or different ? Yes; Kesselering gets deservedly good billing and the fighting in Italy and the Balkans gets more than the usual passing mention. Unfortunately; if you have read "The Forgotten Soldier"; "Heaven Hell"; "Campaign in Russia"; "Soldiers of Destruction" and "D-Day"; you do not need to read this book to know why the Germans lost.Bottom line: Buy Overy's book "Why the Allies Won" to answer the question "Why [do] the Germans Lose at War [? ]".