At dawn on Friday 1 September 1939 the Germans launched their land, sea and air assault on Poland. The World became aware of the awesome power of Hitler's Third Reich and the limitless and ruthless nature of his ambition.The Blitzkrieg (Lightning War) attack, spearheaded by Panzers, took the German forces to the gates of Warsaw in a week. The vital port of Danzig fell, crushed by naval and air bombardment and land assaults. The Polish Air Force, out-numbered and out-gunned, were driven from the skies. In a month Warsaw fell amid great bloodshed and in six weeks the Poles were defeated.The speed of the German conquest was matched by its brutality. Lives and property meant little to the invaders and civilians and POWs were summarily executed. Jews received particular attention and these atrocities were not just perpetrated by the SS but soldiers of the Wehrmacht.Blitzkrieg Unleashed is told in the words of those who conquered Poland, thanks to the author's research into letters, diaries, unpublished accounts, official documents and histories and newspapers.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
'A very valuable addition to the history of the Polish campaign and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the campaign.'
-- Axis History Forum, 2008 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
-- Axis History Forum, 2008 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From the Publisher
At dawn on Friday 1 September 1939 the Germans launched their land, sea and air assault on Poland. The World became aware of the awesome power of Hitler's Third Reich and the limitless and ruthless nature of his ambition.
The Blitzkrieg (Lightning War) attack, spearheaded by Panzers, took the German forces to the gates of Warsaw in a week. The vital port of Danzig fell, crushed by naval and air bombardment and land assaults. The Polish Air Force, out-numbered and out-gunned, were driven from the skies. In a month Warsaw fell amid great bloodshed and in six weeks the Poles were defeated.
The speed of the German conquest was matched by its brutality. Lives and property meant little to the invaders and civilians and POWs were summarily executed. Jews received particular attention and these atrocities were not just perpetrated by the SS but soldiers of the Wehrmacht.
Blitzkrieg Unleashed is told in the words of those who conquered Poland, thanks to the author's research into letters, diaries, unpublished accounts, official documents and histories and newspapers. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
The Blitzkrieg (Lightning War) attack, spearheaded by Panzers, took the German forces to the gates of Warsaw in a week. The vital port of Danzig fell, crushed by naval and air bombardment and land assaults. The Polish Air Force, out-numbered and out-gunned, were driven from the skies. In a month Warsaw fell amid great bloodshed and in six weeks the Poles were defeated.
The speed of the German conquest was matched by its brutality. Lives and property meant little to the invaders and civilians and POWs were summarily executed. Jews received particular attention and these atrocities were not just perpetrated by the SS but soldiers of the Wehrmacht.
Blitzkrieg Unleashed is told in the words of those who conquered Poland, thanks to the author's research into letters, diaries, unpublished accounts, official documents and histories and newspapers. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an excellent appraisal of the Wehrmacht's six week campaign in Poland that provoked the outbreak of World War Two. An impressive range of new source material is used, particularly from the German side, to bring alive the human dimension of the fighting. We see the tactical strengths and weaknesses of rapid, highly mobile Blitzkrieg warfare as the Panzers raced towards Warsaw, the exhilaration felt by German commanders and soldiers alike that a new sense of national destiny was being invoked, and the dark side of the war in the east - race ideology and atrocities against Jews and the native population. An important study of a much neglected campaign.
12 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By K. Flint
Format:Hardcover
'Told in the words of those who conquered Poland'. Always the kind of phrase to make the heart sink, and this is indeed the weakness of this book. It is perilously close to John Keegan's critical phrase 'the historian as copy typist'.
The book starts well and gives a good analysis of why Germany and Poland were so opposed to each other. Unfortunately, it then degenerates into a series of personal accounts, flicking continuously from one to the other after only 2 or 3 paragraphs, creating confusion and tedium. The accounts have obviously been chosen after extensive research and are varied in outlook and situation, but they should have been used as illustrations and examples, forming part of an analysis, rather than becoming the whole book.
This subject is crying out for a text which incorporates the extensive work available in Polish as well as the German sources. This is not that text. The German emphasis of this volume is the other major weakness.
It is perhaps harsh to criticise a work which has obviously been extensively researched and makes an honest attempt to present soldiers accounts of their actions. However, this is definitely not a 5 star book.
The book starts well and gives a good analysis of why Germany and Poland were so opposed to each other. Unfortunately, it then degenerates into a series of personal accounts, flicking continuously from one to the other after only 2 or 3 paragraphs, creating confusion and tedium. The accounts have obviously been chosen after extensive research and are varied in outlook and situation, but they should have been used as illustrations and examples, forming part of an analysis, rather than becoming the whole book.
This subject is crying out for a text which incorporates the extensive work available in Polish as well as the German sources. This is not that text. The German emphasis of this volume is the other major weakness.
It is perhaps harsh to criticise a work which has obviously been extensively researched and makes an honest attempt to present soldiers accounts of their actions. However, this is definitely not a 5 star book.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Blitzkrieg Unleashed is a great piece of narrative history, eminently readable and accessible, even for the complete newcomer to the field.
The invasion of Poland is often seen as a total breeze, with the Polish army crumbling under the ferocious onslaught of Hitler's golden boys, but as Hargreaves' book shows, the campaign did not go quite that smoothly. The extensive use of first hand accounts (primarily drawn from period letters and memoirs/accounts) allows the reader to see the various triumphs and tribulations of the Wehrmacht and the rest of the gang through the eyes of the soldiers themselves.
The quality of some of the images included is less than great, but I suppose that the source probably is to blame for that. (Scans of the period magazines in which they were originally published, perhaps?)
The fact that little use is made of Polish sources could be seen as a weakness, but I didn't feel that it was a problem since I picked the book up expecting it to focus on the German perspective.
It'd be interesting if some of the major publishers saw fit to have some of the major Polish works on the conflict published in English, but ah...
The invasion of Poland is often seen as a total breeze, with the Polish army crumbling under the ferocious onslaught of Hitler's golden boys, but as Hargreaves' book shows, the campaign did not go quite that smoothly. The extensive use of first hand accounts (primarily drawn from period letters and memoirs/accounts) allows the reader to see the various triumphs and tribulations of the Wehrmacht and the rest of the gang through the eyes of the soldiers themselves.
The quality of some of the images included is less than great, but I suppose that the source probably is to blame for that. (Scans of the period magazines in which they were originally published, perhaps?)
The fact that little use is made of Polish sources could be seen as a weakness, but I didn't feel that it was a problem since I picked the book up expecting it to focus on the German perspective.
It'd be interesting if some of the major publishers saw fit to have some of the major Polish works on the conflict published in English, but ah...
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 4 reviews
3.5 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
At times reads like a German propaganda piece...
As one of the reviews has already pointed out, this book completely lacks balance. The few Polish accounts are completely inadequate or selected from stereotypically western... Read more
Published on 2 Nov 2010 by Luke Fran-Kel
4.0 out of 5 stars
war
fills in a campaign much under reported only drawback is writer tends to go off at a tangent but a very good read
Published on 25 Sep 2009 by Dcbailey
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
