Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
72 of 76 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Facts you've never read about before, 10 Nov 2005
This book is a bestseller in Germany and has been described as one of the most authentic sources of information on the Third Reich. The basis of the book is a rare and impressive historical find: a dossier on the personal and political life of Adolf Hitler between 1933-45. The dossier was originally compiled on Stalin's orders by the Soviet secret police and is based on the interrogation of two of Hitler's closest long-term subordinates. This book is an indispensable read, not just for historians, but for everyone interested in this era of German history, and should certainly put an end to the myth that Hitler had nothing to do with the gas chambers. It shows him in all his banality as well as his brutality. If you've seen films like "Downfall", this book will help you separate fact from fiction. It is very well researched, with footnotes on the relevant page providing meticulous annotation of errors in the original document as well as providing additional information. The text itself is left to stand on its own, undisturbed by interpretations, analyses or distracting comments. The editors’ introduction and extensive postscript give context to the whole document while a foreword by the authoritative Richard Overy completes the book. Not to be missed!
|
|
|
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's the trivia for me, 9 Feb 2009
As a self confirmed history buff...especially Nazi Germany I thought I'd give this a go. And I'm glad I did.
It gives you a month by month account of Hitler's life, his henchmen, his women etc...
but aside from what he did with his troops and everything military it had trivia. And that is what interested me.
What Hitler did with his spare time, how he spoke to his party members, his health, his relationship with Eva Braun is all covered by people who actually saw it.
The best book I've read on the subject although I must give praise to 'Until The Final Hour' by Tradl Junge.
|
|
|
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
disappointing, 1 Oct 2009
I feel mean giving this the minimum, because clearly a lot of work went into producing the book.
However, I need to draw attention to the fact that this book presents itself as an historical work, when, in fact, it is a novel. As someone who has done a fair bit of research on Hitler, I was looking for finer detail. Unfortunately, I was terribly disappointed with this book, but I blame myself - I should have realised beforehand from the information source. It is well known that Stalin's men were embarrassed by Hitler's escape - yes, I'll come to that shortly - and that the Germans interrogated were only too willing to tell their interrogators whatever they wanted to hear. It should be no surprise, therefore, that the contents of this book bear little resemblance to the known facts. Besides, the idea that such detail could be recalled regarding who was where and precisely what they said is preposterous.
Indeed, the book warns us, on page xvii of the Foreword, that 'As a(n) historical document it must be used with caution'.
Never the less, I was somewhat irritated by the assertion, on page xx, that Trevor Roper' book "reached the correct conclusion that Hitler had shot himself in the bunker on April 30th...".
Actually, Hitler had escaped a few days before. There is no evidence, of any sort, to support the illusion created by the Germans that Hitler had committed suicide - but plenty to prove he escaped to Argentina, arriving by submarine two months later. Many of his top brass did likewise, and the submarines are still there.
Of course, after the trauma of WW2, people wanted closure - it would have been unsettling to think Hitler was still at large; hence the readiness of the Allies to agree with the German charade of a suicide. Stalin himself knew Hitler had escaped, and told Churchill so. Those interrogating German officials always asked 'where is Hitler? Did he go to Spain or Hamburg?' Why ask such questions if you are certain he died at the bunker?
On page x of the Foreword, it is suggested the Soviet authorities possessed the jawbones and dental work of both Hitler and Eva Braun. Rubbish. No trace of Eva Braun was ever found, and the jawbone is actually from a very poor 'double' of Hitler - one who was two inches shorter, had completely different ears and who couldn't recognise any of the people in the bunker (before he was drugged and then shot). The soviets, in keeping with the embarrassment mentioned earlier, also did a fair amount of 'creative' investigation. They also refused proper access to the bunker and garden to Allied investigators, so Roper's conclusions in his book are only at best a guess as to what happened.
Conclusion - it's a lightheated read, but if you're looking for facts, look elsewhere. There are so many parts of the text that contradict known evidence, this book cannot be regarded as an historical account. In fact, for those of us who have studied the subject, it is a diversion from our quest for more information.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|