ISBN:
0700611924
Language:
English
Pages:
XIX, 305 S.
,
Ill., Kt.
Year of publication:
2002
Series Statement:
Modern war studies
DDC:
940.54/1343 21
Keywords:
Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter-Partei. Deutscher Volkssturm -- History
;
Deutsches Reich
;
Geschichte
;
Milities
;
Tweede Wereldoorlog
;
Geschichte
;
Weltkrieg (1939-1945)
;
World War, 1939-1945 -- Germany
;
Deutschland
;
Germany -- History, Military
;
Germany -- History -- 1933-1945
;
Deutsches Reich Volkssturm
;
Geschichte
Abstract:
"Pressed by advancing enemy armies on both fronts, Adolf Hitler played his final card in World War II by mobilizing all German civilian males between sixteen and sixty and indoctrinating them for a final apocalyptic defense of the Reich. The Volkssturm, created as much to boost national morale as to bolster sagging defenses, has been viewed as a negligible factor in the war. David Yelton counters that view with new insights into why the German high command sought this means to prolong an unwinnable war - and why so many civilians chose to fight to the bitter end." "Hitler's Volkssturm is the only book in English - and the most comprehensive in any language - on the German militia, illuminating its role and contributions to the Nazi war effort and shedding new light on the last days of the Third Reich. It examines the militia's strategic purpose, organization, training, and combat performance on both war fronts and explores factors contributing to its sporadic tactical successes and its overall failure."--BOOK JACKET.
