Last Days of the Third Reich: The Collapse of Nazi Germany, May 1945

by James Sidney Lucas

Book Overview

When the Third Reich collapsed, 70 million Germans were left bewildered and terrified, their leaders dead or incarcerated; the victors saw fully for the first time the unbearable legacy of death,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688066380
• ISBN13: 9780688066383
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 255 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Very Nice

Received this as part of a beautiful boxed set for Christmas. I agree with the comment that there are not enough maps. I'll go farther and say I wish the photos would have been printed on slick paper rather than standard paper, however, the photos are interspersed through the text so this is understandable, and it is nice to have the relevant photos accompanying the text directly. Many are not commonly seen photos or perhaps even unpublished ones.The text is well written and gives a good sense of the atmosphere surrounding the last days in Europe, divided by theatre - Eastern, Western and Southern (Italy/Jugoslavia).

The End

This book delves into the last days of the Third Reich and the aftermath that went with it. Filled with stories from both sides, all have tales of horror and tragidy as people desperstly tried to escape from the clutches of the advancing and vengful Russian armies.Some of those men in the German army who didn't make it to saftey behind American lines really do have horrible stories to tell.As usuall there are page blocks of photgraphs that accompany this book.

A concise and richly detailed story...

I almost gave this book a five star rating, but for a 221 page paperback with sparse maps to warrant a perfect grade it has to be exceptional. While not exceptional it is definitely above average and graphically illustrates the closing days on both the Eastern and Western Fronts.Published by Cassell Military Paperbacks, the paper quality, printing and overall shape of the book is excellent. It contains only 2 or 3 maps in the entire book but has quite a few very interesting pictures of the closing stages of Germany's collapse. The typeset is small, so alot of information is contained in these 221 pages. Italics are often used, as Lucas goes to primary sources for much of his material.The book is divided into three sections: The Eastern Front, which includes Austria and Czechslovakia, as well as a brief mention of the Italy (Southern Front) and finishes with the Western Front. Almost half of the book pertains to the Eastern Front, and with good reason. That accounted for 7 out of 10 German deaths. In his accounting he looks at the fortess city of Breslau and also explores the vengeance wrought by the Red Army not only against this seige of Breslau but also how native populations rose up against German civilians in both Prague and Vienna. His use of primary sources reveal first hand the beatings, rapes and murder of German civilians as they trekked back towards a battered and completely broken "Fatherland".Lucas has a very vivid style of writing, and his description of the suffering of so many is done in moderation, so the reading does not become thoroughly depressing. The book can be finished quickly, yet the subject is written with such clarity that many images will remain in your memory for a long time afterwards.Highly recommended.

Well worth the effort!

This book is fascinating! It provides all of the important events, insights and untold truths regarding the end of the Second World War.