Hitler's War

by David Irving

Book Overview

Beginning in 1933 with Hitler's economic and military rebuilding of Germany following World War I, and concluding in 1945 with the events surrounding his alleged Hitler's War is an insider's view of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670374121
• ISBN13: 9780670374120
• Release Date: March 1977
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 926 Pages
• Weight: 3.65 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Excellent, rare account of actions within Hitlers inner circle

I thought this book was fantastic as it presented information that I have never found elsewhere. Extremely well documented and foot-noted, there is a great deal of information relating to the most significant - and at times insignificant - events in Hitlers later life. I think the most fascinating parts of this book are those that point out that Hitler was human and as such had both bad and good sides. The book leaves no doubt that his evil side was the greater, but at the same time he (in some things) had good intentions, performed good tasks, and treated some people well. This is contrary to mainstream books and shows which insist that he was entirely evil, talentless, mean, a loner, etc... The quotations, memoirs, and notes presented in this text clearly show otherwise. From a military point of view, I felt it was also a very good book in that is presented a few of the various German military branches that I had not heard before. The incompetance of the Luftwaffe, the frequent correctness of Hitler's military decisions despite her generals disagreements, the disloyalty and self-centeredness of key figures in his military... At 837 pages of text, I expected this to be a tough read, but in fact it was very readable and extremely interesting through and through. I highly recommend it.

The power of primary sources

Irving's detail from the perspective of the German leadership is without peer. I appreciate the fact that everything he writes is documented somewhere. Most of the book deals with the day-to-day aspects of running the German war machine as seen through the Nazi leadership's perspective and gives you a bird's eye view of what their thought process was. Contrary to some, this book does not 'deny' that the holocaust ever happened. Rather it reveals that Hitler's MAIN objective was not to kill jews, in fact he failed to give this subject much attention and allowed his underlings to handle matters he considered unimportant. His primary aim was to conquor European territory ala Nepolean and Alexander the Great. All in all, a great book, and one from a unique perspective.

A Great Historical Work of Journalism

I have read this 2-volume series almost twice through now. It is an excellent work. Starting with September 1, 1939, Irving follows the events and people of the entire war through May, 1945. His analysis and scholarship are worthy of high praise. Let's look at the background of this author and his writings. Irving taught himself the German language. He has spent years of research in both the United States and German archives. Frankly, I think the press has unfairly painted him as a denier of war crimes against humanity. Irving does nothing of the sort. His work is based on his own evidence, not quotes from other writers. And while I may not agree with everything that he says, his thesis is clearly this: there is yet a single conclusive piece of documentation that has substantively pointed to Hitler himself ordering the execution of millions of Jews. While the atrocities in his books are clearly identified, he lays blame primarily on Himmler and Heydrich as the main instigators in the work to wipe out the Jews. As everyone knows, the labor shortages from the war were horrendous in Germany. Hitler himself ranted about the lack of available armaments due to insufficient labor personnel. Why with such a huge shortfall in available manpower, would Hitler order the execution of millions of Jews that could have provided valuable factory workers? This makes no sense to me. The Nazis, to their own downfall, documented everything! And while Hitler's own hatred for the Jews has never been an issue, there yet remains no single documented evidence which proves that Hitler personally and convincingly ordered the wholesale destruction of the Jews. That is the heart of this work. Frankly, after much reading on Hitler and WWII myself, I am inclined to agree with Irving's analysis, even after all these years. This 2-volume set is an excellent and smoothly written expose of the details of Hitler and his war. I highly encourage you to find a copy of this 2-volume work and judge for yourself. Read it with an open mind and see what you think for yourself. I welcome your comments here!

Irving is not a 'Holocaust denier'.

David Irving's books read as if they were novels, instead of the history books that they actually are. This one is no exception. That, and the fact that he is doing work based on a successful search for 'new' original documents, rather than another rehash of what has gone before, are two of the reasons I will continue to add his books to my library. Irving presents what he has found to the reader and lets us largely make our own determination as to the significance of his finds. This work is heavily footnoted, and in some instances the actual document is reproduced. As for the Holocaust, Irving may question some of the old assumptions, but he hardly denies that it happened. The contrary is true. As for Hitler's involvement, Irving does not absolve him of responsibility. He quite clearly believes (and says) that Hitler knew and approved. He just points out that, to date, no document ordering the extermination of the Jews has been found. How that created such a controversy and has made Irving persona non grata in so many places must cause any thinking person to ask "What are they afraid he will find?" Irving is a brilliant researcher and a first class writer. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an open mind and an interest in the Second World War.

An excellent history, written as all histories should be.

Having read virtually all the major histories of WWII, and specifically on the strategic/political nature of the Third Reich, there are conclusions I have drawn over time that I sensed but could not prove. Mr. Irving seems to have proved those theories using original source notes, diaries and accounts of conversations (in the original languages). He footnotes heavily, and gives the locations of his sources (those that are available to the public). His assessment of the Holocost does not exhonorate anyone; Hitler, he contends, is still responsible, he only draws no conclusions without evidence. Fantastic book.