Fuehrer Conferences on Naval Affairs, 1939-1945 [Hardcover]

Jak P. Mallmann Showell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1990

First-hand record of the views of Axis high command on naval strategy in the Second World War. Provides revealing commentary on key naval events. Hitler's comments and decisions noted throughout. As the Allies made their inexorable last assault upon Germany in 1945, Adolf Hitler, the supreme commander-in-chief of all German armed forces, ordered that every official military document should be destroyed. Admiral Karl Dsnitz, then supreme commander-in-chief of the Navy, felt differently. The Navy, he believed, had waged an honorable war, and posterity would prove the fairest judge. Accordingly, the records fell into Allied hands. Were it not for Dsnitz's singular decision, this remarkable book would not exist. Fuehrer Conferences on Naval Affairs, 1939-1945 is the faithful, first-hand account of Hitler's meetings with his high-ranking officers. Such was the nature of these meetings that even secretaries were excluded, and both Raeder and Dsnitz personally checked the typescripts of the meeting-notes before approving them. The conferences concerned either subjects upon which Hitler requested information or topics that the commanders-in-chief wanted to bring to the Fuehrer's attention. This is, therefore, an authentic and intimate account of the views of Axis high command upon naval strategy and its execution throughout World War II, covering such key events as the assault on Norway, the plans to invade Britain, the sinking of the Bismarck, and the Normandy landings. Indeed, Hitler's comments and decisions are noted throughout.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr; First Edition edition (April 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087021781X
• ISBN-13: 978-0870217814
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,065,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Necessary reading for the historian and history buff., May 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fuehrer Conferences on Naval Affairs, 1939-1945 (Hardcover)

The Fuehrer Conferences are necessary reading for any historian of naval affairs or World War II. In these documents, Hitler outlines his strategy for preventing food and munitions from being shipped from the neutral countries, predominantly the United States, to Great Britain. The decision on how far to push the United States was a crucial one, as it had helped push the Western giant over the edge in World War I, and Hitler could not afford another powerful enemy. Yet, as Germany's chance of successfully invading Great Britain waned, the need to stop shipments of supplies from neutral countries waxed urgent. There is gripping drama in the documents themselves, and a chance to peer into Hitler's own diplomatic and strategic processes. A wonderful resource and good entertainment.