HITLER'S ENGINEERS: Fritz Todt and Albert Speer - Master Builders of the Third Reich [Hardcover]

Blaine Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2010

A selection of the Military Book ClubCopiously illustrated and carefully described, this is the first full treatment of two of the Third Reich's most important figures. While Nazi Germany's temporary ascendancy owed much to military skill, the talent of its engineers not only buoyed the regime but allowed it to survive longer than would normally be expected. This unique work focusing on Dr. Fritz Todt and Albert Speer, based on many previously-unpublished photographs and artwork from captured Nazi records, describes how engineering, as well as military skill, allowed the Third Reich to survive.

Dr. Todt was the brilliant builder of the world's first superhighway system (the Autobahn) that still exists today, as well as the architect of the German West Wall (Siegfried Line) that predated the later Atlantic and East Walls. The builder, also, of each of the wartime "Fuhrer Headquarters," as well as the submarine pens, Dr. Todt was killed in a still-mysterious airplane crash that may well have been a Nazi death plot, though he was given a State Funeral by Hitler,

Todt was succeeded in death as German Minister of Armaments and War Production by the Fuhrer's longtime personal architect (actually one of several), Albert Speer, who was credited by the Allies after the war as having prolonged the conflict by at least a year. Called a genius by Hitler himself, Speer designed and built the prewar Nuremberg Nazi Party Congress rally stands and buildings, many of which can still be visited.

More importantly, under the constant rain of Allied bombs and the encroachment of Soviet advances from the East, Speer managed to keep the German industrial machine running until the spring of 1945, though it was driven ever further underground. He also allocated resources to fortifications and counterattacks (the V-missile installations) against both West and East, in attempts to stave off defeat. Convicted as a war criminal at Nuremberg, Speer served his entire 20 year-long sentence at Spandau Prison, then went on to become a best-selling author as a Nazi apologist who died in London suddenly in the arms of his lover on Sept. 1, 1981, the anniversary of the German invasion of Poland.

Together, Todt and Speer were the pillars that supported the Third Reich throughout the vicissitudes of battlefield fortune. With over 300 photographs, this is the first work that examines their unique role in history's most terrible war.

BLAINE TAYLOR is the author of four previous photographic studies on the World War II era. The winner of six awards for writing and editing, he is a veteran of the US Army's 199th Light Infantry Brigade in Vietnam, and has 12 medals and decorations, including the Combat Infantryman's Badge. An international magazine writer, Mr. Taylor lives and works in Towson, Maryland.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Casemate Pub (September 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932033688
• ISBN-13: 978-1932033687
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #903,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars heavily-illustrated popular work on top Nazi architects, October 25, 2010

By 

Henry Berry "Henry Berry" (Southport, CT) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HITLER'S ENGINEERS: Fritz Todt and Albert Speer - Master Builders of the Third Reich (Hardcover)

Todt is not so well known as Speer. Speer took his position after Todt died in a plane crash in 1942. With the exact cause of the crash unknown, sabotage was suspected; though never proven. While he was alive, Todt was Hitler's preferred chief engineer, and a member of his inner circle. In this position, Todt was responsible for the German autobahn, the Siegfried defensive line in western Germany, and German war material production. He was named Minister of Armaments and Munitions in 1940.

Holding this position until Germany's defeat, Speer was captured, held in Spandau Prison with other high German officials, and tried as a war criminal at Nuremberg and given a 20-year prison sentence. In captivity and after release, he wrote several bestselling books which kept him in the public eye before he died in 1981. Speer was known for his construction of German underground armament factories allowing Germany to prolong the war despite Allied bombardments and involvement in the German rockets whose development was cut off in its early stages by the Allied victory.

Both Todt and Speer were also architects of monumental projects meant to glorify the Third Reich and German infrastructure such as roads and public facilities. Taylor's focus is on their works as fundamental, invaluable parts of Nazi Germany enabling it to successively engage in warfare during the first part of the Nazi regime and then--what is even more interesting under Speer--continue to wage war against far superior Allied and Russian armies after devastating defeats.

Detailed biographies and studies focusing only on production plans and engineering and architectural feats can be found elsewhere. This book by an author with a military background is a heavily-illustrated popular work engagingly balancing biography, major Nazi engineering, architectural, and industrial projects, a profile of Hitler's leadership regarding such projects, and the complexities and rivalries of the Nazi hierarchy closest to Hitler which Todt and Speer had to content with to achieve and hold their high positions.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Builders" of the Third Reich, December 19, 2010

By 

Dave Schranck "Dave" (Anaheim Ca) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: HITLER'S ENGINEERS: Fritz Todt and Albert Speer - Master Builders of the Third Reich (Hardcover)

Objectively I rated this book four stars for its not an exhaustive compilation. Personally, I rated it five stars for it covers a topic that's not well read on my part and was able to learn some new things. On the other hand, I would judge Mr Taylor an expert for he has studied Germany and this time period for years, written numerous books and has carefully crafted an enlightening summary. The biographies of Todt and Speer may not be comprehensive but his presentation projects enough of the individuals and their impact on Germany and the war effort for a reader to decide if further study is desired. A competent Bibliography is supplied to help with the task. A Notes section is also provided.

The author describes the life and death of each engineer, the key people he worked with or influenced or was influenced by. You'll see a small window of Nazi control of Germany and Berlin in the thirties and forties.
For Fritz Todt the master engineer / builder, you'll read about the construction of the country-wide autobahn, the many bridges, canals, the bomb-proof sub pens, the intricacies of the West Wall, the beginnings of the Atlantic Wall. You will also read about his mysterious death in 1942 and his sometime fractious relationship with Hitler. He may have been a Nazi but a reluctant one, at least as compared to Speer, and his outspoken stance of trying to stop the war with Stalin also sets him apart. It was a war that he knew couldn't be won.

Of the two engineers, Speer was the most controversial. He also had more influence and control on the armament industry from making bullets to guns to tanks to rockets, jets and the atomic program that had been initiated. During the war trials and afterwards, he always professed his innocence with regards to any involvement or knowledge of the Holocaust and that he was a simple engineer trying to do his best for his country.
The author has changed his opinion of Speer over the years and now he sees him as a dedicated Nazi with a thirst for power and a desire to be a part of the elite in the Nazi hierarchy. He tried to influence Hitler to such a degree that in 1944 Himmler, Goring and other SS were planning on having him discredited and removed as Minister. Much of the dialog on Speer concerns his involvement in the war effort but you'll also see his trial coverage, his captivity, his career as an author after Spandau and finally his death in 1981 on the 42nd anniversary of the invasion of Poland. Stalin was disatisfied with a 20 year sentence; Speer was so knowledgable in regard to rocketry that Stalin wanted Speer to be hanged.

The author provides 250 excellent photos that truly add to the narrative. The photos are about the creations of these master engineers, the fellow engineers that assisted, the key political personalities and more. The photos alone are worth the cover price.
If you have an interest in either man or the many Nazi insiders of the 1930s, 1940s or in architecture or industrial engineering then this history book will be of interest.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty interesting photographic book, October 13, 2010

By 

lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: HITLER'S ENGINEERS: Fritz Todt and Albert Speer - Master Builders of the Third Reich (Hardcover)

This book traces the accomplishments of two of Hitler's finest builders, Fritz Todt and Albert Speer, both responsible for the industrial development of Third Reich. Todt covers the first part of the book and he helped engineered Germany's economic recovery. The author uses the creation of the autobahn as one of the prime examples of how Germany provided full employment, good paycheck and garner a lot of political credit all at the same time. Of course, most readers know that Eisenhower took the autobahn idea and converted it into our current interstate highway system. Once Todt was killed in a plane accident, Albert Speer entered the picture as he tried and with great success to increased Germany's wartime production, many that lies under heavy air attacks. The book studied both men and their influences on Hitler, the Reich and their efforts to promote Germany's industries by using any means possible. In some way, this book is like a twin public biography of Todt and Speer.

The book appears to be well researched and I thought it was pretty well written. But the real interesting aspects of this book lies in its photographic collection that the book offers. Many of the photos are unpublished works by the author's claims and although I can't attest for that for sure, I do admit that although I am well read on the Third Reich, I haven't seen many of these photographs before. There is an interesting photo of Albert Speer with bunch of concentration camp inmates in their stripe pajamas which appears to belied the fact that Speer did know about the camp system after all and their purposes.

Book come highly recommended to anyone interested in Hitler's Germany. The photographic collection of this book is quite large and there are many interesting photos to look at. Even one of Hitler turning the spade and he wasn't wearing a Nazi armband although dressed in his brown uniform is an interesting perception to consider.