Heroes or Traitors: The German Replacement Army, the July Plot, and Adolf Hitler [Hardcover]

Walter S. Dunn Jr. (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275977153 | ISBN-13: 978-0275977153 | Publication Date: May 30, 2003

When a German victory became impossible, the July 1944 conspirators plotted to bring a quick end to the war, hoping to negotiate a peace with the Western allies and possibly to join them in a war against Russia. Because the Allies would not negotiate with Hitler, the plotters planned to assassinate him and seize control of the government, using the Replacement Army to overcome the S.S. and the Nazi Party.

This army would also maintain order within Germany, a task that would require more than half-a-million trained men. The conspirators convinced key Replacement Army officers to withhold men from the Field Army in the spring of 1944 in preparation for taking over the country. The result was a German army that lacked enough reserve divisions to counter the invasion of France and the Red Army attack in Russia. Although the plotters failed to kill Hitler, they hastened the war's end by weakening the German army. Dunn examines the 1944 July Plot from a manpower and logistics perspective to demonstrate that the conspirators did, in fact, achieve their goal of hastening the war's end.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dunn carefully examines the 1944 July Plot from a manpower and logistics perspective to demonstrate that the conspirators did, in fact, achieve their goal of hastening the war's end."

–

Lt. Colonel Robert A. Lynn, Florida Guard

"The concept of a replacement army is still little known, so this is a welcome addition to the literature. Suitable for academic libraries."

–

Library Journal

"Dunn is the first historian to make such extensive use of the Wehrmacht's personnel files in this fashion and deserves kudos for doing so….[o]ne can compliment Dunn for opening our gaze to data that previously have been given cursory attention, and applaud the challenge his research poses for World War II history."

–

H-German

Review

"This is a riveting account of the conspirators who plotted to kill Hitler in July 1944, and the methods they used to keep a half million men from the battlefields of France and Russia. Without the efforts of these high ranking German officers, the war against Hitler might have had a completely different outcome. It is a highly detailed account, but also a very readable book."

(

David A. Johnson^Lauthor, ^IRighteous Deception^R

)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (May 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275977153
• ISBN-13: 978-0275977153
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #819,659 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What does this have to do with the July plot?, November 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Heroes or Traitors: The German Replacement Army, the July Plot, and Adolf Hitler (Hardcover)

What a disappointment! I bought this book because it was billed as a study of the "German Replacement Army, the July Plot and Adolf Hitler." I think it was a reasonable assumption to expect a analysis of the role of the replacement or Home army in the July bomb plot. Not so! Instead I got a detailed analysis of what division was where and when with virtually no useful discussion of the use of the Home army in the bomb plot. The fly leaf is indicative of the depth of analysis - it repeats the old chestnut that the officers involved in the July coup only launched their conspiracy when the war turned sour for Hitler. The author can't even get Generaloberst Freidrich Fromm's name right - and he commanded that army! Not to matter I guess as he's only referred to on a couple of pages - got to leave room for all those fascinating division numbers! If you want to know the Home army's order of battle at various times, buy this book. If you want a scholarly analysis of the role of Home army in the July plot, buy Peter Hoffmann's "History of the German Resistance."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A source of hard to find information, April 15, 2007

By 

Dimitrios (Greece) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heroes or Traitors: The German Replacement Army, the July Plot, and Adolf Hitler (Hardcover)

Although this book has some weak points, like the repetitions of the author's arguments and the dry writing style in some cases, it has also some great merits for the military history buffs. Mr Dunn may be not the gifted storyteller but he has done a lot of research on his subject and he can speak by numbers which I think is very impressive and useful for the real student of World War II. The book is full of statistics and details about the Replacement Army, its units and how these were withheld from the battlefronts in the crucial period of spring 1944. I think though that the real gems of the book are the analytical accounts of how the German Army was defeated in Normandy and Belorussia due to lack of reserves. Overall, this is not the book to pass your time nor an easy read, but very useful as a reference source.

4.0 out of 5 stars Heroes or Traitors, November 14, 2010

By 

Tom Houlihan "houli861" (MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heroes or Traitors: The German Replacement Army, the July Plot, and Adolf Hitler (Hardcover)

This book is not exciting, unless one gets excited researching numbers. However, it does provide food for thought, in that the author explains how a handful of men in key places managed to prevent reinforcements from reaching the front lines during critical times, thus managing to shorten the war.

Well researched, this volume starts by explaining the workings of the German Replacement Army, how the system worked at the divisional level. This is accomplished by explaining the replacement system as it developed from that used during WWI. The author explains how recruits are incorporated, as well as convalescents waiting for their return to duty. Also discussed is the `waves' of divisions were formed during the course of the war.

The remainder of the book breaks down the war into key periods. These are 2-43 to 6-43, 6-43 to 2-44, 2-44 to 6-44, then the two separate catastrophes in France, and the East. I will not go into separate discussion on each of these periods. Essentially, the author describes the machinations of the plotters, and how in the face of Führer decrees, they managed to manipulate the numbers of men throughout the replacement army, and keep them from the front.

One of the key goals of this manipulation was the July Plot. While Operation Valkyrie is not a key here, it is interesting to read how the plotters not only managed to keep what amounted to their own army, but how they intended to use these forces. While it does not go into great detail of the Plot, it would make good collateral reading for those studying the Plot.

This book is not exciting in the manner of a battle narrative. It is, however, very informative. It includes several tables throughout that help to understand the text. I will admit to having to go back a few times to re-read certain sections. One problem that I found is that there are often so many numbers in a paragraph, (divisional designations, numbers of men, numbers of divisions, etc.), that I got confused.

After reading this book, and the author's conclusions, I will agree that had these men not worked so hard against Hitler, the course of the war would have gone rather differently. It would have lasted at least one more year as the author states.