Customer Reviews

Hitler's War

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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!

Having read many other WWII overviews, I can honestly say this was the most enjoyable and, by far, the most enlightening work of them all. "Hitler's War" strikes me as amazing in it's novel-like readability and, admittedly, almost startling in it's objectivity. Can anyone tell me why such a fabulous writer would throw his career away over questions regarding the Holocaust? (And he has - St. Martin's Press backed out of the Geobbels book deal because of intense pressure. No publishing house of any significance will touch him.) There is NO incentive for him to maintain his position on the Holocaust except that he is bound to the truth as he sees it. What's wrong with complete honesty, especially when we are talking about an historian? To have such a brilliant author suppressed because most disagree with him is censorship at its worst. What are we afraid of??

I grew up in wartime London and was conscripted in early 1945. As a result, I have been fascinated by the Second World War (European Theatre), its causes, its battles, its weapons, its ideologies and so on. I have read every book I could find on these and associated subjects. In my opinion Irving's book is by far the best. It is extremely readable, hard to put down actually, and it is in accord with my own memories of things I experienced, whereas some books seem to have been colored by how we would now like things to have been. I cannot speak highly enough of it.

This 1990 Avon paperback is a recast of Irving's original two volume Viking Press set. It is condensed from 1032 pages to 794 pages. Page size is unchanged but font size is smaller and the alignment of the lines compressed. Missing in the Avon edition are the author's extensive notes (93 pages of interesting but supplemental material) and a five page bibliography of published literature on Hitler.

A thoroughly spellbinding book that looks at WWII from a perspective other than the Allies. Mr. Irving's well-known ability for research and foot- noting his sources shows itself in the account of WWII. I am amazed at the "holocaust denial" and "neo-nazi" labels applied to this author who has had the desire to present the other side of the story for us to learn the truth from. While he claims in the book that Hitler had no knowledge of the holocaust, he asserts this from the point of view that no conclusive evidence exists that would prove otherwise. I highly recommend Mr. Irving's other books about Churchill, Dresden and Dr. Goebbels for anyone interested in a balanced account of WWII. Excellent reading!

Irving has a different opinion on this suject,but in my opinion
comes close to the truth.It is a different thing to learn
history in the politicall correct athmosphere of a school or
in a University or if you have gone through history all the
length on you own.Beeing a German (Hun)I have seen both sides of
Nazi-Germany.If Hitler had not been so militaristic and intolerable to the Jews ,then Nazism would have been quite a
remarkable kind of government.

Peter Schuster

This is quite simply the best book on the subject of the Second World War I have ever read. Although David Irving is an intellectual historian of the highest order, his prose style is eminently accessible to the layman.
The genius of the work is the position the author adopts; Irving takes away the tiresome moralising that many historians feel compelled to adopt and appraises (...) the man: the dictator, the Human, the Leader and the warlord. From such a position, Irving manages to assess the most fascinating and influential man of the century without the prejudices of other historians which inevitably impair historical judgement.

If you were to buy one book on WWII, buy this one.