Infiltration [Hardcover]

Albert Speer (Author), Joachim Neugroschel (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishing; 1st edition (July 1, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0026128004
• ISBN-13: 978-0026128001
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,008,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Read with a beverage..., November 15, 2002

By 

Kevin C. Delahanty, MD (Edmonds, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Infiltration (Hardcover)

...because you will certianly find this an exceptionally dry read. I love history. I've read Herr Speer's first 2 books (& even have an autographed letter from him hanging on my wall). But this book did nothing for me. An enormous amount of technical information but rarely did any emotion enter into the narrative. I don't think you will gain any more information that you would if you read INSIDE THE THIRD REICH, a much more informative tale.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poorly Written Third Reich Conspiracy Theory, August 26, 2007

By 

Kevin R. Austra (Delaware Valley, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Infiltration (Hardcover)

Former Reich Armaments Minister Albert Speer missed the mark on this one. Two decades after the hugely successful INSIDE THE THIRD REICH and detailed, though less enjoyable SPANDAU DIARIES, INFILTRATION almost seems to be a jumble of sensational end notes. Speer died in England while promoting his final book.

Unlike his previous works, Speer did not have the editorial assistance of Joachim Fest with this book. As with many key players in history, Speer's daily interaction with his historical corner made it difficult for him to see the forest through the trees. Strange as it may seem, collaboration with a good editor/journalist/historian is necessary to get the story straight.

In INFILTRATION Speer attempts to demonstrate the extent of Heinrich Himmler's SS empire beyond that normally portrayed in history books. According to Speer, not only did Himmler see the SS as the post-Hitler successors to Germany, they also interfered and dabbled in almost every aspect of the German military, economy, and science. According to Speer Himmler's secret state consumed resources and manpower talent in unfocused ventures that only served to deprive Germany of the manpower necessary to fight the war.

Unlike his prior books, Speer's INFILTRATION is written very much in the third person as if Speer had no connection, other than archive research, to the events mentioned in the book. The hard cover book spent so short a time on bookstore shelves that it became difficult to find.

Having read the first two books I was bound to complete the set. Overall the English version is easy reading. In re-reading it again this book would be more appropriate as a special on the History Channel instead of a bound volume.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Read at night, August 5, 2009

By 

Duke 1968 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Infiltration (Hardcover)

A cure for insomnia, Infiltration is a very slow read, heavy on economics but dull to a layman/history buff. The parts that aren't concerned with quoting numbers endlessly become soap operas about power plays, showing that Speer obviously still held grudges 4 decades after the war.