Inside Hitler's Headquarters [Paperback]

Walter Warlimont (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1991

General Warlimont was at the center of power during one of history's most shattering periods.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Inside Hitler's Headquarters provides a personal history of World War II as seen by the deputy chief of operations at the center of Nazi power during 1939-41. The attention to first-person experiences, philosophy, and observations lends much personal value to the story and brings alive military perceptions and insights not normally contained in histories of the period. Recommended for any in-depth study of Nazi history. -- Midwest Book Review

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Press (February 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891415149
• ISBN-13: 978-0891415145
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,555,667 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

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Or, how not to fight a war., May 5, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Inside Hitler's Headquarters (Paperback)

(The numerical rating above is a default setting within Amazon's format. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)

General Warlimont was Jodl's Deputy Chief of Operations and at the heart of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Supreme Command), from 1939 until he was injured by Stauffenburg's bomb in 1944. He actually drafted most of the operational plans emanating from OKW and therefore is uniquely qualified to comment on the military dimension of that vast criminal enterprise that was the Third Reich.

With his cool professional's eye he assesses the leading figures of the OKW: the demonic Fuhrer, as fascinating and dangerous as a snake, the loyal, amoral Jodl, the execrable toady Keitel. Of particular interest to students of military history is Warlimont's exposition of Hitler's "generalship", which repeatedly revealed its amateurish inadequacies in rash decision-making and arrogant disregard of expert opinion.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good source on the German high command organization, August 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Inside Hitler's Headquarters (Paperback)

The book is interesting for the student of World War II, since it gives a good account of life at Hitler's headquarters, the ambiance and the point of view of the general staff on the strategic situation. However, there is a lot of emphasis on the bureaucracy and organization of the German Army, and on the power struggles inside the General Staff, which I found not very interesting. You often get the impression that the author views the war more as a professional challenge, without expressing his opinion on its political and strategic implications.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars German military leadership in WWII, August 4, 2009

By 

Olivier Clementin (Paris France) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Inside Hitler's Headquarters (Paperback)

General Walter Warlimont was Deputy Chief of the Operation Staff at OKW (supreme command of German armed forces), i.e. number three in Hitler's personal miltary staff after Keitel and Jodl. This book is an accout of his experience in that position from the beginning of the war in 1939 to September 1944 when he had to leave for health reasons (he was wounded in the assassination attempt against Hitler). It is not an history of the war, and a good knowledge of the WWII operations and strategy is required to understand it. It is mainly concerned with the organisation aspects of the German High Command, in particular Hitler's increasing involvement in operations down to the smallest detail, the nefarious influence of nazi leaders on the conduct of the war, and the deteriorating relationship between OKW and the Army General Staff (OKH). To illustrate the point, there are a number of transcripts of OKW meetings, in which Hitler's peculiar personality and inept command methods appear clearly. It sounds a bit bureaucratic, but for a serious student of WWII it is a unique point of view on the way German strategic decisions were made. One really wonders whether Germany could not have conquered the USSR in 1941 were it not for Hitler's inept strategic decisions (going for Leningrad and the Ukraine instead of driving straight to Moscow as the Army recommended).