The Last Prussian: A Biography of Field Marshal Gerd Von Rundstedt, 1875-1953 [Hardcover]

Charles Messenger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1991

Von Rundstedt's military career was a turbulent one. A Prussian aristocrat and member of the General Staff in World War I, he helped to modernize the German armed forces before policy disagreements led to his premature retirement in 1938. Frequently sacked and reinstated, von Rundstedt was a controversial figure. He was recalled to take part in the Blitzkrieg campaigns of 1939-41 and was responsible for the land element of "Sealion", the planned invasion of the British mainland. After service on the Eastern Front, he became Commander-in-Chief West until being sacked for the last time in March 1945. Only ill-health prevented him from being tried as a war criminal after arraignment by the British in 1948. In this book, the author examines this enigmatic officer - his attitude to Hitler as leader and tactician, his standing as a field commander, his possible war trial and his position as one of the last members of the Prussian military elite. Charles Messenger also wrote "Hitler's Gladiator".

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Brassey's: Putnam Aeronautical; 1st edition (May 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0080367070
• ISBN-13: 978-0080367071
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,139,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For World War II fans..., December 16, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Last Prussian: A Biography of Field Marshal Gerd Von Rundstedt, 1875-1953 (Hardcover)

I have now read two of Charles Messenger's biographies on some of the most famous (infamous) German military figures from World War II, Hitler's Gladiator...about SS General Sepp Dietrich, and this one, The Last Prussian, the biography of Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. Although I must admit that gathering information on such figures must be extremely demanding, I felt that both of these books dealt more with the units and or the times being discussed rather than being in depth narratives about each of their lives. I'm not sure if additional interviews would have been better...or what exactly is missing, but I felt that significant portions of "The Last Prussian" just regurgitated what is already known and tries to tie von Rundstedt into those events.

Obviously, the fact that von Rundstedt did not leave any memoirs made this biography an extremely daunting task...and it is likely that many of the people closest to von Rundstedt at the time, are no longer among the living. Still, this book seemed like the "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" with a glimpse of von Rundstedt thrown in.

Despite all of this, I am sure that WW2 fans would still find the material interesting...particularly with respect to von Rundstedt's relationship with Hitler as described by the author.