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Rückzug: The German Retreat from France, 1944 (Foreign Military Studies) Hardcover – August 28, 2012

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Joachim Ludewig (Author)
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4 out of 5 stars 24 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Series: Foreign Military Studies
  • Hardcover: 504 pages
  • Publisher: University Press of Kentucky; 1St Edition edition (August 28, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 081314079X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0813140797
  • Product Dimensions: 1.5 x 6.8 x 9.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #890,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsA competent command level summary with analysis of the fighting in the summer of 1944 in Western Europe.
By Dave Schranck on October 2, 2012
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
The author begins his book by stating the premise for writing it. Mr Ludewig believes the campaign in Normandy like in the Ardennes and along the West Wall later in the year has been documented satisfactorily while the events in August and September could be further studied and documented. He also states while there is some coverage of the Allies, the primary focus of this book will be from the German perspective. With these stated parameters, I thought the book was a five star effort. If you're looking for prominent attention on the Allied side or unabridge coverage of the entire last half of 1944 you may be disappointed.

If your main concern is the Allied position you would be better off reading books by Carlo D'Este, Adam Smith, John Prados, Ken Ford, Martin Blumenson for their coverage is more comprehensive in this area. However if you have already read those books and are looking for more on the German side then "Ruckzug" is clearly the book you want.

The book begins by summing up the political and military situation leading up to the Overlord and Dragoon invasions from both sides. The lack of organization and coordination between OB West, its commanders and Berlin is clearly covered. The disruptive influence of Hitler is shown numerous times. His insistence on the offensive and refusal to consider a pullback when it was necessary are well documented. In addition Kluge, Model, Rundstedt, Blaskowitz, Zangen and others are frequently discussed as well.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsAn excellent new WW2 book
By Daniel S. Palter on November 29, 2012
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
The core thesis of this book is that while Normandy through Falaise has been extensively covered in WW2 literature, there does not exist a definitive account of the great pursuit across France that followed, especially from the German POV. This book remedies this in a most excellent fashion. The account is strategic with significant operational detail. A few engagements are handled at the tactical level but mostly this book takes the larger view, concentrating on command decisions, logistics and conflicts between levels of command. The Allied side is covered more in a sense of missed opportunities as the Allies consistently underperform relative to German expectations, especially as regards the failure to exploit the seizure of Antwerp by making the clearing of the Scheldt a priority and allowing the German army task force G to escape from southern France mostly intact. The book also shows that from the end of August into the autumn Hitler sent the bulk of his last callup of divisions west not east. Hitler regarded the Western Front as the decisive sector and allocated his resources accordingly. The book end with the return to positional warfare as the mobile phase of the campaign ended. This is an excellent addition to any WW2 library and has value besides that as a study of higher command in mobile warfare.
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4.0 out of 5 starsFills a gap in the history of World War II, with minor faults
By G. BILHARTZ on January 16, 2013
Format: Hardcover
This was a truly enlightening read. I've read countless books on the Allied invasion and this one definitely fills a gap on the subject. Events moved so fast from Operation Cobra, the elimination of the Falaise Pocket, and the Operation Dragoon landings in southern France, that many books effectively recount those events then suddenly appear at the West Wall as if teleported. This is the first book that takes a serious look at the intervening six weeks--and from the German perspective no less. I've often wondered about the fate of the German troops based in the south and southwest of France and have only discovered with this book the amazing story of their withdrawal back to a new defensive line in eastern France. The book does not give an account of the travails of the individual Wehrmacht or Allied soldiers. Rather it is mainly an operational level narrative, and it excels in its telling for a book focused on that level. In Ludewig's telling, the Germans, seasoned by five years of war, including three on the Eastern Front, were definitely the betters of the Allies, even the British. But for missed opportunities and the cautious advances of the Allies, combined with the inevitable negotiating of democratic allies, the Allies just might have won the war by the end of 1944. Ludewig does an excellent job of laying out the opportunities, the perils, and dumb luck on both sides that combined to extend the war another six months.

A few niggles. The book provides two dozen maps, but they are all concentrated in one section, and must constantly be flipped to for reference. They are also at times scaled too big and at times too small for the narrative. Inline maps would be a better solution, and perhaps a few more of them.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsWell done but dry account of the German retreat from France
By Koba on April 25, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Rückzug is a history of the German retreat from France in August and September 1944. The book is based on a doctoral dissertation written in the late 1980s, and is very dry reading. The perspective is strictly from the standpoint of Army and Army Group commanders, with no attention to the experiences of soldiers at the front, and a good deal of combat chronology. The author examines the situations in northern and southern France separately and divides the book into three parts: the initial situation; the retreat to the West Wall; and, finally, the stabilization of the front and the transition to positional warfare. The basic thesis is that the Germans were able to form a stable front in September 1944 because Field Marshal Walter Model and General Johannes Blaskowitz stripped non-threatened sectors to reinforce crisis spots, circumventing Hitler's orders, which were often obsolete when received. Furthermore, lower-level officers acted swiftly and resolutely on their own initiative. Had the Allies established what Ludewig terms a "main-effort offensive" in late August or early September, the Germans could not have stopped them from reaching the Rhine. But the Allies' dispersal of effort and transition to a Broad Front both delayed them and weakened their combat power, giving the Germans a much-needed respite and time to stabilize the front.

In the north, Model withdrew units from the British sector and the Falaise pocket to shore up his left wing, facing the Americans. In the south, Blaskowitz retreated to the Dijon area, which saved 185,000 German troops. Nevertheless, Hitler was aggrieved at this retreat and replaced Blaskowitz with General Hermann Balck.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 starsOne Star

Why a book can be 31.94 $ in Kindle edition and 8.48 $ in hardcover???

Published 7 months ago by Real Breton
3.0 out of 5 starsThree Stars

Informative but written in a dull manner.

Published 8 months ago by Philip G. Eidelberg
5.0 out of 5 starsStill a very good book.

According to Germans the war probably ended in 1944 had Allies been more aggressive and quicker to exploit opportunity. Still a very good book.

Published 13 months ago by Haskell Davis
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Loved it, the look from the German side and their thoughts and feelings are very important

Published 13 months ago by C. J. Lawson
5.0 out of 5 starsProvides lots of detail

Good book.

Published 15 months ago by Fred
5.0 out of 5 starsThe most complete book about the German retreat from France: an...

This book tells the story of a part of WW2 , on the Western Front, that usually it is not very well known: the retreat of all the German troops (Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine)... Read more

Published 17 months ago by Carrosio Roberto
4.0 out of 5 starsAnother Tour de Farce by Montgomery

Quite possibly, the most data dense and well validated review of the critical series of strategic and tactical decisions, battles,and skirmishes that comprised the German retreat... Read more

Published 17 months ago by jdp
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

wonderful book, super fast delivery

Published 17 months ago by Sharon
4.0 out of 5 starsThis book provides a good look from the other side and really rounded...

I have read quite a bit about the American and British advance (my father was there). This book provides a good look from the other side and really rounded out my understanding. Read more

Published 19 months ago by Norman Whiteley
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

A german who clarifies the mistakes made by the allied forces in the invasion of Europe. Worth a read.

Published 20 months ago by Gus A. Schill, Jr.

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