New Max Hastings book

'Armageddon 1944-45' has just been published and has very favourably reviewed in the National Press.

Dealing with the Battle for Germany, this is Hastings' first WWII book since his best-selling 'Overlord' twenty years ago.

I haven't seen it yet ......

 

I trust you will provide us with a running commentary while to read this, Martin!

Is this about the British/Commonwealth effort in Germany or the combined Allied????

Very interesting subject.

 

Here's one of those reviews, from 'The Sunday Times' ; -

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2102-1306140,00.html

 

Just bought it - at a 33% discount !

Looking forward to reading this - it's #2 in my 'to read' pile.....

 

You mean this one Martin, 40% off on amazon!

 

That's the one, Mahross.

In answer to Stevin's earlier question, and quoting from Hastings' introduction :

'Most works on the last months of the war address either the Eastern or Western fronts. This one aspires to view the story as a whole...'

Ambitious stuff !

 

Just finished reading it. A superb book - IMHO, one of the best-written WWII books of 2004. It's had rave reviews from many other historians, and justifiably so.

Highlights many of the appalling events of early 1945 - East Prussia, 'Wilhelm Gustloff' etc - which have received little attention in the West.

Get someone to buy it for you for Christams - it's better than sitting in front of the TV....

 

Martin I am curious of Max's exerpts covering the Kriegsmarine in the last days ? Der kampf um Ostpreussen is unsurpassed but of course is in Deutsfch along with the several volumes on the Gustloff and the last days over the Baltic and retreat of the civilian population from the Soviets by Heinz Schön. Martin was Schön's multiple works listed amongst the bibliographies ? they should be.....

E ~

 

This book does not include a full bibliography - Hastings explains that, after 25 years of reading and possessing his own huge library, such a thing would run to many pages. He instead includes source notes ( many of which are drawn from his own interviews with survivors of all sides ) plus some selected works ( which do not include the ones you've mentioned ).

I think it must be difficult when writing a book such as this to work out what to exclude , not include. The scope is so vast that to give a reasonable account in 600 pages while maintaining the sense of the narrative must be quite a challenge.

Hopefully, the publishers won't mind me quoting from p.331 : -

'History has paid little heed to the doings of the wartime German Navy, beyond the U-Boat campaign and a few big-ship actions. Yet in the last months of the war, in the face of huge difficulties and heavy losses, the Kriegsmarine displayed energy and courage in the Baltic....many people owed their lives to German's sailors.....'

 

Martin its one of my Xmas pressies. Lokking forward to it

 

Ok but does it cover any of the indivdual actions like shore bombardments by the Kreuzers/Destroyers or S-boot actions against Soviet mtb's and subs ?

E ~ and he is very correct except for the German language sources which are very few, there is really a big 0 in the English language...

 

Erich : S-Boot actions, no - but Hastings does describe several instances of very effective Kriegsmarine fire support on the Baltic coast ; again in general terms.

Mahross - there goes your Christmas holiday !

 

I got to meet Max Hastings yesterday, part of the War Studies Society lecture series. Very nice bloke.

 

Currently reading the last parts of this book, and I have to say it is a GREAT read so far. Hastings writes very fluidly and paints very vivid pictures of the fighting, not to mention the short portraits of numerous soldiers, politicians and civilians caught in the events described.

Personally I think all the little anecdotes and stories are great. Like the story of a practical joke in the Red Army: a guy dresses up in a captured German uniform, grabs a Schmeisser and bursts into the headquarter screaming "hände hoch!" Hastings talks about how all the Russians thought this was a terrific joke and very funny, "best joke of the war", and so on.

Then they mention as a sort of afterthought, that the guy was shot dead before he was recognized! Seems very...Russian...somehow.