The Blitzkrieg Myth

How Hitler and the Allies Misread the Strategic Realities of World War II

By: John Mosier

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Paperback | 30 November 2004

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337 Pages

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20.32 x 13.34 x 1.91

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A bold reinterpretation of some of the most decisive battles of World War II, showing that the outcomes had less to do with popular new technology than old–fashioned, on–the–ground warfare.

The military myths of World War II were based on the assumption that the new technology of the airplane and the tank would cause rapid and massive breakthroughs on the battlefield, or demoralization of the enemy by intensive bombing resulting in destruction, or surrender in a matter of weeks. The two apostles for these new theories were the Englishman J.C.F. Fuller for armoured warfare, and the Italian Emilio Drouhet for airpower. Hitler, Rommel, von Manstein, Montgomery and Patton were all seduced by the breakthrough myth or blitzkrieg as the decisive way to victory.

Mosier shows how the Polish campaign in fall 1939 and the fall of France in spring 1940 were not the blitzkrieg victories as proclaimed. He also reinterprets Rommel's North African campaigns, D–Day and the Normandy campaign, Patton's attempted breakthrough into the Saar and Germany, Montgomery's flawed breakthrough at Arnhem, and Hitler's last desperate breakthrough effort to Antwerp in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. All of these actions saw the clash of the breakthrough theories with the realities of conventional military tactics, and Mosier's novel analysis of these campaigns, the failure of airpower, and the military leaders on both sides, is a challenging reassessment of the military history of World War II. The book includes maps and photos.

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction History General & World History Military History Second World War Regional & National History History of the Americas European History Warfare & Defence Military & Defence Strategy Military Tactics

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction: New Theories of Warfare	p. 1
War as Pseudoscience: 1920-1939	p. 7
The Maginot Line and Hitler's Response	p. 28
The Tank Production Myths	p. 43
Lessons Mislearned: Poland and the Winter Wars	p. 62
The Germans and the Allies Prepare for War	p. 96
The German Assault and the Fall of France: May-June 1940	p. 116
The Uses and Misuses of Armor: North Africa, Italy, the Eastern Front	p. 154
The Failure of Strategic Airpower: 1940-1944	p. 190
Normandy and the Breakout at Saint-Lo: Summer 1944	p. 210
The Breakthrough Failures: Arnhem, Metz, Bastogne	p. 244
Conclusion: The Persistence of Failed Ideas	p. 279
Researching the War	p. 292
Index	p. 317
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

The Blitzkrieg Myth

How Hitler and the Allies Misread the Strategic Realities of World War II

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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