SHATTERED GENIUS: The Decline and Fall of the German General Staff in World War II

1-197280

This work describes the turbulent existence of the German general staff from its resurrection by Hitler in 1935 to the end of World War II. It highlights the increasingly fractured relationship between general staff officers and Hitler during this period. The crisis of conscience that many officers faced is also highlighted, as the articles of the Soldier's Oath-a personal vow of loyalty to Hitler himself-seemed increasingly irreconcilable with the actions of an ideologically obsessed and dangerous leader.

This deteriorating situation that culminated in von Stauffenberg's abortive attempt to assassinate the Fuhrer in 1944. The failure of this plot and the unsuccessful efforts to initiate Operation Valkyrie, a plan to wrest control of Germany from the Nazis, ultimately sealed the fate of the general staff as both Hitler and Himmler exacted a series of savage reprisals in the final stages of the war. Using a wealth of new research material, David Stone has produced a masterful account of this tumultuous period.

The book dispels many prevalent myths that surround the general staff, such as its perceived infallibility, the belief that it unquestioningly supported Hitler's policies, and the convention that it was primarily the general staff which persuaded Hitler to declare war in 1939. At the same time, it identifies failings of the general staff as a whole that meant serious errors of judgment were made in dealings with the Nazis both before and after the party's rise to power. Yet the general staff was still able to prosecute the war effectively up to late 1941 and to prolong the conflict to 1945, despite overwhelming odds and diminished resources.