Sitzkrieg
For years I have put off reading The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, afraid that it would be a dry tome, failing to deliver literary justice to the most horrific and astonishing years of last century. I was also mildly intimidated by its 1200-page bulk — too big to finish before I left town again, and too big to take with me. Last month I decided that enough truly was enough, and I can now say without hesitation that it is an uttery fascinating, phenominally well-written, grippy tale.
I’m about 80% finished, just past the point where the Nazi army storms across the Eastern front into Russia, thoroughly dominates the brave but woefully underprepared troops, and manages to get within 15 miles of Moscow when winter saves the capital’s (and perhaps the world’s) bacon. Despite all kinds of warnings — which, knowing Hitler as they did, should have tipped them off — it is incredible how surprised the Russians were by the attack:
Almost equally weird to [the German chief of staff of the Fourth Army] was that the Russian artillery did not respond even when the assault began. “The Russians,” he subsequently wrote, “were taken entirely by surprise on our front.” As dawn broke German signal stations picked up the Red Army radio networks. “We are being fired on. What shall we do?” he quotes one Russian message as saying. Back came the answer from headquarters: “You must be insane. And why is your signal not in code?”
A few hundred pages before was the story of Western reaction to the world’s first experience of blitzkrieg tank warfare. Britain and France had done precious little aside from declaring war on paper, in response to the utter extermination — tanks against horses! — of their supposed ally, Poland. This led the German man in the street to coin a new phrase for the purpose of mocking the Western effort — a sitzkrieg.
If you want my advice, you will begin a 1200-page sitzkrieg of your own. I cannot recommend it highly enough to those interested in modern history; and why isn’t everyone?
Nic said,
August 20, 2006 @ 20:27
I’ve just started this book – per my usual “If I could be like Phik” reading desires. It is (so far) a very easy read, and I was surprised that there was a lot of anti-Semitism prevelant in Austria beforehand – scary.
BTW – good to know you are enjoying yourself these days. Life in MN is quite rewarding and relaxing. You’d be surprised how nice the summers are here — so nice that you decide to get married :)
half a cat » Quickie Foo said,
November 1, 2006 @ 11:13
[...] Phil inspired me to pick up the The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich . I do believe I’m at least a month into reading this book, and have finally reached the 1000 page mark. I think I’m probably plateaued on how much information I can absorb. I have reached the part of the book where the concentration camps and associated details, and I wasn’t prepared for the level of detail that this amazing book offers. I literally think my brain was overwhelmed with the anquish and raw depravity those Nazi bastards (I had to calm it down) inflicted on millions of people. What really caught me off guard was that it wasn’t just the Nazis as I traditionally thought of them — government officials and military people, but the businiess community too. [...]
phik » a concise treatise on eBook readers said,
June 28, 2008 @ 00:48
[...] it’s a no-brainer — 5×7″ and 6 oz. holds my entire library. No more avoiding The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich just because I don’t want to haul 1,200 pages [...]