Hitler's Mistakes

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Reviewers are not often called on to defend the character or the military accomplishments of Adolf Hitler, but Lewin's one-sided blackwash is so insistent that one almost feels drawn to do so. Even setting aside the monstrous immorality of Hitler's strategy, no one will dispute that the invasion of Russia and the declaration of war on the U.S. were mistakes of the worst sort, or that Hitler's ``grotesque overconfidence'' led to an earlier victory for the Allies than would otherwise have been possible. Lewin all but argues, however, that the Nazi leader did everything wrong and that he had no character at all. For example, the author does not acknowledge even a modicum of strategic logic behind the Ardennes offensive. But it must be said that the very forcefulness of Lewin's opinion and of his writing style makes this short study compelling to read. The late author wrote Ultra Goes to War and numerous biographies of British military leaders. (February 18)

Library Journal

Studies of Hitler's military blunders are not uncommon, but this slim book by one of England's premier military biographers discards traditional views of his personality and talents. Lewin performs a clinical and rigorous assessment of Hitler's failure to observe the classic rules of warfare, and concludes that the man was intellectually shallow rather than a diabolical military genius. The book is erudite and stimulating, and in passing Lewin challenges many of the conventional American views of the war. Not a substitute for traditional biographies, but highly recommended to public and academic libraries. Raymond L. Puffer, U.S. Air Force History Prog . , Los Angeles