The end of the Third Reich : defeat, denazification & Nuremburg, January 1944-November 1946 /

This is a thoughtful retelling of the military defeat and elimination of Nazi Germany in the series "Revealing History," which publishes moderate-sized, attractively printed books on historical topics of general interest, written by highly qualified scholars. In contrast to the popular conception of VE-Day as a caesura of history dividing the Nazi/WW II era from the Cold War, Thacker (Cardiff Univ.) presents the years 1944-46 as a continuum in the destruction of Nazism, from planning the assault on Hitler's "Fortress Europe" to the execution of the Nazi leadership. Thacker discounts the emerging Cold War confrontation, notably in the battle over the fusion of the Social Democratic and Communist parties in Berlin. He argues convincingly, in line with General Montgomery, that on the high policy level as well as in the minds of average citizens in the Allied countries and Germany, the occupation was very much a continuation of the war. Experts will not find new insights in this book, but students and general readers will appreciate the engaging style and the many quotations from contemporary witnesses, which make the story come alive. Summing Up: Recommended. General and undergraduate libraries. D. Prowe Carleton College