Review by Choice Review
Most histories involving Nazi Germany in WW II revolve around the military and human costs of that conflict and the subsequent trials of the major Nazi war criminals. Few delve into the immediate postwar era issue of the judicial and political processes surrounding the release, commutation, and outright pardon of some of Hitler's leading field marshals and general officers. Lingen (Eberhard-Karls-Univ. Tubingen) sheds new and intriguing light on the diplomatic/political tug-of-war between the Allies, particularly Great Britain and the US, and the political and military elites in the emerging West German state in the aftermath of the defeat of Hitler's Third Reich and the looming military threat posed by a resurgent USSR. In particular, this work is a must read for students of mid-20th-century European history during the intense geopolitical and military disagreements surrounding the release of not only Field Marshall Kesselring, but other prominent German field marshals such as Erich von Manstein and a multitude of other, lesser-known military cadres. The core of this work shows how the emerging state of West Germany and its former foes dealt with this highly sensitive issue and the role played by former Wehrmacht officers in a new form of European security arrangement form. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. J. C. Watkins Jr. emeritus, University of Alabama
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
