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Twilight of the Gods
From the author of 'Fighting for the Fatherland' and 'Hitler's Army, 1939-1945', this is a study of the structure, effectiveness and conduct of the German high command prior to and during the Second World War. The book examines in depth the general staff's problematic relationship with the Fuhrer.
- GenresHistoryWorld War II
424 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2011
About the author
David Stone
10 books2 followersDavid John Anthony Stone is an established military author and historian and a former British army officer. Most of his books on various aspects of military conflict have been written and published since he retired from active military duty in 2002, including several studies on the Prussian and German armies throughout the course of history: an area in which his particular expertise is today acknowledged both in the UK and abroad.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
August 3, 2015
The apparent goal of Shattered Genius is to examine the relationship of the German General Staff with Hitler during the Second World War. But, if you are looking for a study of the German General Staff in the Second World War, look elsewhere. At a high level the book devolves into a medium-length treatment of World War II, with occasional mention of the General Staff and its members.
The actual work of the general staff is largely ignored beyond mention of an occasional wargame or operation name. The composition and organization of the general staff is represented purely by the leader of the general staff and a few of the (possibly) notable members, such as Claus von Stauffenberg. But neither the day-to-day activities or the overarching responsibilities of the general staff are covered in any but the most tangential detail.
The only subject that is covered in much detail is the Hitler resistance movement centered in the general staff. It finds itself interspersed amongst the first few hundred pages, then receives two full chapters following Operation Zitadelle/Battle of Kursk. This would have been acceptable had the author chosen to target this as his overarching theme, but then he decides to haphazardly wander back into the war itself. Devoting ten or so pages to the response to the Normandy invasion and three to the Ardennes, eventually decides to wrap it up.
If the author had elected to stick to the resistance movement and really flesh out the ideas there, I think this could have been a decent work on that subject. However, as written, it is around half general staff resistance to Hitler and half general war history.
There are a few interesting tidbits sprinkled in and amongst the narrative. The general staff's decision that one panzer division to two motorized/mechanized divisions was the right corps ratio after the invasion of France was what I had expected. The treatment of Dunkirk was also intriguing, though brief. And finally, some commentary about the shortcomings of blitzkrieg in the wide steppe of Russia, where mechanized forces vastly outpaced the largely footborne infantry provide the only significantly interesting diversions in the work.
Though it covers considerably more than just the general staff in the second world war, Goelitz's "History of the German General Staff" is a more focused book on the staff, its responsibilities, and its development. Warlimont's "Inside Hitler's Headquarters, 1933-1945" and Megargee's "Inside Hitler's High Command" both provide decent treatments of the German General Staff.
All that being said, for a subject matter novice, Shattered Genius might be an easy-to-read introduction to the war as a whole, a lot of the big names in the Wehrmacht, and the army's resistance to Hitler. For an seasoned reader already knowledgeable on the subject, Shattered Genius is a whole lot of words with just a few interesting nuggets to be mined.
The actual work of the general staff is largely ignored beyond mention of an occasional wargame or operation name. The composition and organization of the general staff is represented purely by the leader of the general staff and a few of the (possibly) notable members, such as Claus von Stauffenberg. But neither the day-to-day activities or the overarching responsibilities of the general staff are covered in any but the most tangential detail.
The only subject that is covered in much detail is the Hitler resistance movement centered in the general staff. It finds itself interspersed amongst the first few hundred pages, then receives two full chapters following Operation Zitadelle/Battle of Kursk. This would have been acceptable had the author chosen to target this as his overarching theme, but then he decides to haphazardly wander back into the war itself. Devoting ten or so pages to the response to the Normandy invasion and three to the Ardennes, eventually decides to wrap it up.
If the author had elected to stick to the resistance movement and really flesh out the ideas there, I think this could have been a decent work on that subject. However, as written, it is around half general staff resistance to Hitler and half general war history.
There are a few interesting tidbits sprinkled in and amongst the narrative. The general staff's decision that one panzer division to two motorized/mechanized divisions was the right corps ratio after the invasion of France was what I had expected. The treatment of Dunkirk was also intriguing, though brief. And finally, some commentary about the shortcomings of blitzkrieg in the wide steppe of Russia, where mechanized forces vastly outpaced the largely footborne infantry provide the only significantly interesting diversions in the work.
Though it covers considerably more than just the general staff in the second world war, Goelitz's "History of the German General Staff" is a more focused book on the staff, its responsibilities, and its development. Warlimont's "Inside Hitler's Headquarters, 1933-1945" and Megargee's "Inside Hitler's High Command" both provide decent treatments of the German General Staff.
All that being said, for a subject matter novice, Shattered Genius might be an easy-to-read introduction to the war as a whole, a lot of the big names in the Wehrmacht, and the army's resistance to Hitler. For an seasoned reader already knowledgeable on the subject, Shattered Genius is a whole lot of words with just a few interesting nuggets to be mined.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review