The third in a three-part in depth study and deals with Hitler’s influence on the Wehrmacht and how his decisions influenced the advancement of weapons technology in this pivotal era of the Second World War.

Hitler arrogated to himself the power to make all critical decisions relating to the strategic and operational deployment of the entire Wehrmacht, and this volume analyzes the effect of his decisions on the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine. How did his decisions affect the development of German Jet aircraft? And the types of U-Boats used? How did he decide what priority to assign to key weapons in the overall German war effort? What determined how programs such as the V1, V2 and the potential German Atomic bomb were integrated into the German war effort? All these matters were critical to the actual operational power of the Wehrmacht as opposed to its theoretical potential. Similarly, what was the effect of the allied strategic bombing campaign on Germany’s war potential and how effective were the steps Hitler ordered against it? Finally, what did the leading military figures of the Third Reich such as Field Marshals von Rundstedt, Rommel, Kluge, Bock, Model and Kleist think of Hitler’s command? Did the Chiefs of the General Staff during the war – Halder, Zeitzler and Guderian state their views? And what was the effect of the attempt on Hitler’s life through ‘Operation Valkyrie’ on military operations?

Hitler's Command is the third in a three part in depth study and deals with Hitler’s influence on the Wehrmacht and how his decisions influenced the advancement of weapons technology in this pivotal era of the Second World War.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Glossary
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Hitler and the Kriegsmarine
• Chapter 2 Hitler and the Luftwaffe
• Chapter 3 Hitler’s Involvement in Weapons Development Programmes and Production Priorities
• Chapter 4 The Generals’ View of Hitler as Commander-in-Chief
• Chapter 5 The Effect on German Military Operations of the Attempted Assassination and Coup of 20 July 1944
• Chapter 6 Hitler As Warlord – Final Conclusions
• A Note on Sources and Further Reading
• Epilogue
• Appendix I: Text of the Memorandum of 3 July 1944 from Field Marshal Rommel to Hitler
• Appendix II: Senior German Military Personnel and their Fate
• Notes
• Plates