Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. CONTENTS v
3. Preface vii
4. Introduction ix
5. Part I: Military Ascent, Moral Decline
6. 1. The Army in the New Reich, 1933–36 3
7. 2. The Road to War, 1936–39 22
8. Part II: Triumph and Hubris
9. 3. Poland, 1939–40 45
10. 4. ‘Sitzkrieg’, 1939–40 61
11. 5. The Greatest Victory, 1940 72
12. 6. Occupying the West, 1940–41 89
13. 7. Planning Operation Barbarossa, 1940–41 110
14. 8. Barbarossa Unleashed, 1941 134
15. Part III: Losing the Initiative
16. 9. Barbarossa Undone, 1941 161
17. 10. Resistance and Reaction, 1941: Western Europe and Southeast Europe 190
18. 11. Winter Crisis, 1941–42 203
19. 12. The Desert War, 1941–42 219
20. 13. Southern Russia and Stalingrad, 1942–43 242
21. 14. Faces of Occupation, 1942–43: The Soviet Union 274
22. 15. Faces of Occupation, 1942–43: Western Europe and Southeast Europe 297
23. 16. The Initiative Lost, 1943 317
24. Part IV: Beleaguered
25. 17. Takeover in Southern Europe, 1943–44 341
26. 18. The Eastern Front, 1943–44: The Ostheer Retreats 356
27. 19. The Eastern Front, 1943–44: The Frontsoldat Endures 376
28. 20. Italy, 1943–44 397
29. 21. Fortress Europe Breached, 1943–44 418
30. Part V: Defeat, Destruction and Self-Destruction
31. 22. The Greatest Defeat, 1944 435
32. 23. The Army ‘Recovers’, 1944–45 468
33. 24. The Army Self-Destructs, 1945 497
34. Conclusion 521
35. Acknowledgements 537
36. Appendices 539
37. Notes 555
38. Bibliography 604
39. Index 616
40. Notes on Illustrations 636