Downfall 1945

The Fall of Hitler’s Third Reich

Downfall 1945 cover

Downfall 1945

The Fall of Hitler’s Third Reich

Description

A highly illustrated account of the many and complex operations in the final months of World War II in Europe, detailing the behind-the-scenes political machinations.

As the final month of fighting in Europe in 1945 dawned the Allies embarked upon a series of mopping up operations, destroying the last centres of German resistance as the essentially defeated Wehrmacht fought on in increasingly desperate conditions, driven on by the explicit no surrender order issued by Hitler.

Yet at the same time, the Allied alliance was already on shaky ground, as German resistance was crushed the Allies began to eye each other nervously across a battletorn Europe, with the politically driven military decisions to have a huge impact on the future of the continent.

This book traces the final operations of the war, from the liberation of Denmark, the Allied drive towards the Baltic straits, incursions in Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and engagements in Eastern and Western Germany, whilst also analyzing how the Allied strategies in the final days of the war were a hint of the future difficulties that would drive the Cold War.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chronology

Opposing commanders
Opposing armies
Opposing plans
The campaign

Aftermath
The battlefield today
Further reading
Index

Product details

Published 19 May 2016
Format Ebook (Epub)
Edition 1st
Extent 96
ISBN 9781472811455
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 70 b/w; 9 col
Series Campaign
Short code CAM 293
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Steven J. Zaloga

Steven J. Zaloga received his BA in History from U…

Illustrator

Steve Noon

Steve Noon was born in Kent, UK, and attended art…

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