Downfall 1945

The Fall of Hitler’s Third Reich

Downfall 1945 cover

Description

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

Yet at the same time, the Allies were already on shaky ground--as German resistance was crushed, the Allies began to eye one another nervously across a battle-torn Europe. These politically driven military decisions would 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 toward the Baltic straits, incursions in Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and engagements in Eastern and Western Germany, while 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 May 24 2016
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 96
ISBN 9781472811431
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 70 b/w; 9 col
Dimensions 10 x 7 inches
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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