Norman J. W. Goda
Author of Tales from Spandau: Nazi Criminals and the Cold War
Works by Norman J. W. Goda
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1961
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Education
- University of North Carolina (PhD|History)
Members
Reviews
Statistics
- Works
- 5
- Members
- 99
- Popularity
- #191,538
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 3
- ISBNs
- 18
- Languages
- 1
This cogently argued book focuses on Germany's secret efforts to gain base sites for the new navy and long-range bombers in French North West Africa, Spain's Canary Islands, and Portugal's Azores and Cape Verde Islands. During this period Hitler rated the base issue a higher priority than the efficient prosecution of the war against Great Britain and second only to the Eastern Campaign.
In the end, Berlin failed to gain base sites. The effort antagonized Spain and France, pushing them away from a more actively pro-German stance. Germany also misjudged America's capability to capture the sites and consequently left Northwest Africa relatively unprepared for the Allied invasion of 1942.
Goda questions both the traditional notion that Germany operated from an unplanned opportunism and the argument that its territorial demands were limited to the European continent. His close reading of diplomatic and military archives opens new windows on Franco's Spain and Pétain's France. By focusing on policy formulation and implementation at the political and diplomatic level, he adds evidence for the view that Hitler's ambitions were not just talk but the basis for concrete military plans.… (more)