Geoffrey P. Megargee (1959–2020)

I'm not really the person who this book was written for but if one is looking for a concise overview of how the German way of war interlocked with the Nazi vision of violent racial supremacy you could do much worse than this study. If you are still operating under the assumption that the dichotomy between "criminal" political regime and a decent & proper military hierarchy existed, you will have your eyes opened.

War of Annhilation is most likely the best introduction to the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. In 150 pages, Megargee covers the ideological, diplomatic, political and military events leading up to and involved in Operation Barbarossa. Crucially, he covers both the military and the criminal aspects of the campaign and shows how they were closely connected. Megargee has made excellent use of the most recent scholarship.

The coverage of the Polish campaign was notably good. One show more hopes this will help bring more historicity into the popular conception of the period. show less