Dashichev V.I. "Hitler's Strategy – the Way to Catastrophe", 1933-1945: in 4 Volumes / V.I. Dashichev; IIEPS RAS - Moscow, Nauka, 2005.
This four-volume edition is second-time revised and enlarged version of the two-volume edition "Crash of German Fascist Strategy. 1933-1945 (Moscow, Nauka, 1973. Executive editor - Academician А.А. Samsonov). The work is based on documents of top German leaders and written from contemporary point of view and is topical in terms of its persuasive showing the blemish and malicious essence of the global dominion policy.
For political analysts, historians and wide circle of readers.
Volume 1: The Fascist Germany on the Way to the Second World War, January 1933 - September 1939.
Based on the extensive factual data, the volume covers the nature and the objectives of the Nazi strategic concept with its underlying imperative: to avoid the two-front war for the Germany by means of blitzkrieg, turn-by-turn smashing of main opponents on the European continent. The book reveals measures by Hitler's Headquarters to create the requisite organizational, foreign political, economic and strategic conditions in their quest to dominate Europe. Two sections reveal Hitler's first military actions – capture of Austria and Czechoslovakia to extend their strategic positions in view of more extensive war in Europe. Much space is devoted to the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact of August 23, 1939.
Volume 2: Launched Battle for Dominion in Europe, 1939 - 1941.
The book shows how the Nazi leaders were planning and implementing the military campaigns against countries of Central, North, West and South Europe - against Poland ("Weiss" operation), Denmark and Norway ("Weserubung" operation), France ("Gelb" and "Rot" operations), the Balkan countries ("Marita" operation); how they failed to withdraw Britain from war, owing to which fact Germany faced the two-front war challenge on the eve of war against the Soviet Union. Hitler's "Mediterranean strategy" is also contemplated here with a contemporary look on the "Dunkirk miracle" – i.e. evacuation of British Expeditionary Army from the shores of Flanders.
Volume 3: Crash of offensive strategy in the war against the USSR, 1941-1943.
The third volume describes how "Operation Barbarossa" was planned and carried out, and how it completely failed in the battle under Moscow. Special attention is given to the military-and-economic maintenance of the "Nazi March to the East", which was a failure as well. The volume is opened with the section, covering one of the most disreputable documents of the ХХth Century – the General Plan "OST" with the Nazi leadership's directives to exterminate and subjugate Russian people and other Slavic nations as well. A very interesting treatment is given to one of the unsolved mysteries of the Second World War - the goals and circumstances of Hess's flight to Britain in May 1941 on the eve of Wehrmacht's attack on the Soviet Union. The volume is completed with examining of the Stalingrad and Kursk battles, marking the radical turn in the course of the Second World War and compelling the German military-political leaders to change from offensive to defensive strategy of the futile battle on two fronts.
Volume 4: Disruption of Hitler's defensive strategy. Downfall of the Third Reich, 1943-1945.
This volume narrates how the "East Wall" of Wehrmacht in Byelorussia and Ukraine collapsed under the blows of Red Army and how the Inter-allied Forces assumed the offensive from the East and from the West onto the "European Fortress" – the last resort of Nazi leaders and their last hope for rescue and how Hitler's military coalition was ruined by virtue of Soviet Union's victories and how the Nazi-opposing forces attempted a coup d'etat on July 20, 1944 so that to withdraw Germany from the war on passable conditions. The defeat of "Axis powers" in North Africa and in the Mediterranean Sea is also depicted. The final part describes death of Hitler and his entourage at the Imperial Office in Berlin. And the bloody price of criminal aggression – losses of Germany in the Second World War are also depicted. All in all, the four-volume edition may serve as a reference for all aspects of the strategy, pursued by the German Supreme Command in the period of 1933 - 1945.
