The Hitler Years: Disaster 1940–1945

The second volume of a new narrative history of the rise and fall of the Nazi regime, by an expert on the Third Reich.

At the beginning of 1940 Germany was at the pinnacle of its power. By May 1945 Hitler was dead and Germany had suffered a disastrous defeat. Hitler had failed to achieve his aim of making Germany a super power and had left her people to cope with the endless shame of the Holocaust.

In The Hitler Years: Disaster 1940-1945, Professor Frank McDonough charts the dramatic change of fortune for the Third Reich, and challenges long-held accounts of the Holocaust and Germany's ultimate defeat.

Despite Hitler's grand ambitions and the successful early stages of the Third Reich's advances into Europe, Frank McDonough argues that Germany was only ever a middle-ranking power and never truly stood a chance against the combined forces of the Allies.

Review

This book is like a time machine because McDonough writes so vividly [...] One minute you're dining in private with Churchill and Stalin, the next you're watching the Wehrmacht advance and retreat in the east ― History of War Magazine

An impressive tome, beautifully presented with a body of illustrations... McDonough's narrative rattles along, constantly engaging and enlightening and thankfully free from turgid academic jargon... Rarely has the odious story of the Third Reich been so elegantly presented' ― History Today

I have read many books on the period and Frank McDonough's ranks above them all. Bravo -- Danny Baker

McDonough is not content with repeating age-old arguments but seeks to challenge mainstream historiography, bringing into question the real role Hitler played in Nazi Germany ― Aspects of History

McDonough writes clearly and readably with just enough detail on the huge canvas that he covers ― Spectator

An amazing achievement... If you are going to read one book over the Christmas period or early next year then read this -- Paul Ross, talkRadio

About the Author

Professor Frank McDonough, educated at Balliol College, Oxford is an internationally renowned expert on the History of the rise and fall of the Third Reich and has written many critically acclaimed books on the subject.