How Hitler Could Have Won World War II

372 Pages·2000·57.43 MB·English

by  Bevin Alexander

\ crisp,etfeclive World War 11 narralive highlights the many moments, invisible in the mecha-
nized chaos ofbattle, where the worm might have turned against the free world. An engrossing
militaryhistory, withchillingundertonesof what might havebeen." KIRKUS REVIi:ws
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HOW
HITLER
WCOULOD HNAVE
WORLD WAR
II
The Fatal Errors
That Led to Nazi Defeat
Bevin Alexander
THKEE [\IVEr\S Pf\ES5
NE>ft^ YORK
Photographon titlepage:AdolfHitler(right)smd
FieldMarshallWalthervon Brauchtisch,Germanarmycommander.
Topham/TheImageWorks)
(
Photographonpagexiv:AdolfHiderwalksupstairsataNazirally
inGermanypriortothewar. (Topham/TheImageWorks)
Copyright©2000byBevinAlexander
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformor
byanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,orbyanyin-
formationstorageandretrievalsystem,without
permissioninwritingfromthepublisher.
PublishedbyThreeRiversPress,NewYork,NewYork.
MemberoftheCrownPublishingGroup.
RandomHouse,Inc.NewYork,Toronto,London,Sydney,Auckland
www.randomhouse.com
THREERI\'ERSPRESSisaregisteredtrademarkandtheThreeRiversPresscolophonisa
registeredtrademarkofRandomHouse,Inc.
OriginallypublishedinhardcoverbyCrownPublishersin2000.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
DesignbyLeonard W. Henderson
MapsbyjEFFREV L. Ward
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Alexander,Bevin.
HowHitlercouldhavewonWorldWarII:thefatalerrorsthatledtoNazi
defeat/byBevinAlexander;mapsdrawnbyJeffreyL.Ward.
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
1.Hider,Adolf1889-1945—Militaryleadership.2.WorldWar, 1939-1945—Germany.3.
— —
Strategy History 20thcentury.I.Title.
DD247.H5A74872000
943.086'092—dc21 00-029429
ISBN0-609-80844-3
109876
FirstPaperbackEdition
Contents
List ofMaps vii
Introduction ix
1. Germany's Opportunity forVictory 1
2. The Campaign in the West: 1940 9
3. The Defeat ofFrance 17
4. Hitler's First Great Error 36
5. The Fatal Turn to the East 45
6. Attacking the Wrong Island 61
7. Rommel's Unappreciated Gift 71
8. Barbarossa 81
9. Falling Betw^een Two Stools 92
10. Failure Before Moscow 100
11. To and Fro in the Desert 110
12. No Change in Strategy 126
13. The Drive to ElAlamein 131
14. Stalingrad 145
15. Manstein Saves theArmy 156
16. The WesternAllies Strike 165
Contents
vi
17. Kasserine and the End inAfrica 180
18. The Invasion ofSicily 194
19. The Citadel Disaster 204
20. TheAssault on Italy 214
21. Normandy 233
22. The Liberation ofFrance 254
23. The Battle ofthe Bulge 276
24. The Last Days 290
Notes 304
Selected Bibliography 324
Index 329
List of Maps
Conquest ofthe Low Countries and France, 1940 18
Battle ofBritain, 19^0 39
Conquest ofYugoslavia and Greece, 1941 58
Capture ofCrete, May 20-June 1, 1941 66
The Crusader Battles, November 1941 74
War in the Desert, 1941-42 75
The Gazala Battles, May-June 1942 75
Barbarossa, 1941 85
Stalingrad, 1942 148
Landings in NorthAfrica, November 8-15, 1942 168
Tunisia, 1943 182
Conquest ofSicily,July 10-August 17, 1943 198
Retreat in Russia, 1943 206
48th Panzer Corps in Citadel,July 7-12, 1943 210
Salerno Landings, September 9-16, 1943 216
Invasion ofItaly September 1943 217
Normandy and the Liberation ofFrance, 1944 244
Battle ofthe Bulge, December 16-25, 1944 282
The Last Days, 1945 292
vii