The Hitler Years - Disaster 1940-1945

The Hitler Years, Book 2

By: Frank McDonough

Narrated by: Paul McGann

The second volume in a new, immensely listenable narrative of the rise and catastrophic fall of the Nazi regime by a respected 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 its 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.

©2020 Frank McDonough (P)2020 W F Howes

A treat of narrative history.

I borrowed the title of my review from HistoryToday. They also said about McDonough's book: "...a splendid work of synthesis and, as such, it is as readable as it is authoritative." When I read these words, I knew I had to check it out but hesitated.

I mean, what can someone say about Hitler & the Nazis that haven't been said before? Yes, the story is familiar but the writing and the narration by Paul McGann is superb. I also liked that McDonough organized his materials (both of his books) in such a way that it did not bog down in too many details and yet, I learned a lot of new facts that I had never heard before.

Kudos to both McDonough & McGann for their work. I loved both of the audiobooks.

A fresh look

Too bad this book is decades too late. Almost all of the fiends escaped justice. The book shows how Germany remained essentially a Nazi country until the 90s.

Excellent!

If you like history, definitely listen to this 2 part series. it is well written and meticulously researched.

Some odd inconsistencies

This is a very good book in many ways, if you are looking for a book that follows the chronology of the Second World War, but there are some odd inconsistencies or mistakes that don’t necessarily diminish the book as make one wonder if the version given to the narrator was properly edited. Referring to 617 sqn. as ‘the famous 717 sqn.’ Is really not a big deal but one of a number of small but seemingly silly errors that I heard that just sat wrong for this kind of book. Anyway, it’s probable that for most people these problems would be inconsequential, I just noticed them and they stood out.

Excellent

Not only content but narration. Would highly recommend for anyone interested in this period of history