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On August 2, 1934, Hitler required all members of Germany’s re-emerging military to take an oath of allegiance to his regime. As the war progressed and Hitler’s commands became more erratic and less humanitarian, this left his more conscientious generals in a moral predicament–to live up to their oath and follow the questionable commands of the Fuhrer or violate their oath and, consequently, one of their most basic beliefs. Through a critical examination of memoirs, postwar trial testimony and peer analysis, this volume explores the motivation behind the Wehrmacht leadership’s support of Hitler and his geopolitical agenda.
Beginning with the atmosphere prevalent in post-World War I Germany, it details the conditions and mindset which left all of Germany–and the military in particular–ripe for a politician of Hitler’s charisma. The main body of the work uses contemporary sources to delve into the seemingly incomprehensible reasoning behind the loyalty of Hitler’s chief lieutenants. These include the possibility of personal gain, the natural culmination of their chosen career, and the lure of Napoleonic dreams spurred on by Germany’s initial victory in Poland. In addition, it discusses those who apparently attempted, to no avail, to dissuade Hitler from his course of action. Appendices contain a list of postwar indictments; a chronology of the Third Reich; information regarding treaties and agreements; and comparative army ranks.
