Strange Victory

Hitler's Conquest of France

Nonfiction, History, Military, World War II
Cover of the book Strange Victory by Ernest R. May, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ernest R. May ISBN: 9781466894280
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publication: July 28, 2015
Imprint: Hill and Wang Language: English
Author: Ernest R. May
ISBN: 9781466894280
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication: July 28, 2015
Imprint: Hill and Wang
Language: English

A dramatic narrative-and reinterpretation-of Germany's six-week campaign that swept the Wehrmacht to Paris in spring 1940.

Before the Nazis killed him for his work in the French Resistance, the great historian Marc Bloch wrote a famous short book, Strange Defeat, about the treatment of his nation at the hands of an enemy the French had believed they could easily dispose of. In Strange Victory, the distinguished American historian Ernest R. May asks the opposite question: How was it that Hitler and his generals managed this swift conquest, considering that France and its allies were superior in every measurable dimension and considering the Germans' own skepticism about their chances?

Strange Victory is a riveting narrative of those six crucial weeks in the spring of 1940, weaving together the decisions made by the high commands with the welter of confused responses from exhausted and ill-informed, or ill-advised, officers in the field. Why did Hitler want to turn against France at just this moment, and why were his poor judgment and inadequate intelligence about the Allies nonetheless correct? Why didn't France take the offensive when it might have led to victory? What explains France's failure to detect and respond to Germany's attack plan? It is May's contention that in the future, nations might suffer strange defeats of their own if they do not learn from their predecessors' mistakes in judgment.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A dramatic narrative-and reinterpretation-of Germany's six-week campaign that swept the Wehrmacht to Paris in spring 1940.

Before the Nazis killed him for his work in the French Resistance, the great historian Marc Bloch wrote a famous short book, Strange Defeat, about the treatment of his nation at the hands of an enemy the French had believed they could easily dispose of. In Strange Victory, the distinguished American historian Ernest R. May asks the opposite question: How was it that Hitler and his generals managed this swift conquest, considering that France and its allies were superior in every measurable dimension and considering the Germans' own skepticism about their chances?

Strange Victory is a riveting narrative of those six crucial weeks in the spring of 1940, weaving together the decisions made by the high commands with the welter of confused responses from exhausted and ill-informed, or ill-advised, officers in the field. Why did Hitler want to turn against France at just this moment, and why were his poor judgment and inadequate intelligence about the Allies nonetheless correct? Why didn't France take the offensive when it might have led to victory? What explains France's failure to detect and respond to Germany's attack plan? It is May's contention that in the future, nations might suffer strange defeats of their own if they do not learn from their predecessors' mistakes in judgment.

More books from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Cover of the book Death of a Naturalist by Ernest R. May
Cover of the book A Long Way Gone by Ernest R. May
Cover of the book Interior by Ernest R. May
Cover of the book The Uncommon Reader by Ernest R. May
Cover of the book The Testament of Yves Gundron by Ernest R. May
Cover of the book Calvin by Ernest R. May
Cover of the book The Solitaire Mystery by Ernest R. May
Cover of the book Bug Boy by Ernest R. May
Cover of the book Sea Grapes by Ernest R. May
Cover of the book Why cant U teach me 2 read? by Ernest R. May
Cover of the book Pakistan by Ernest R. May
Cover of the book What Belongs to You by Ernest R. May
Cover of the book Chickamauga by Ernest R. May
Cover of the book In Fond Remembrance of Me by Ernest R. May
Cover of the book Housekeeping by Ernest R. May
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy