SPEIDEL, HANS. Invasion 1944: Rommel and the Normandy Campaign. Pp. xiii, 176. Chicago: Henry Regnery Company, 1950. $2.75

• Author: A.C. Wedemeyer
• Published date: 01 March 1951
• Date: 01 March 1951
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/000271625127400142
• Subject Matter: Articles

218

the

Army

and

Navy,

General

Marshall

and

Admiral

Stark,

were

in

complete

agree-

ment :

Britain

must

be

sustained

at

all

costs,

our

policy

toward

Japan

must

be

firm

but

not

provocative.

We

were

not

prepared

to

fight

in

the

Pacific

as

well

as

the

Atlantic,

and,

short

of

Japan’s

extend-

ing

her

conquests,

we

should

go

to

almost

any

length

to

avoid

war

with

her.

In

the

meantime

we

were

building

up

our

strength

and,

in

the

calculation

of

the

Tojo

govern-

ment,

which

had

succeeded

that

of

Konoye,

Japan

had

to

strike

while

her

chances

were

still

good.

FRANK

M.

RUSSELL

University

of

California

SPEIDEL,

HANS.

Invasion

1944:

Rommel

and

the

Normandy

Campaign. Pp.

xiii,

176.

Chicago:

Henry

Regnery

Company,

1950.

$2.75.

This

book

depicts

in

a

dramatic

manner

the

emptiness

of

the battlefield-the

fog

of

war

with

its

terrifying

uncertainties,

subtle

deceptions,

and

the

inevitable

tense-

ness

which

grips

the

leaders

and

the

led

alike.

The

German

defenders

along

the

Normandy

Coast

were

banking

heavily

upon

the

effectiveness

of

reconnaissance

and

espionage

measures

to

provide

timely

and

accurate

information

concerning

the

Allies’

capabilities

and,

if

possible,

even

their

intentions.

General

Speidel

has

de-

scribed

vividly

the

suspense

and

the

mental

strain

of

responsible

commanders

awaiting

the

enemy’s

blows.

It

is

apparent

all

through

the

book

that

the

military

effort

of

Germany

in

the

last

year

of

World

War

II,

at

least

as

observed

and

experienced

by

the

author,

was

lacking

in

co-ordination

and

integration.

The

in-

terference

of

politicians

and

armchair

strat-

egists

in

the

strictly

military

field

militated

against

and

frequently

prevented

sound

battle

technique

and

tactics.

Hitler’s

lack

of

confidence

in

his

principal

commanders

was

reflected

in

the

attitude

and

spirit

of

all

ranks.

Indecision

and

confusion

were

present

throughout

the

preparation

phase

and

actual

operations

involving

Germany’s

defense

of

the

continent.

Instead

of

loyal

support

and

unanimity

of

purpose,

both

so

essential

to

success

in

combat,

or

for

that

matter

in

any

major

undertaking,

General

Speidel

protrays

the

tragic

picture

of

dis-

unity,

suspicion,

and

fear,

as

well

at

of

divided

loyalties

within

the

German

Army,

Air

Force,

and

Navy,

and

also

between

German

military

and

Nazi

officials.

*

The

author

reveals

a

lack

of

objectivity

with

reference

to

his

hero-the

over-all

German

commanding

general

in

the

Nor-

mandy

campaign-Marshal

Rommel.

The

reviewer,

having

had

the

opportunity

to

observe

the

military

at

first

hand

while

a

student

at

the

Kriegsacademie

in

Berlin

before

the

war,

understands

the

feeling

of

affection

and

respect

German

staff

officers

often

experienced

for

their

commanders.

Frequently

the

American

people

have

been

told

about

the

arrogant,

stubborn,

un-

imaginative,

and

ruthless

heel-clicking

Ger-

man

officers.

Some

do

answer

that

descrip-

tion ;

however,

in

two

years’

daily

and

close

association

with

German

offices

of

all

ranks,

the

reviewer

found

them

usually

to

be

very

much

in

the

pattern

of

American

officers-devoted

to

their

families

and

loyal

to

principles.

’

It

is

not

generally

known

that

Colonel

General

Ludwig

Beck,

Chief

of

the

Ger-

man

General

Staff

just

prior

to

the

war,

and

scores

of

other

’senior

and

junior

of-

ficers

deplored

Nazi

racial

discrimination,

the

unscrupulous

acts

of

aggression,

and

the

rule

of

tyranny

as

epitomized

by

Hitler

and

his

henchmen.

I

knew

General

Beck

personally

and

considered

him

one

of

the

finest

men

I

have

met

in

any

country

-a

cultured

gentleman,

enlightened

and

tolerant.

General

Beck,

General

Rommel,

and

thousands

of

other

patriotic

Ger-

mans

in

the

military

service

were

un-

derstandably

in

a

most

difficult

position,

torn

between

sworn

loyalties

to

those

in

power

and

their

innate

loyalties

to

prin-

ciples

of

decency

and

justice

in

human

relationships.

It

is

always

noteworthy

when

a

senior

officer

in

the

enemy’s

military

forces

com-

ments

on

our

own

mistakes

and

weaknesses,

and

also

extols

our

efforts

and

confirms

the

effectiveness

of

our

equipment.

In

this

regard,

it

is

apparent

that

General

Patton’s glan

and

aggressiveness

strongly

appealed

to

the

German.

General

Speidel