Book review (Fourth reading)...

I have a new appreciation for the work of William Shirer each time I re-read "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich"...Even with his unhidden contempt for all things Nazi and his low but accurate opinion of the weak-willed German people of the era, his voluminous research leaves little room for argument against his conclusions...My copy of his book was bought new by me in the sixties, but shows its age now with the dust jacket worn into two pieces...

My interest in mid-twentieth century warfare, its causes and effects on the world of that time, and even today's and future worlds, began in studies of world history in grade school, plus the obligatory comic books and movies of that time...Upon enlistment in the USAF, and assignment to what was then West Germany, my interest grew as I met people who survived that time, and saw for myself the land over which so many battles were fought, and in which so many damaged structures had yet to be rebuilt...

The older ones I met had little interest in remembering an era of their own history doomed to failure, and the younger ones could only provide sketchy accounts of what they had been told by the older members of their families...My own realization of the importance of the events of the times did not dawn on me until I found and bought a new copy of Shirer's newly published book in the base exchange, and later a copy of William Manchester's "The Arms of Krupp"...

An overview of Shirer's experiences reveals his unique qualifications to write this history...As a reporter for printed news sources and wire services, and as a broadcaster for Edward Murrow's burgeoning network of journalists, he watched and learned firsthand in the 20's and 30's how a set of solitary circumstances could align themselves to create an atmosphere of discontent and unreasoned hatred which would spawn the National Socialist Party in Germany...

Escaping Germany at the beginnings of the war to prevent his own internment and possible execution at the hands of the Gestapo, he continued to report the events from France and then Switzerland where he made his home...Returning as a journalist to cover the Nuremberg trials, he had access to captured war documents, and interviews with both victims and the accused...Together with his own notes and diaries smuggled out of Germany, and his skills at reading the various shorthand notes taken by Hitler's own translators and generals, he was well equipped to write on the subject, and to provide a mountain of documentation...

Shirer was on hand to listen to speeches given by Hitler, Goebbels and others in the Reichstag and in the beerhalls as he was fluent in the German language...He was able to read the various Nazi newspapers, books, pamphlets and posters in their distorted views presented to the German public...He then talked to people in the streets, stores and restaurants to gain their interpretations of the current events...

It may be accurately said that the derailment of Shirer's career as an on-air journalist by those at the top of CBS management directly resulted in this assembly of his documentation, memories and thoughts into this monumental history...CBS' loss was the publishing world's gain as no other writer has come close to this production, even with Shirer's slant toward the abilities and decisions of the players in his recollection...

More or less arranged in chronological formation, he chronicles the events as he sees their importance and relevance, but often refers back to an earlier description to underscore his current sub-topic...The reader (at least this one) can become bewildered attempting to keep all the actors on this stage in perspective...This, I believe, is why I gain new insight on this era as each time I re-read it, I have read many other books focusing more on single events, giving a clearer view of how the puzzle pieces fit together into a single picture...

Shirer never pulls a punch when describing any of the villains or protagonists in his account of this drama...My personal favorites are his many depictions of German Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop as arrogant and dull-witted, or his portrayals of Italian dictator Mussolini as a strutting, costumed buffoon in public, while still an indecisive, introverted and yet eloquent man otherwise...Bernard Montgomery's opinions of his own self-importance and Dwight Eisenhower's emergence as more of a politician than a military leader are also accurate in the opinion of this student...

Anyone with the idea of reading this volume should do so with the intention of reading it again in the future...At 1,200 pages of very small print and no picture breaks, it is not a task to be taken on in an afternoon at the beach...The insight gained on the web of political and military intrigue, and its effects on the lives and futures of entire populations make each revisit time well spent...

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