"In War of Annihilation, noted military historian Geoffrey P. Megargee provides a clear, concise history of the Germans' opening campaign of conquest and genocide in 1941. By drawing on the best of military and Holocaust scholarship, Megargee dispels the myths that have distorted the role of Germany's military leadership in both the military operations themselves and the unthinkable crimes that were part of them."--Jacket.

1. The roots of the war of annihilation -- 2. Plans and preparations, 1940-1941 -- 3. Initial victories and atrocities, June to August -- 4. The second phase : expanding conquests and genocide, August to October -- 5. The final drive on Moscow and systematic killing, October to December -- 6. Failure and its consequences, to early 1942 -- Appendix 1: The levels of command -- Appendix 2: Principal German Army commands and staffs on June 22, 1941.