"After Germany's humiliating World War II defeat, numerous German generals published memoirs claiming that their country's brilliant military leadership had been undermined by the Führer's erratic decision making. The author of three highly acclaimed books on the era, Stephen Fritz upends this characterization of Hitler as an ill-informed fantasist and demonstrates the ways in which his strategy was coherent and even competent"-- Book jacket.

Clausewitz, Hitler, and absolute war -- Emergence of the idea -- War in peace -- Blitzkrieg Unleashed -- The Blitzkrieg paradox -- The lure of Lebensraum -- Barbarossa: the last Blitzkrieg (June-August 1941) -- Barbarossa: Catastrophe (September 1941-March 1942) -- A world power or nothing at all (1942-3) -- No victory, no piece (summer 1943-4) -- Never again a November 1918 -- Hitler as Feldherr: an assessment.