Kesselring offers a view of the Second World War through the eyes of a German participant.

Translation of Soldat bis zum letzten Tag.

Part one:Years of war and peace: 1904-41. -- Service in the Royal Bavarian Army in the Reichswehr, 1904-33 -- Flashes from the Reichswehr period -- Transfer to the Luftwaffe -- In the Air Ministry – Chief of the General Staff of the Luftwaffe -- Chief of Air Fleet 1, Berlin -- The Polish Campaign, 1939 -- Between Campaigns, the winter of 1939-40 -- Air Fleet 2 in the Western Campaign : The first act in the West -- The second act in the West -- Before the turning-point: Summer 1940 -- Operation Sea-lion and the Battle of Britain -- The Russian Campaign till the end of November 1941 -- part two : The war in the Mediterranean: 1941-45. Mediterranean, 194145 -- Malta or Egypt? November 1941- October 1942 -- The Allied invasion of North Africa and the Battle for Tunis : -- Before the invasion -- North Africa, November 1942- January 1943 -- Tunisia, February to May 1943 -- The Leap to Sicily -- Mussolini’s fall and Italy’s defection : -- Preliminaries -- My first steps after Mussolini’s arrest -- Hitler’s first reactions -- My efforts to consolidate the situation -- Operation Axis -- The day of the surrender, 8 September 1943 -- The last of Cavallero -- King Victor Emannuel, Mussolini and Hitler -- The battle of Salerno and the struggle to build up a defence front south of Rome -- Cassino, Anzio-Nettuno and Rome, Autumn 1943 till early summer 1944 : -- The Bridgehead and Cassino -- Before the battle for Rome -- The big spring battle -- Defence stand in Italy, summer 1944 till spring 1945 : -- June till mid-august 1944 -- The 20th July and the Italian Theatre -- Autumn 1944 -- Northern Italy after the Apennine battles -- The winter period, 1944-45 -- Balance-sheet of the Italian campaign –The Partisan war in Italy : -- The development of guerilla warfare -- Organization of the partisans -- Partisan methods -- The fight against the partisans -- The spread of the Partisan War. Its excesses -- part three : Unconditional surrender and my trial. -- Commander-in-Chief West : -- My assignment -- The situation and preliminary measures -- Again at the Führer’s General Headquarters -- The loss of the Palatinate -- The Oppenheim crossing and its consequences -- The “Ruhr Fortress” -- The allied break-through on the Lower Rhine -- The situation on the Upper Rhine in March -- Retrospect and outlook -- My relations with Hitler and the C.K.W. -- The battles in central Germany -- The end of the war : -- Southern Germany -- The battle for cities -- The demolition of bridges -- The Alpine fortress -- The situation in Mid-April, 1945 -- The end of the fighting in South Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia -- I am given Plenipotentiary powers -- Problems of leadership at the end of the war -- Capitulation -- My post-war experiences : -- First years of imprisonment -- My trial -- Measures for the protection of Italy’s population and culture -- After my trial.