Retreat to the Reich: The German Defeat in France, 1944

The book covers the Normandy landing and subsequent breakout and race to the Rhine. It is the prequel to the author's "The German Defeat in the East". If you have read one you'll be familiar with the other for the styles are similar. Its an overview that starts at Normandy and ends with the completion of Operation Market-Garden. Thats another thing the books have in common; they end at odd times. Maybe the author is trying to garner a couple more books from the publisher but whatever the reason, I find it a little irritating having two incomplete books. Mr Mitcham begins his story at the close of WWI and the desperate living conditions Germans were forced to live at the hands of the Allies and how the Nazis were able take power and pull the economy back to health. The story then jumps to 1943 with Rommel and Rundstedt taking over the defense of the Atlantic Wall and which units were under their command and which strategy would be used for the inevitable invasion. Once the main story begins with the landings at Normandy the pace remains quick and there is not much depth to it but the key events are covered. The landings, Caen, Operation Goodwood, St Lo, Operation Cobra, Mortain Counteroffensive, Rennes and the rest of Brittany, Falsise, the Seine crossing, Operation Market-Garden and the approach to the Germany border. Operation Cobra probably has the best coverage in the book. I like the book for several reasons. First, even though its an overview, the author mentions all the German units involved in the tactical engagements and provides an Order of Battle with each engagement. Secondly the author includes the lower ranking generals that are usually absent in other books and you learn something about these commanders that are usually near the front lines. The book is also German-centric which may displease some people but that's another reason for my purchase. I have a ton of books that are Allied-centric and just wanted to get a better understanding of the "enemy" by reading their perspective. Though there are discussions of German commanders, there really isn't much of a human interest aspect with the ground troops. There are 12 black and white maps which are pretty basic but they help and 26 photos. There is an Appendix of useful tables and an extensive Bibliography for further reading. A good Index will help you find and individual or army unit that has your interest. If your looking for a good tactical overview of the fighting in France in the last half of 1944 from a German perspective, give this a consideration. If you're looking for an excellent overview with an Allied perspective that runs through May 1945, then let me suggest "D-Day to Berlin" by Allan Levine.

Very well written book loaded with facts and biographies of the major participants in the appendices. Easy to read and follow and very informative.

Samuel W. Mitcham's "Retreat to the Reich: The German Defeat in France, 1944" is solid look, mostly from the German perspective, at the action in Northwest Europe from the June 6 (1944) Allied invasion of Festung Europa to the failed Ardennes counteroffensive of mid-to-late December '44. While the war in Europe didn't end for another 5 months, the events of the six months Mitcham covers here are generally considered the period on the Western front that contributed most significantly to the ultimate Anglo-American-Soviet defeat of Germany (with the Soviet actions on the Eastern playing the overall dominant role). In focusing on this period of action from the German side of the equation, Mitcham - a noted historian who has contributed much to our current knowledge of the German army of WWII - has helped to fill in portions of the larger puzzle that are generally lacking on other accounts and analyses of the same period and geographical realm. Not surprisingly, given Mitcham's expertise, "Retreat to the Reich" contains much by way of German Order of Battle information (Mitcham has written one of the definitive books on the Werhmacht OB; "Hitler's Legions", 1985, ISBN-10: 0812829921) as the action is described. Sometimes this approach becomes a bit tedious to read, but one certainly cannot claim Mitcham fails as a quality historian. This is not to say that Mitcham has generated a prose that is difficult or uninteresting, rather it is deep in historical content in a way that not all readers may enjoy. Certainly those more serious about their historical readings/studies will thoroughly enjoy "Retreat to the Reich", while it may be more hit-or-miss as enjoyment for the casual reader of Second World War history. Three stars for writing style, 4.5 stars for historical prowess; 4 stars overall.

I believe that Mr Mitcham is today the leading expert on the German Army and its officer corps during World War II and this book is a real gem for everyone who's looking for a nice account of the German defeat in France in 1944. It starts with the D-Day invasion and goes on with the bocage battles, the "Cobra" breakout, the Mortain - Falaise terrible battle, the Allies' advance to the Seine and Paris and the reach of the German frontier. Instead of what happens often in other military history books, Mitcham's works are a joy to read, because they are very well written, contain a wealth of rare material and information (especially the numerous biographical sketches of German officers), and most important, they do not have mistakes commonly found elsewhere, like the designation of units and formations, the ranks of German officers, the spelling of their names etc. I wish Mr Mitcham will offer us many more titles in the future, using always his talent for smooth writing, detail and professional research. His books remain always in my library as valuable and credible sources of reference.

This new book from Samuel W. Mitcham, Jr., author of numerous books on the German armed forces during World War Two, is another great addition to literature on that subject. In this book the author covers the German defeat in France after the Allied invasion in June 1944. In just over 270 pages Mitcham offers the reader an interesting account of the German measures to defeat the Normandy invasion, the story is well told and the narrative flowed along quite smoothly. The book is no where as detailed as the classic account by Carlo D'este, `Decision in Normandy' published in 1983. However it does offer a very good overview of the invasion at Normandy and the fighting in the bocage country along with the subsequent invasion of Southern France. The story continues with the Allied drive to the Rhine and the failed airborne operation `Market Garden'. One of the best points about this book is that it offers a biography of each of the major commanders and a mini history of each major fighting unit. The author presents this information in a way that it does not interrupt the story, it enhances it. There are a number of first hand accounts by participants on both sides of the fighting and the author makes a number of interesting observations about the German and Allied forces and their commanders. The photographs supplied were OK but I think could have been better presented and I am a bit suspicious about some of the captions. The main disappointment with this book is the standard of the maps. They could have been a lot better and more detailed. This seems to be a common problem with a number of books on the market at the moment and I only hope that some publishers take note.Overall I found this book to be an interesting and enjoyable read and I think that most people who have an interest in this subject should enjoy it. I would make the point however that this is more of a general overview of this campaign and not a detailed combat history. Regardless of that I hope the author intends to follow on with a book covering the Ardennes Offensive and the final drive into Germany.