Hitler's Arctic War: The German Campaigns in Norway, Finland, and the USSR 1940

Hitler's Arctic War: The German Campaigns in Norway, Finland, and the USSR 1940-1945Author: Chris MannPublisher: Thomas Dunne BooksPDF | 224 pages | 2 x 36mb + 1 x 28mb = 100mb | English language | ISBN 0312311001

The German army's first campaign in the far north was an outstanding success: Between April and June 1940, German forces of less than 20,000 seized Norway, a state of three million people, while suffering only minimal losses. The army learned new skills to fight effectively in snow and ice. Since the terrain prohibited the use of tanks and heavy artillery, and lack of airfields restricted the employment of aircraft, the war became an infantry duel waged across a frozen landscape. While the war in the far north was an effective campaign that resulted in significant losses to the Red Army and Allied convoys, the Wehrmacht resources committed there ultimately drained the German war effort. In the end, Hitler's obsession with preventing an Allied invasion of Norway contributed heavily to the German collapse of 1944-45.

Reviewer:

Hitler's Arctic War is a useful introduction to that theater of WWII. The book starts by covering the Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939. Although this seems odd, given the title, it makes sense since strategically that war was important for later actions in Scandinavia. Next, the invasion of Norway is fairly well-covered, although without a lot of detail.

The German/Finn invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 is covered in much more detail. Included is a chapter on the naval convoys to send Lend-Lease material to the USSR via the arctic port of Murmansk. This is very interesting stuff, and is a topic that is only lightly addressed elsewhere. This is probably the main contribution of the book. The Soviet (re)invasion of Finnland in 1944 is also covered in solid fashion. Glantz provides more detail in his Battle for Leningrad, but this book will do if you just want the general overview and highlights of the battle. The book concludes with by examining covert operations and commando raids in Norway during the war.

If you are looking for an exhaustive source on WWII in Scandinavia, this is not for you. If you're looking for a solid introduction to the topic, this book will do nicely.

Poster's note: 100mb, in 36 and 28mb chunks , for everyone's greater convenience...

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