Chapter 8 - Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

Remember that Shel Silverstein poem about the little girl who ate the whale? Everyone told Melinda Mae she was too small to eat a whale, but “she took little bites and she chewed very slow, just like a little girl should.” The poem ends by saying, “...and in eighty-nine years she ate that whale, because she said she would!!!”

Well, the book I want to review today is a whale of a book. But, if you take it in small bites and chew slowly, you’ll find that not only will you be able to finish this book, but you’ll be licking your chops for more when you finish. The book is “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” by William Shirer and was recommended to me by one of you (thanks, Tom!). My paperback copy came in at 1486 pages, not including the notes, bibliography, acknowledgments and index. So, it’s fair to say that it’s a very long book. But, boy, what a fantastic read! William Shirer was an American journalist living in Germany during the early years of the Third Reich. He was an eyewitness to Hitler’s rise to power and the complete spell he and his fellow Nazis cast over the German people. He gives some unique insights into the ideas and emotions that were swirling around Germany during the 1920’s and 1930’s which I think help us to understand how a country could be taken by Hitler and his ideas. The book starts with Hitler’s youth and follows him up through his remarkable rise to power. As the “Fuehrer”, he eventually takes control of virtually every aspect of the government, one piece at a time. For as egotistical and wacky as he was, Hitler was also an incredible orator and would captivate crowds and persuade nearly everyone who heard him speak to believe in him and his dreams for Germany. He had a remarkable vision of what he wanted to accomplish, and for many years, he was successful in all he set out to do. In 1938, the Germans took over Austria and Czechoslovakia without firing a shot. Later, the war began as they attacked Poland, then Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium, France, etc. One by one the countries fell in combat. Before reading this book, all the books I had read about WWII related stories of battles in the Pacific arena of the war and discussed battles that happened post-Pearl Harbor, once the U.S. was officially engaged in the war. I didn’t fully appreciate or realize how much the war had completely engulfed Europe before December 1941 and how close Germany came to controlling all of Europe. It really is remarkable how much, how far, and how fast Germany was able to conquer Europe. They employed a brand new form of warfare with their tank divisions and their blitzkrieg bombing raids. They were certainly a force to be reckoned with. Thankfully, England chose to hang in and fight, even against great odds. They were eventually greatly helped in the east by the Russians, after the Germans turned on their one-time-allies. Of course, we know about D-Day and the U.S. troops that came later to drive the Germans back and defeat them with a whole coalition of troops.

Okay, okay, but enough about the war. There are plenty of WWII books out there that tell the story of the war. The fascinating aspect of this book is that it is told from the German perspective. Shirer grants us a front row seat to see the workings of the Nazi government before and during the war. We become very familiar with Hitler’s right hand men including Goering (Reichstag president and head of air force), Himmler (chief of S.S. and chief of police), Goebbels (propaganda minister) and Ribbentrop (foreign minister), just to name a few of the closest co-conspirators. While Himmler may have been the cruelest and most cold-blooded of the bunch, Goebbels seemed the most deceitful and outright creepy to me (see picture at right). We meet hundreds of other participants in the marvel and terror that was the Third Reich. Overall the story is fascinating and gripping. I had worried at the outset that I was likely to become bored or lost somewhere among the almost 1500 pages. But, the way that Shirer brings the reader into the story kept me interested and curious throughout the entire book. There’s a lot more to this book including: descriptions of the political and military agreements between Germany and Italy, Russia and Japan, the extermination camps and mass murder crews (Einsatzgruppe) that were part of the “final solution” for the Jews, concentration camps and labor prisoner programs that led millions of Russians and Slavs to their graves, the heroic efforts of the Norwegians, English, Americans and underground resistance groups to slow and stop the Third Reich, and several interesting stories about Hitler including incredible fits of rage, several attempts at assassination and the women in his life. This book is a riveting tale of one driven, determined, fanatical man, his near success in conquering an entire continent, and his collapse and destruction, along with which his political party also ceased to exist. So, for anyone interested in Hitler, the Nazi party, WWII, European history, or any other aspect I have mentioned, I highly recommend that you Buy The Book !!! And remember, the only way to eat a whale is a bite at a time…just go from one bite to the next and before you know it this fantastic book will be over. Oh, and I promise this book won’t take 89 years to read.