Hitler's Arctic War: The German Campaigns in Norway, Finland, and the USSR 1940-1945 - Hardcover

Mann, Chris; Jorgensen, Christer

3.64

53 ratings by Goodreads

9780711028999: Hitler's Arctic War: The German Campaigns in Norway, Finland, and the USSR 1940-1945

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0711028990 ISBN 13: 9780711028999

Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing, 2002

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

'In the past the German General Staff had taken no interest in the military history of wars in the north and east of Europe. Nobody had ever taken into account the possibility that some day German divisions would have to fight and to winter in northern Karelia and on the Murmansk coast.' (Lieutenant-General Waldemar Erfurth, German Army). Despite this statement, the German Army's first campaign in the far north was a great success: between April and June 1940 German forces totalling less than 20,000 men seized Norway, a state of three million people, for minimal losses. Hitler's Arctic War is a study of the campaign waged by the Germans on the northern periphery of Europe between 1940 and 1945. As Hitler's Arctic War makes clear, the emphasis was on small-unit actions, with soldiers carrying everything they needed - food, ammunition and medical supplies - on their backs. The terrain placed limitations on the use of tanks and heavy artillery, while lack of airfields restricted the employment of aircraft.Hitler's Arctic War also includes a chapter on the campaign fought by Luftwaffe aircraft and Kriegsmarine ships and submarines against the Allied convoys supplying the Soviet Union with aid. However, Wehrmacht resources committed to Norway and Finland were ultimately an unnecessary drain on the German war effort. Hitler's Arctic War is a ground-breaking study of how war was waged in the far north and its effects on German strategy.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Synopsis:

The German Army's first campaign in the far north was an outstanding success. Between April and June 1940, German forces totalling less than 20,000 men seized Norway, a state of 3 million people, for minimal losses. This brand new book, covering an area of World War 2 seldom looked at in detail before, is a study of the campaign waged by the German Army on the northern periphery of Europe between 1940 and 1945. As the book makes clear, the army had to learn many new skills to enable its troops to fight effectively in snow and ice conditions, with men carrying everything they needed - food, ammunition and medical supplies - on their backs. The terrain prohibited the use of tanks and heavy artillery, while lack of airfields restricted the employment of aircraft. The war, therefore, became an infantry duel, waged across a frozen landscape. As the book explains, the Germans were able to draw upon the experiences of their Finnish allies, plus their own resllience, to wage an effective war against the Soviet Union in the far north and threaten the strategic ports of Murmansk and Archangel.

Written by one of Britain's foremost experts on the subject of military history in Scandinavia during the 20th century, Hitler's Arctic War is a comprehensive account of one of the most critical - and most often overlooked - campaigns of World War 2. Readers in the ultimately successful Allied countries must never forget that it was through the ports of Archangel and Murmansk that the crucial arctic convoys delivered their essential supplies to the Soviet Union; without them, the Soviet Union would have been forced into surrender. Thus, the ultimate failure of the German forces in the Arctic campaign was an essential part of the Allied victory in the war.

About the Author:

CHRIS MANN is a lecturer in European history at the University of Surrey and University College, London. A holder of a doctorate in war studies from King's College, London, his author area of expertise is Scandinavian military history in the twentieth century, specifically during World War II. He is the author of Norwegian Armed Forces in Exile 1940-45 and The T-34, and co-author of Inside Hitler's Germany. He currently lives in London. CHRISTER JORGENSEN holds a doctorate on the Anglo-Swedish alliance between 1805 and 1809 from University College, London. He has written articles on military topics for military encyclopaedias and is the co-author of Tanks in the Twentieth Century. He currently lives in Sweden.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.