The Hitler Myths - Exposing the Truth Behind the Stories About the Führer

The Hitler Myths - Exposing the Truth Behind the Stories About the Führer

written by Sjoerd J. De Boer and published by Frontline Books - £25 - Hardback -

Pages 256

Adolf Hitler remains one of the most discussed figures in world history. Every year, an untold number of articles and books are published, and television programmes and internet pages are produced, by respected historians through to amateur conspiracy theorists.

One of the consequences of this continuous flow of stories is that, over time, increasing numbers of falsehoods and fabrications have emerged about Hitler. Many of these have subsequently gained credence by virtue of their constant repetition – however bizarre they may be.

These include such claims that Hitler was impotent (contradicted by another myth that he had an illegitimate son), that he had Jewish ancestors, or that he had killed his niece. Another claim, one of the most persistent, is that he did not commit suicide but escaped Berlin to live in Argentina for years after the war, despite his well-recorded failing health. What is the truth about his corpse, his sexual experiences, his years of poverty, his complete dominance of his subordinates? How much of what we think we know is the result of intentional or misunderstood modern interpretations? Many rumours also circulated during Hitler’s life and, with the passage of time, have been presented as facts despite having no substantial foundation.

Was Hitler really a hero of the First World War and, if so, why was he not promoted beyond the rank of corporal? Was he the true author of Mein Kampf and did he write a second book that was never published, and was Hitler initially a socialist?

In The Hitler Myths the author clinically dissects many of these myths, often in a highly amusing fashion, as he exposes the inaccuracies and impossibilities of the stories.

The myths – the familiar and the obscure – are discussed chronologically, following the course of Hitler’s life. In his analysis of each of the myths, the author draws on an array of sources to prove or disprove the rumours and speculations – once and for all!

This book looks at various myths concerning Adolf Hitler from was he a Jew? to was he a Demon? And all sorts in between. These myths have risen from when Hitler was still alive to some coming about many years later. The author Sjoerd J. De Boer looks at the evidence and documents surrounding each myth, and debates as to whether they are true or false based on actual evidence. I really enjoyed this book, yes I had heard of some of them but a good few I hadn’t heard of, but thanks to some good writing by the author it seemed an effortless but balanced read in an enjoyable way. The Bibliography at the back of the book was quite detailed and a decent size, so I will be using that for sure. Would I recommend this book, although a lot is written about Hitler, even today I have learnt quite a bit and I would recommend this book to WW2 fans and non-WW2 fans.

Sex & Sexuality in Tudor England

Sex & Sexuality in Tudor England written by Carol McGrath and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 176

The Tudor period has long gripped our imaginations. Because we have consumed so many costume dramas on TV and film, read so many histories, factual or romanticised, we think we know how this society operated. We know they ‘did’ romance but how did they do sex?

In this affectionate, informative and fascinating look at sex and sexuality in Tudor times, author Carol McGrath peeks beneath the bedsheets of late fifteenth- and early sixteenth-century England to offer a genuine understanding of the romantic and sexual habits of our Tudor ancestors.

Find out the truth about ‘swiving’, ‘bawds’, ‘shaking the sheets’ and ‘the deed of darkness'. Discover the infamous indiscretions and scandals, feast day rituals, the Southwark Stews, and even city streets whose names indicated their use for sexual pleasure. Explore Tudor fashion: the codpiece, slashed hose and doublets, women’s layered dressing with partlets, overgowns and stomachers laced tightly in place. What was the Church view on morality, witchcraft and the female body? On which days could married couples indulge in sex and why? How were same sex relationships perceived? How common was adultery? How did they deal with contraception and how did Tudors attempt to cure venereal disease? And how did people bend and ignore all these rules?

If you're a fan of the Tudor period, your really going to enjoy this book but I also think non-Tudor fans would get much enjoyment out of this book too. It was actually a good read because it was an easy read and very well written, when you think there probably wasn’t much source material to rely on, the author Carol McGrath has done a good job. The majority of us enjoy the Tudor period and this book covers a good wide range of topics such as the Church & Marriage, Contraception & Child Birth, Dressing to Impress, a visit to a Brothel and Sex & Witchcraft. I always seem to think these Sex & Sexuality books are going to be a bit crude or smutty, but they never are. They just seem to be informed and light hearted. I would certainly recommend this book, as it is enjoyable and an entertaining read.

Football’s Great War

Football’s Great War written by Dr Alexander Jackson and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £25.00 - Hardback - Pages 384

As modern football grapples with the implications of a global crisis, this book looks at the

first in the game’s history: The First World War. The game’s structure and fabric faced

existential challenges as fundamental questions were asked about its place and value in

English society. This study explores how conflict reshaped the People’s Game on the

English Home Front.

The wartime seasons saw football's entire commercial model challenged and questioned. In 1915, the FA banned the payment of players, reopening a decades-old dispute between the game's early amateur values and its modern links to the world of capital and lucrative entertainment.

Wartime football forced supporters to consider whether the game should continue, and if so, in what form? Using an array of previously unused sources and images, this book explores how players, administrators and fans grappled with these questions as daily life was continually reshaped by the demands of total war. From grassroots to elite football, players to spectators, gambling to charity work, this study examines the social, economic and cultural impact of what became Football's Great War.

This book in my opinion is certainly an important one and asks the readers a number of questions about the role football plays in society, how much of a role does professionalism play in it and is there a big difference between keeping it in an amateur format or professional. The author of this book is also the Curator at the Football Museum in Manchester, and this certainly shows up well as he is able to draw on many sources and archive material in his writing for the book. I enjoyed the picture section within the book but then I am a football fan, it does seem though that having read a number of football books recently surprising how inept the FA really has been.  I mean they almost ruined Women’s football and had it not been so big it’s lucky they didn’t kill off the men’s game or at least set it back a number of decades. A thoroughly good book and very enjoyable to read, highly recommended and I’m enjoying getting into the sporting history books.

Armoured Warfare in the British Army 1914-1939

Armoured Warfare in the British Army 1914-1939 written by Lt Col Dick Taylor

and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25.00 - Hardback - Pages 248

This is the first volume in a three-volume illustrated history of the evolution of armoured manoeuvre warfare in the British army, covering the period from 1914 until 1939. Author Dick Taylor’s tour de force covers the evolution of the tank and armoured cars in response to the specific conditions created by trench warfare, the history of the use of tanks during the war, as well as the critical period between the wars in which the tank was both refined and neglected. He also looks in detail at the amalgamations and mechanization of the horsed cavalry which led to the formation of the Royal Armoured Corps in 1939.

His detailed and absorbing narrative covers the social and human aspects of the story as well as the technology and explains how the nation that invented and first fielded the tank in 1916 struggled to maintain the lead after the Armistice.

This book or small book series takes a look at tanks during the Great War and up until the Second World War. Unfortunately, the British tank was never a going to be the best in the world, but it was the first. This book explains the reasons for this from political in-fighting, to there no being group thinking to improve on the original tanks and therefore not enough money put into the weapon in the inter-war period. This book should be commended for the very comprehensive information and detail within, the author Dick Taylor has done a fantastic job I feel I have learnt so much from this book. The book contains a lot of information tables and some really good photographs of the process and design.

If I wanted to learn about the British tank, I would most certainly recommend this one and this is just the first in a series of three. This is a highly commendable book, very well written and well done.

London Serial Killers

London Serial Killers written by Jonathan Oates and published by Pen & Sword

Books - £20.00 - Hardback - Pages 224

Murders and murderers fascinate us – and perhaps serial killers fascinate us most of all. In the twentieth century the term came to be used to describe murders committed by the same person, often with similar methods. But, as Jonathan Oates demonstrates in this selection of cases from London, this category of crime has existed for centuries, though it may have become more common in modern times. Using police and pathologists’ reports, Home Office and prison files, trial transcripts and lurid accounts in contemporary newspapers, he reconstructs these cases in order to explain how they took place, who the killers were, what motivated them, and how for a while they got away with their crimes. He does not neglect the victims and provides a revealing analysis of the killers, their circumstances and their actions.

Among the nineteenth-century cases are the infamous killings of Jack the Ripper and the less-well-known but terrifying crimes of the only female killer, the Deptford Poisoner. Twentieth-century cases covered in forensic detail include the Black-out Ripper of 1942, the Thames Nude Murders of the 1960s and the multiple killings of Joseph Smith, John Christie and John George Haigh. There is also one especially troubling unsolved case – the notorious Soho prostitute killings of the 1930s and 1940s, which may be the work of one man.

This book looks at about 10 cases through recent times starting off with the Jack the Ripper case, through the various stories or events the writer Jonathan Oates takes us through the event, then looks at the investigation, mistakes, evidence and the various court reports, readings and records. Oates actually does a really good job, and a lot of research and writing has gone on. So it is a very good book in my opinion, certainly for any true crime buffs. The only downside I found was I had heard and read about 90% of the cases in this book so although it was an enjoyable book, I didn’t learn a great deal from it.

The Waffen-SS Armour on the Eastern Front 1941-1945

The Waffen-SS Armour on the Eastern Front 1941-1945 written by Ian Baxter

and published by Pen & Sword Books - £14.99 - Softcover - Pages 144

Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union, codename Operation Barbarossa, was arguably the pivotal moment of the Second World War. Initially, the onslaught was staggeringly successful with, as the superb contemporary images in this book show, Waffen- SS armoured divisions leading the charge. But the Nazis had underestimated the Russians’ determination to defend their homeland and the logistical problems compounded by the extreme winter weather conditions.

After early victories such as the recapture of Kharkov in early 1943 and the Kursk offensive, commanders and crews of armoured vehicles such as Pz.Kpfw.I, II, III, IV, Panther, Tiger, King Tiger, assault and self-propelled guns had to adapt their tactics and equipment to what became a desperate defensive withdrawal eventually back across a scarred and devastated Eastern Front. Even during the last months of the war as the Panzers withdrew through Poland and into the Reich, these exhausted elite units, broken down into small battle groups or Kampfgruppen, fought to the bitter end.

With authoritative text supported by a plethora of rare fully captioned photographs, this classic Images of War book informs and inspires the reader revealing the key role played by Waffen-SS Panzer units in this most bitter campaign.

The Eastern Front, one of the more important parts of World War Two in which sent many troops and vehicles into Russia during Operation Barbarosa, it also looks at how hard the Germans found the war, enemy and weather conditions. Much like Russia today, even today people (Putin) still haven’t learnt from history in that if you start a war in the winter, your going to get bogged down/stuck and if your far from supplies you're going to run out of fuel. Once again this is another fascinating book as we see a good number of tanks and crew going to war and then being forced to retreat. It’s finally twigged with me especially the ‘land’ books of the images of war series’, that the vast majority of the photos are taken by the soldiers/crews in the situations. This makes the photos all the more better because you have soldiers in the situation knowing what to photograph and what is important. This is why so many of the photos consist of soldiers in their everyday working life, going through the good times and the bad.

Another fantastic book and as you know already I would happily recommend all these

Images of War books. I should also add there are always great appendices in the back

of these books, which probably often get overlooked.

The Waffen-SS in Normandy 1940

The Waffen-SS in Normandy 1940 written by Ian Baxter and published by Pen & Sword Books - £14.99 - Softcover - Pages 128

In June 1944, Operation OVERLORD, the greatest ever amphibious invasion, initially overwhelmed German Normandy defences. To attempt to stabilize the situation, Hitler deployed his elite Waffen-SS divisions to avert the crisis.

This classic Images of War book describes how the formidable Leibstandarte, Das Reich, Hitlerjugend, Hohenstaufen, and the Frundsberg SS divisions with supporting Wehrmacht divisions fought fanatically despite facing overwhelming enemy airpower and determined well-led Allied armies. Mounting losses and supply and fuel problems culminated in the Falaise Pocket defeat, when twenty-five out of the thirty-eight German division was completely destroyed. As a result, the remaining Waffen-SS units had to be reluctantly withdrawn and transferred back to Holland and, Belgium to recoup, or sent to the Eastern Front to attempt to stem the relentless Soviet advance.

With many rare and unpublished photographs with detailed captions, Waffen-SS in Normandy is a graphic account of the Waffen-SS operations in Normandy and their subsequent retreat through France.

This book in the Images of War series looks at the Waffen-SS in Normandy in 1940, a German operation in response to the allied forces' invasion of Normandy in the D-Day landings. Now as this was getting towards the end of the war, Germany was beginning to run out of supportive troops and his army was being stretched almost to the limit. Hence why and you’ll notice this looking through the book at the pictures, Hitler was having to rely heavily on troops formerly of the Hitler Youth. You’ll see from the photos that many of the soldiers in this book look very young, and as leader in a youth organisation personally, some of these soldiers look around the age as some of the young members in my group. But this shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing, as quite a few allied soldiers would go to remark how well these young German soldiers fought. 

This was a really enjoyable book to read, fascinating to see really young men being soldiers and having to endure war at such a young age. I must credit the author Ian Baxter, as it seems when you read an Ian Baxter book, you’ll always get a well written and researched book. This book feels a little smaller than others in the series, but it is certainly an excellent book.