German War Machine: 1918-1945

John Mosier, acclaimed for his revisionist history of the German Army in World War I, continues his pioneering work in Cross of Iron, offering a riveting account of the origins and development of the German army. The book provides an intimate portrait of the twentieth-century German army, from its inception through World War I and the interwar years, to World War II and its climax in 1945.

For decades, World War I has been the subject of a vast mythology of bravery and carnage, largely told by the victors. Many have believed that the fast ascendancy of the Allied army, matched by the failure of a German army shackled by its rigidity, led to the war's outcome. However, Mosier demystifies the strategic and tactical realities to explain that it was Germany's military culture that gave it the advantage in the first war.

Cross of Iron also offers stunning revelations regarding the weapons of World War II, forcing a reevaluation of the reasons behind the French withdrawal, the Russian contribution, and Hitler as a military thinker. Mosier dispels the notion that the army, as opposed to the SS, fought a clean and traditional war. He demonstrates how the German war machine succeeded against more powerful Allied armies until, in both wars, it was crushed by U.S. intervention.

The result of thirty years of primary research, Cross of Iron is a powerful and authoritative reinterpretation of Germany at war. It provides a new perspective on the conventional military history and breaks through the distortions that have been prevalent in the study of the German army. With its groundbreaking insights and compelling narrative, Cross of Iron is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the true origins and development of the German army.

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