Heroes or Traitors - The German Replacement Army, the July Plot, and Adolf Hitler PDF
Preview Heroes or Traitors - The German Replacement Army, the July Plot, and Adolf Hitler
UFPOES OR T THE GERMAN REPLACENVnpRMY, THE JULY PLOT, AND ADOLF HITLER WALTER S. DUNN JR. "A riveting account of the con^spirators who plotted to kill Hitler in July 1944, and the methods they used to keep a half nnillion men from the battlefields of France and Russia. Without the efforts of these high-ranking German officers, the war against Hitler might have had a completely different outcome. It is a highly detailed account, but also a very readable book." David A. Johnson Author, Righteous Deception When a German victory became impossible, the July 1944 conspirators plotted to bring a quick end to the war, hoping to negotiate a peace with the Western allies and possibly to join them in a war against Russia. Because the Allies would not negotiate with Hitler, the plotters planned to assassinate him and seize control of the government, using the Replacement Army to overcome the S.S. and the Nazi Party. This army would also maintain order within Germany, a task that would require more than half-a-million trained men. The conspirators convinced key Replacement Army officers to withhold men from the Field Army in the spring of 1944 in preparation for taking over the country. The result was a German army that lacked eno^^eserve divisions to countel^^^^kesion of (l^^^^Dn back flap) Heroes or Traitors The German Replacement Army^ the July Ploty and AdolfHitler Walter Dunn, S. Jr. ^ Westport, Connecticut PBAE' London Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dunn, Walter S. (Walter Scott), 1928- Heroes or traitors : the German replacement army, the July plot, and AdolfHider / Walter S. Dunn, Jr. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-275-97715-3 (alk. paper) I. German. Heer—Histor\'—Wodd War, 1939-1945. 2. WoridWar, I939-I945— Manpower—Germany. 3. Hider, Adolf, 1889-1945—Assassination attempt, 1944 (July 20). 4. Germany. Heer—Political activit\-. I. Tide. D757.1 .D86 2003 940.54'0943—dc21 2002030729 British Libran,' Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 2003 byWalter S. Dunn, Jr. All rights reserved. No portion ofthis book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent ofthe publisher. Library ofCongress Catalog Card Number: 2002030729 ISBN: 0-275-97715-3 First published in 2003 Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint ofGreenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.praeger.com Printed in the United States ofAmerica The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-I984) 987654321 10 Contents vu Preface Introduction xi 1 The Replacement Army 1 2 The Strategic Reserve in 1942 15 3 Buildup for Kursk, February 1943 to June 1943 27 4 The Ukraine and Italy, June 1943 to February 1944 45 5 Calm before the Storm, February 1944 to June 1944 69 6 The Catastrophe in France 89 7 The Catastrophe in the East 113 8 Conclusion 155 Bibliography 169 Index 173 Preface TSvenU' years after the publication ofmy book on die second front, many historians still believe the cover story promulgated during the SecondWorldWar thattheAmerican armywas unprepared to fight after three years ofpreparation that had begun in June 1940. Implicit in this interpretation is the notion that Gen. George C. Marshall was foolhardy in his insistence that the American divisionswere ready. Also implied is thatAmericans were rather deficient as soldiers ifthey could not be trained sooner. Neither was the case. The Second World War was a political matter conducted by three very astute politicians on the Allied side and an equally astute Adolf Hitier controlling Germany. The outcome of major events was more often determined by the political ramifications than by military strength. Resources were squandered on pointiess campaigns such as Itah' and Burma, which had no strategic objective but did have post- war political significance. While these sideshows were staged, cam- paigns ofimmense strategic importance were delayed or canceled for lack ofresources. The primary objective of the German generals who conspired to remove Hitier, take over Germany, and negotiate an early end to the viii Preface war in July 1944 was to have Germany emerge intact from the war and ready to join an alliance against the Soviet Union. This prospect was not as unreasonable as may appear when one considers the align- ment ofnations that was to emerge during the Cold War. Both Win- ston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt believed that they had no need for a strong Germany to balance the power ofthe Soviet Union, and theywould have rejected any such offer. However, theywere defi- nitely interested in ending the war as soon as possible, to reduce the loss oflife. That goal in fact was achieved as an indirect result ofthe actions ofthe conspirators, as this work will describe. This book is the product ofmore than sixty years ofstudy, begin- ning with an avid interest in the events ofthe Second World War as it was being fought. Undergraduate work at Durham University in England under Dr. H.C. Offler drilled home the philosophy that one must studythe details before making sweeping generalizations. Among my professors at Durham was Professor Eric Birley, who headed the British order-of-battle intelligence organization during the war and whose name pops up as attendingvarious planning sessions, with little description ofhis role. — Orders of battle, logistics, and training not fascinating topics to — nonspeciaiists seldom appear in popular histories. However, those matters often reveal the true situations and options available. This book includes a considerable amount ofdetail concerning these topics. I have had personal experience with two ofthe main themes ofthis work, the use ofmilitaryforce to maintain order in a cit\' and the rapid organization of military units. In the summer of 1942, the city of Detroit was paralyzed by a race riot that brought war production al- most to a halt. A half-mile from my home, a group ofsome twenty men with baseball bats, shotguns, and rifles gathered at one of the major east-west streets and stopped automobiles driven by blacks who were returning from work on the west side of Detroit to the black neighborhood on the east side. Other streets were blocked by similar gangs. In reaction to that violent move, black gangs destroyed the white-owned businesses in the black neighborhoods. Overwhelmed and unable to cope with the large crowds, the Detroit police needed assistance. The army sent 3,000 men ofthe 38th Infantry Regiment to De- troit to restore order. One battalion was bivouacked on the Detroit Public Library lawn a half-mile from my home, and another battal- ion was on the athletic field of Northwestern High School, where
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