Hitler, Volker Ullrich
Hitler, Volker Ullrich
24 Rating(s)
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Hitler
Downfall: 1939-1945

Author: Volker Ullrich, Jefferson Chase

Narrator: Sean Runnette

Unabridged: 29 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/09/2021


Synopsis

From the author of Hitler: Ascent, 1889–1939—a riveting account of the dictator's final years, when he got the war he wanted but his leadership led to catastrophe for his nation, the world, and himself.

In the summer of 1939 Hitler was at the zenith of his power. The Nazis had consolidated political control in Germany and a series of foreign-policy coups had restored Germany to the status of a major world power. He now embarked on realizing his lifelong ambition: to provide the German people with the resources they needed to flourish and to exterminate those who stood in the way. Yet despite a series of stunning initial triumphs, Hitler's decision to invade the Soviet Union in 1941 turned the tide for good.

Now, Volker Ullrich offers fascinating new insight into Hitler's character and personality, vividly portraying the insecurity, obsession with minutiae, and narcissistic penchant for gambling that led Hitler to overrule his subordinates and then blame them for his failures; and, ultimately, when he realized the war was not winnable, to embark on the annihilation of Germany itself in order to punish the people who he believed had failed to hand him victory. This is a masterful account of a spectacular downfall, and an essential addition to our understanding of Hitler and the Second World War.

About Volker Ullrich

Volker Ullrich is a prize-winning historian and the author of Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939, Hitler: Downfall, 1939-1945, and Eight Days in May: The Final Collapse of the Third Reich. He lives in Hamburg.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Michael on January 17, 2021

An absolute masterpiece follow-on to the first volume, Hitler: Downfall is an unflinching account of WWII in all its gore, brutality, and horror. It is also the biography of the 20th century’s most notorious dictator. Without fanning the flames of the current political shift towards the far right, I......more

Goodreads review by Chris on May 22, 2021

There are so many lessons to be learned from Volker Ullrich's two volume biography of Hitler. Among them? Never underestimate a monster or suppose you can politically control one. Beware of the sycophants who curry favor with monsters and are complicit in their rise and their crimes.......more

Goodreads review by Wulf on April 13, 2025

Präzision, Quellenfülle und historische Tiefe – Ullrichs Blick auf den Diktator im Untergang hilft. Geschichte verstehen, Gegenwart erkennen, Zukunft sichern. Meinen Worten aus meiner Rezension des ersten Bandes dieser herausragenden Hitler-Biographie von Volker Ullrich ist eigentlich nicht mehr viel......more

Goodreads review by Boudewijn on September 25, 2021

Very accessible Hitler biography about Hitler as undisputed leader of the Nazi state and commander-in-chief of the German army This second part focusses on Hitler's role as Führer and commander of the German forces. At this stage, Hitler managed to position himself as the unchallenged leader of the n......more

Goodreads review by Rudi on April 05, 2023

Ich bin froh, zwei Jahre nach Band 1 nun auch den zweiten Band von Volker Ullrichs Hitlerbiographie gelesen zu haben. Ich bin aber auch froh, die Schilderung all der Menschheitsverbrechen der Nazis erst einmal hinter mir zu lassen. Aber wirklich hinter sich lassen kann man das ja gar nicht. Wieder ei......more