One thing that is hard to replicate in history books, or even movies, is how shocking the 1940 German Western Campaign was at the time. One day it was all tension and anticipation, waiting and planning, dreading and wanting it to start. Six weeks later, for the Germans, it was undeniable armed land superiority and, for the Allies, undeniable humiliation amidst top to bottom failure. Despite superior numbers and better equipment within certain weapons classifications, the Allies were rolled outflanked and rolled over by innovative armored combined operations pioneered by eventual Field Marshal Heinz Guderian.
A newly released pictorial book from Michael B. Butler, German 1940 War Campaign Pictorials from Heinrich Hoffmann, Erwin Rommel, Combat Cameramen & Propagandists, is a multi-sided view of the campaign that is dominated by over 200 pages of pictures from the German side of the equation. Photos taken by Erwin Rommel, combat cameramen and Hitler's personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann, are vital in the telling the story from the ground and the high command. General Walter Warlimont, Deputy Chief of OKW Operations Staff, offers perspectives from inside the OKW headquarters at the start of every section featuring photos from Hoffmann's With Hitler in the West, published in December 1940.
Available at Amazon at WarPictorials.com.
To see all of Micheal B. Butler's books at https://www.amazon.com/author/mbbutler
410 Pages, 8.5x11.- 200+ Pages of photographs, containing well over 350 pictures, along with detailed text about the history surrounding the German 1940 world shocking Western Campaign in Europe.
- Photos from With Hitler in the West by Hitler's personal photographer Heinrich Hoffmann.
- Photos taken by then Major General Erwin Rommel, commander of 7th Panzer Division, and subordinates after his unexpected rise to armored division commander.
- Explanations of Campaign from General Walter Warlimont, OKW Operations Staff, and from Rommel's Campaign diary, dispatches and letters to his wife.
About the Book: When World War Two ended in Europe, the U.S. Army and various intelligence agencies collected reams of evidence relating to the conduct of the war. A large number of photographs became property of the U.S. government and then the U.S. National Archives. This publication was created from those collections.
Essentially, this is a pictorial guide, supplemented by text, through the world shocking Nazi Gunman 1940 Western Campaign which brought the Allies to their knees in weeks. Looking back, one cannot fully grasp how this campaign upended top military commands in the Great Powers and reshuffled all the carefully conceived strategic planning scenarios.
There are two main sources: The December 1940 book, With Hitler in the West, created by Hitler's personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann, and published by Joseph Goebbels, the infamous Third Reich propaganda chief. Photos taken by then Major General Erwin Rommel or those on campaign with the new commander of the 7th Panzer Division. Outfitted with a Leica camera, Rommel was an avid photographer as well as a frontline commander. His unexpected rise to division commander, due to his relationship with Hitler, raised eyebrows among the German General Staff but proved a good choice.
German 1940 War Campaign Pictorials from Heinrich Hoffmann, Erwin Rommel, Combat Cameramen & Propagandists, Paperback ISBN: 979-828033822, Hardcover ISBN: 979-8264299612, ASIN: B0FQ4C2TQC Kindle.
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Michael B. Butler's second book, released in 2022, is Without Redemption: Creation & Deeds Freeway Killer Bill Bonin, His Five Accomplices & How One Who Escaped Justice. In 2024-26 three books are slated for release: Round the World & Across Russia in 21 Days, 30 Years Later and the two-book history set dedicated to 15 wartime military veterans, many who saw combat, from his family—History Leading to 50th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Book 1 and History Leading to 50th Anniversary of D-Day, Book 2.