Shattered Genius

Rarely has a relationship between a leadership and a military general staff been as fractious as that of Nazi Germany. Shattered Genius charts the turbulent existence of the German general staff from its resurrection by Hitler in 1935 to the end of World War II. It highlights the increasingly strained relationship between general staff officers and Hitler during this period—a deteriorating situation that culminated in Claus von Stauffenberg’s abortive attempt to assassinate the Führer in 1944. The failure of this plot and the unsuccessful efforts to initiate Operation Valkyrie, a plan to wrest control of Germany from the Nazi Party, ultimately sealed the fate of the general staff as both Hitler and Himmler exacted a series of savage reprisals in the final stages of the war.

Drawing on a wealth of new research material, David Stone has produced a masterful account of this tumultuous period, which offers detailed insight into the actions and motivations of key figures in the German Army during their dealings with the Nazis at the highest level throughout the war. Beset by stronger enemies on all fronts, the German Army also had to grapple with an internal command structure that often inhibited the pragmatic application of military solutions.

Stone traces the origins and heritage of the Prussian and German military leaderships and the post-1919 development of the Reichswehr to set the context for the tensions and challenges the general staff contended with under the Third Reich. He also highlights the crisis of conscience that many officers faced as the articles of the Soldier’s Oath—a personal vow of loyalty to Hitler himself—seemed increasingly irreconcilable with the actions of an ideologically obsessed and dangerous leader.

The book dispels many prevalent myths that surround the general staff: its perceived infallibility, the belief that it unquestioningly supported Hitler’s policies, and the convention that it was primarily the general staff which persuaded Hitler to declare war in 1939. At the same time, it identifies failings of the general staff that resulted in serious errors of judgment in dealings with the Nazis both before and after the party’s rise to power. Yet the general staff was still able to prosecute the war effectively up to late 1941 and to prolong the conflict to 1945, despite overwhelming odds and increasingly diminished resources. Such feats did not satisfy the Führer, however, and ultimately, the disaffected general staff became linked to the German resistance movement—an association that led to its catastrophic fall into ruin.

An engrossing work marked by impressive scholarship and insight, Shattered Genius deftly chronicles one of history’s most bizarre and toxic military relationships.