The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

William L. Shire was an American journalist stationed in Berlin in the years leading up to World War II. In preparation for writing The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, he supplemented his first hand experience with an in-depth review of German confidential papers captured by the Allies at the end of the war. He gives a nice combination of eyewitness insight and research. But note that I lack the expertise to correct Shire where subsequent research might have corrected his claims so I will be following his account.