New Books in History Stephen Fritz, "The First Soldier: Hitler as a Military Leader" (Yale UP, 2018)
Oct 26, 2025
Stephen Fritz, a history professor at East Tennessee State University and author of The First Soldier, challenges the traditional view of Hitler as a military leader. He delves into Hitler's strategic influences, the impact of World War I on his mindset, and the dynamics between him and his generals. Fritz highlights how Hitler's decisions, though often flawed, were informed by his reading and military ambitions. He also reflects on key battles like Stalingrad and explains Hitler's logistical shortcomings, marking a nuanced reassessment of his leadership during the war.
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The Halder Memoir Effect
- Postwar memoirs by German generals created a lasting caricature of Hitler as an irrational bungler.
- Stephen Fritz argues that popular images accepted those memoirs uncritically and need reassessment.
World War I Haunted Hitler
- Hitler never left World War I psychologically and framed later policy as correcting that loss.
- He saw war as total struggle for survival, legitimizing extreme means and a war of annihilation.
Hitler's Intellectual Toolkit
- Hitler was widely read in military thinkers like Clausewitz, Frederick the Great, Ludendorff, and geopolitician Karl Haushofer.
- He fused political, racial, and resource-driven strategic ideas into a plan for contiguous expansion eastward.
