Such a detailed, in-depth look at how the Nazis came to power and the internal machinations of the Nazi machine and its leaders. Sadly, it was filled with juvenile, sadistic men (and women) who were hyper-racists and who are responsible for more death and destruction than any group of individuals ever on the planet. It is beautifully composed and easy to follow (save a couple of uninteresting tangents), and will have you caught up on the Third Reich. Lastly, it is stunning how close the Nazi war machine came (and many times) to total European domination (including defeating Britain and Russia). Small pivot points in history, usually Hitler's boneheaded decisions, helped save us all an uncertain, likely gruesome fate.

Exceptional read. Just what I was looking for to round out my understanding of this period of our world history.

about all one needs to know about wwii. shirer gives a well thought out and researched account of history from post 1918 to the nuremberg trials.

Amazing...

A great, thorough book on the matter. Heavily leans toward political and diplomatic topics rather than war strategy. Although given Hitler's maniacal mentality maybe the one broad statement that could be said about the war is that Hitler oversaw it and the rest just obeyed orders. Undoubtedly the "generals" were very talented to have been the real draftsmen of such successful early strikes

Outstanding, great historical book with great insight on the Third Reich.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. I attempted to read in the traditional manner and struggled to complete it. Not so this time! This detailed and exhaustive investigation into the madness that was the Third Reich needs to be completed by any fan/historian/teacher of this era. The lies and deceit of the Nazis bordered on comedy and the end result of their methods begat the destruction of the German state and the lives of innocent people. I find it humorous that a man like Hitler and his supposed genius, that would surround himself with so many dolts and mindless stooges, that I'm actually surprised the struggle lasted as long as it did... The typical cowardice of many top-ranking Nazi officials to resort to suicide rather than face their punishment was also stunning to me.

Excellent. A comprehensive history of what should never be allowed to happen again.

Voluminous - but efficient and crisply told. Terrific history.

Very thorough and interesting. well structured to be easy to follow. The author takes concurrent lines of history and lays them out from beginning to end rather than switching back and forth.

Fantastic listen, narrator crushes it.

probably my favorite book on World war 2.Great detail on the German side of the war.

Very thorough.

Great. Lots of details. Really helped me understand how and why the third Reich rose to power against all odds and logic

This is the definitive book on the German Reich in World War II. Yes, it is. Shirer was right there and was courageous as He** in getting the facts out. At no small risk to himself. Written concisely … yet with style … thoughtfully balanced, and yet calling things by what they really were. I don’t know if he and Hemingway went deep sea fishing but they sure should’ve. I would assign even another star as extra credit but unfortunately I can’t….

Essential reading.

lots of info.

An astonishing material, powerful insights and detailed history of fake ideology.

An invaluable and thorough first-hand account of the Third Reich. Grocer Gardner's excellent narration makes the vast tsunami of information both listenable and digestible.