Hitler

Downfall: 1939-1945

By: Volker Ullrich, Jefferson Chase - translator

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

From the author of Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939 - a riveting account of the dictator's final years, when he got the war he wanted but his leadership led to catastrophe for his nation, the world, and himself

In the summer of 1939 Hitler was at the zenith of his power. The Nazis had consolidated political control in Germany, and a series of foreign-policy coups had restored Germany to the status of a major world power. He now embarked on realizing his lifelong ambition: to provide the German people with the resources they needed to flourish and to exterminate those who stood in the way. Yet despite a series of stunning initial triumphs, Hitler's decision to invade the Soviet Union in 1941 turned the tide for good.

Now, Volker Ullrich offers fascinating new insight into Hitler's character and personality, vividly portraying the insecurity, obsession with minutiae, and narcissistic penchant for gambling that led Hitler to overrule his subordinates and then blame them for his failures; and, ultimately, when he realized the war was not winnable, to embark on the annihilation of Germany itself in order to punish the people who he believed had failed to hand him victory. This is a masterful account of a spectacular downfall, and an essential addition to our understanding of Hitler and the Second World War.

©2018 Volker Ullrich and Jefferson Chase (P)2021 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Awful narrator

Great text. Terrible narration. Narrator's intonation extremely uneven, drops his voice at the ends of sentences, seems to run out of breath. A very odd and off-putting style of reading.

A sober and concise analysis

This book takes all the modern scholarship of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany and presents a clear view of both in their historical context. It is an excellent source of information and deserving of a place in the series of definitive biographies that have come as the perception of the Third Reich have changed since its fall. Volker Ullrich has done a great service to modern readers by providing an updated account and analysis of the criminal regime that most people today have an incomplete or inaccurate understanding of.

New Insights

I think I enjoyed the reader of the first volume more, but overall this book is absolutely amazing for anybody who enjoys history and wants to better understand the absolutely insane rollercoaster of the third reich and Hitler. I’ve read the Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich by William Shirer (which I also highly recommend) and while I find both of these books as being similar in many ways I think this one benefits from having more time and documentation to reflect on. William Shier wrote his masterpiece in 1960, and while that is able to benefit from many first hand accounts (including his own experiences) he didn’t have the resources we have now. Many documents have been released after the collapse of the Soviet Union which helps give us great insight. The many long term repercussions of the Second World War can also be examined now that it’s been roughly 80 years. Overall a great historical insight that I highly recommend.

Important

Germany in the time of Adolph Hitler should be comprehended by all Americans so as to understand the parallels to the contemporary situation in the (dis)United States; and thus to take warning!

Why did they change the narrator from the the first Volume?

A really great series. Thoroughly enjoyed the first volume. Now reading the second part and I must say it is quite disappointing that they chose this weak narrator.

Word Nazi

Once again a skilled narrator mispronounces Nazism. It is Naz-ism. not Nazi-ism. word word
word word wird

What a biography!

This is the second volume of the engrossing biography on Hitler’s life. An incredible listen from start to finish, this is a must-have in any WWII enthusiast’s library.

Context without varnish

Very balanced and fairly comprehensive. The final chapter is the best. These two volumes are a long listen but worth the time when the author brings it all together in the conclusion. It’s shown how Hitler could not have existed in his role without the support of many, nor could others have done what they did without him at the helm. He and they were human beings. Many things they said/did were typical human feelings and experiences. It didn’t feel as if I was reading about an alien of some kind, more like that weird guy next door or down the street that creeps me out a bit. What stuck me the most, it seems to me that the people who supported him the most were just as in love with themselves as he was in himself. And the masses that went along with him were won over by what he was doing for THEM and how his superiority rhetoric made them feel about themselves. At best it was self-absorption, at worst pure selfishness. Things every human is capable of which makes it real.

Excellent and insightful history

A very thorough and timely biography of Hitler, incorporating current scholarship and reflection on earlier similar works. A must-read for anyone who still thinks that the Holocaust was an aberration caused by a madman, and also for anyone who still doubts that the US could ever go down the same road to authoritarianism. My only complaint: The narrator's inability to pronounce foreign words and place names is really annoying for anyone who knows how to pronounce them. He also consistently mispronounced a couple of English words!

Of the MANY long histories I have heard...

This has been the best! Perhaps because it was written when enough time has passed to gather all the relevant information, I found it to be very well researched and written. My thanks to all involved. I have no doubt I will be lessening to it again!