Erich Raeder: Admiral of the Third Reich

Erich Raeder: Admiral of the Third Reich by Bird, Keith W.. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781557500472.

From 1928 to 1943, Erich Raeder led the German navy during the last turbulent years of the Weimar Republic, the rise of Hitler, and through World War II, yet until now there has not been a full-length biography written about him. This study draws on archival resources and the rich scholarship of German naval history over the past five decades to review the evolution of Raeders concept of naval strategy and his attempts to achieve the political and military means necessary to attain the navys global naval ambitions. While previous histories have viewed Raeder as a product of the Wilhelmian era and heir to Admiral von Tirpitzs sea power ideology, this work clearly demonstrates the navys affinity with Hitlers fascism. Author Keith Bird refutes Raeders own argument that his navy was non-political and independent and shows him to be a political activist and the architect of German naval policy. For the first time, Raeders strict leadership of the navy after 1928 and his relationship to Hitler and the National Socialist state is placed in the context of Raeders formative years as an Imperial naval officer, his First World War combat experience, and his critical role in the survival and development of the post-war Reichsmarine. The author traces the impact of Hitlers influence on both the pace and nature of naval rearmament 1933-1939 and the conduct of the Kriegsmarine in war as well as Raeders furtive attempts to influence Germanys strategic thinking in favor of a maritime strategy. Blinded by his need to justify the navys existence and achieve his vision of world power, Raeder was ultimately defeated by the contradictions in his own policies as well as Hitlers and the realities of Germanys resources and military necessities.