{"product_id":"cross-of-iron-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-german-war-machine-1918-1945","title":"Cross of Iron: The Rise and Fall of the German War Machine, 1918-1945","description":"A riveting account of the origins and development of the German army that breaks through the distortions of conventional military history\n\nAcclaimed for his revisionist history of the German Army in World War I, John Mosier continues his pioneering work in Cross of Iron, offering an intimate portrait of the twentieth-century German army from its inception, through World War I and the interwar years, to World War II and its climax in 1945.\n\nWorld War I has inspired a vast mythology of bravery and carnage, told largely by the victors, that has fascinated readers for decades. Many have come to believe that the fast ascendancy of the Allied army, matched by the failure of a German army shackled by its rigidity, led to the war's outcome. Mosier demystifies the strategic and tactical realities to explain that it was Germany's military culture that provided it with the advantage in the first war. Likewise, Cross of Iron offers stunning revelations regarding the weapons of World War II, forcing a reevaluation of the reasons behind the French withdrawal, the Russian contribution, and Hitler as military thinker. Mosier lays to rest the notion that the army, as opposed to the SS, fought a clean and traditional war. Finally, he demonstrates how the German war machine succeeded against more powerful Allied armies until, in both wars, it was crushed by U.S. intervention.\n\nThe result of thirty years of primary research, Cross of Iron is a powerful and authoritative reinterpretation of Germany at war.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 0805083219\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: BVV.0805083219.A\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Acceptable\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Mosier, John\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: The item is very worn but is perfectly usable. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. Page edges may have foxing  age related spots and browning . May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Blue Vase Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43494423691325,"sku":"BVV.0805083219.A","price":6.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0589\/4225\/9261\/files\/0805083219-0.jpg?v=1787270892","url":"https:\/\/www.bluevasebooks.com\/products\/cross-of-iron-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-german-war-machine-1918-1945","provider":"Blue Vase Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}