Review
A list of one-and-one-half dozen free books graciously offered by the foremost historian of the Second World War, David Irving. His web site is www.fpp.co.uk and PDF downloads are at Focal Point Publications www.fpp.co.uk/books/index.html
An audio version of this review is at https://anchor.fm/james-laroche.
About the Author
David Irving born 1938 is the son of a Royal Navy commander. Imperfectly educated at Imperial College of Science & Technology and at University College London, he subsequently spent a while in Germany working in a Thyssen steel mill and perfecting his fluency in the German language. Among his thirty books the best-known include Hitler's War,
The Trail of the Fox: The Life of Field-Marshal Rommel, Accident: the Death of General Sikorski, The Rise and Fall of the Luftwaffe, and Göring: A Biography. He has translated several works by other authors. He has lived for thirty years in London, and is the father of five daughters. He donated all his research files to leading German archives. In 1963 Mr. Irving published The Destruction of Dresden. This became a best-seller in many countries. He is widely-known for the depth of his archival research. In 1996 he issued a revised edition of Dresden: Apocalypse 1945, as well as his important biography Goebbels. Mastermind of the Third Reich. He is currently working on an edition of the papers of Adolf Eichmann which came into his possession, and studying the feasibility of a biography of Heinrich Himmler.
About the Books
Listed on the Focal Point Publications web page are:
Hitler's War, Millennium Edition 2001, first published in 1977,
Nuremberg: The Last Battle,
The War Between the Generals: A look Inside the Allied High Command,
Some of their fiercest battles were fought against each other, but this was covered up. Not until David Irving began his research did the full truth emerge.
Goebbels: Mastermind of the Third Reich,
The first work to be based on the long-lost diaries of the minister which he retrieved from the former KGB archives in Moscow.
The Secret Diaries of Hitler's Doctor,
This volume is based on David Irving's exclusive discovery of the long lost diaries of Professor Theo Morell, Hitler's physician.
The Mare's Nest,
The story of Hitler's V-weapons and the British Intelligence attack on them. The first edition had to be cleared by the Ministry of Defense, the Cabinet Office, the Foreign Office and the Prime Minister. This is the 1985 edition with the excised portions put back in.
Churchill's War, Volumes I & II,
The Trail of the Fox: In Search of the True Field Marshal Rommel,
Erwin Rommel is considered by many to be the greatest military mind of the 20th century, a living legend both to his countrymen and his enemies. In this definitive biography, David Irving separates the myth from the man.
Mark W. Clark, General, U.S. Army (ret.) says, "A fascinating study of the brilliant Rommel. It enables the reader to experience the emotions of a warrior in battle."
Matthew B. Ridgway, General, U.S. Army (ret.) says, "I am tremendously impressed...A superb character study and a fine work."
Apocalypse 1945: The Destruction of Dresden,
Few Britons had heard of the bombing of Dresden before this book was published. Sir Arthur Harris, Commander-in-Chief of Bomber Command, afterwards described the author as the only historian whom he would trust.
The Virus House,
How close were the Germans to having the bomb? Don't miss the courageous British Commando attack on the Rjukan heavy-water factory in Norway. Nobel Prize winner Werner Heisenberg published a glowing half-page review of this book in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
The Death of General Sikorski,
The Polish prime minister-in-exile died in a plane-crash upon takeoff from Gibraltar. Was it in fact an accident? The sole survivor of the crash, the Czech pilot, considered issuing a libel writ against Irving but realized that what he had written was simply not open to challenge in the British courts.
Uprising!: The Hungarian Revolution of 1956,
This is the full story of the Hungarians' spontaneous rebellion. Irving was the first Western historian permitted to visit Budapest and view classified material on the revolution. He also tracked down and interviewed eye-witnesses and survivors, and obtained new documents and photos from them.
The Destruction of Convoy PQ.17,
Of some 38 ships that sailed in PQ.17, nearly all were sunk, each having gone her separate way after the convoy was scattered. This is a gripping story of individual heroism by members of an unsung breed of brave men, the sailors of the British and American merchant navies.
Göring: A Biography,
Prof. Larry Thompson says, "This is a very personal biography. Irving proves that Göring was, and is, an enigma. He survived in Irving's judgment through cunning, cruelty, a prodigious amorality and Hitler's loyalty to him. Irving's research effort is awesome."
Prof. Donald Cameron Watt says, "The book is a goldmine for aficionados of Nazi Germany."
Hess: The Missing Years 1941-1945,
This book appeared in Britain on the death of Rudolf Hess after 47 years in Spandau prison. Irving was the first to use the secret British archives and the entire medical diaries of his captors. Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, who flew to Scotland in May 1941 in a vain attempt to end the war, was sentenced to life imprisonment at Nuremberg by the victorious Allies for crimes against the peace. He remained in jail in Spandau, Berlin, until August 1987 when he was found strangled in a prison outbuilding. The family commissioned an independent autopsy by the Munich professor Dr. Spann, which provided evidence that Hess had been murdered.
The Memoirs of Field Marshal Keitel translated by David Irving.
Each title has a separate download page offering additional background about the book.
In closing I say, "Thank you, Mr. Irving."
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