Disobeying Hitler - Randall Hansen

'Hansen
has done a fine job of rescuing from
obscurity these few, morally hazy
individuals, making decisions at the
messy end of a cataclysmic war.' BEN MACINTYRE, The Times

In the last months of the
war, Hitler ordered the poisoning, blocking,
and wrecking of all ports
across Europe; the destruction of all
industries, railroads, bridges,
utilities supplies, archives and
museums in Europe; and the destruction
of the most beautiful city in
the world: Paris. Thanks to the
determination and bravery of a few,
including those who paid with their
lives, Hitler's orders were often
disobeyed. The result was a profound
and lasting effect on the war and
its aftermath.

In this
fascinating and gripping book, Randall
Hansen explores the extraordinary
phenomenon of disobedience and its
consequences:
Would Rommel have
opened the Western Front to the Allies
on July 20, 1944 had he not been
shot up a few days earlier?
Did Albert
Speer single-handedly prevent the
destruction of bridges, factories,
towns,and all features of civilized
life?
Did the actions of one
Prussian General save Paris from total
devastation?
And why were some
German cities defended to the last man,
leading to a great loss of life
and the cities' complete destruction,
while others surrendered without
a fight?