.
.
by Andrew Sangster.
Hardback (6.3×9.4 inches). 168 pages. 2025.
Subtitle: The German General Who Defied Hitler
The subtitle makes it seem as if Gen. Fridolin Rudolph von Senger und Etterlin was part of an assassination plot, but he was not. Instead, he was a devout Catholic who served in WWI and WWII and refused to enforce orders from Hitler that clashed with his Catholic beliefs. For example, Hitler ordered the execution of Italian generals who followed the example of the government and joined the Allies in 1943. Von Senger refused to allow the order to be carried out. Likewise, after the failed July 20, 1944 assassination attempt on Hitler, he refused the order to praise Hitler for his miraculous escape from death.
Despite the threat of executions of senior commanders, he was never arrested, although his promotions came slowly. He was considered unreliable, and was sent to a Nazi indoctrination course after being decorated for heroism under fire.
His record as a defensive specialist kept him in command. Specifically, he did well in France 1940 as many did, but also outpaced Rommel and captured Cherboug. He came close to pushing his way understrength Panzer Division to relieve Stalingrad, but also managed to extricate it with what little equipment he had left.
As he spoke Italian, his days as a liaison to the Italian Army served him well later in the war as he crafted escape plans for German forces in Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. He held the Casino line far longer than expected before being forced to retreat.
Von Senger visited front line units, often two and three levels below his responsibility, to get a first-hand look at the terrain and to gauge the morale and positioning of his units (p145).
One interesting factoid: von Senger said the Allies often used helicopters in 1944 for surveillance and observation (p81). I had not heard of this before, although helicopters were not unknown in WWII.
He often spoke frankly about Hitler and the Nazis, opining among trusted officers that only an Allied victory could remove Hitler from power and that when staring at defeat, the proper political move would be to negotiate a peace.
The book contains 17 black and white photos and one black and white map.
As von Senger left a memoir, this book is more a commentary on his memoir than a straight up biography. Yet if you have not read the memoir, this will do nicely as a biography.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
