I’m currently on this audio book.
World War II is interesting because so much modern technology became practical. Airplanes, jets, tanks, radar, machine guns, submarines and radios. Also, we have movies from the war.
Albert Speer is the highest ranking Nazi to write a memoir. Possibly because Speer had 20 years to think about the book while he was at Spandau and the rest of high ranking officials were executed at Nuremberg.
Speer’s book is self-serving, but he admits that he joined the Nazi Party in the early 1930’s because he was impressed by Hitler and at the Nuremberg trial, he didn’t take the “I was just following orders.” defense. He presents himself as a decent guy who enjoys a technical challenge.
The insider look at the Nazis held some surprises. Throughout the war, Hitler felt threatened and restrained by gauleiters. The regional leaders of the Nazi Party.
Since Speers was an architect and eventually in charge of Nazi manufacturing, the discussion of Nazi technology was interesting. Speer thought the V-2 rockets didn’t provide enough bang for the buck, and that the heat seeking anti-aircraft missiles should have been given priority.
Also, Hitler wanted the ME-262 as a light bomber, while Speer thought they should have been used as fighters to attack Allied bombers.
It seems weird that I was born 15 years after WW II.