The March of Conquest

The German Wehrmacht swept across Europe in the spring of 1940, like a great scythe, in a triumph unparalleled in modern history. Adolf Hitler's call to end the war after the conquest of Poland was rejected by the allied governments of France and Britain: within three months Scandinavia, the Low Countries, and France were crushed by the stunning impact of the German military machine. The British, suffering losses of men and material, were forced off the continent at Dunkirk, yet they continued to fight against German domination. Their tenacity became a crucial factor in thwarting the outcome of Hitler's march of conquest. Telford Taylor had an excellent opportunity to gather material for this book: he served as chief counsel at the Nuremberg war crimes trials. He handles a wealth of information, weaving into a smooth narrative the details of the war from the lowest to the highest levels of command. Taylor's presentation of the facts, from the German perspective, is balanced and skillful and stands as one of the most important books on the subject available today.