My wife and I may be going to Germany next summer, and I wanted to brush up on my WWII history. I am looking for a book that gives a broad overview of battles and strategy. I also enjoy studying maps, so a book with lots of maps would be good. TIA.

where in Germany will you be visiting?

Southern Germany (The Rhine, Romantic Road, Rothenburg, Bavaria, Munich). We are also going to Switzerland and Austria.

The places you'll be going aren't exactly brimming with WW2 battlefields. If you drive to Cologne from Frankfurt, you'll pass by Remagen but there really isn't much to see there. Same goes for Aachen (which is probably further North and West than you'll be). Aachen is a cool place generally though. Nuremburg has a very good museum at the Nazi Rally Grounds on the rise of the Nazi Party and the consequences thereof. The Rally Grounds themselves are only interesting if you're really into WW2 history (which I am). Dachau is just outside Munich so you could visit a concentration camp if you are so inclined. I just got back from Germany and covered the ground you'll be going to. There is so much to see that I would probably forego any WW2 stuff except the rally grounds. Southern Germany just wasn't that important in the war.

You might pick up a copy of A History of the Modern World by R.R. Palmer. It is a great general overview history book that should hit all the highlights of WW2 in Europe.

[This message has been edited by Toni Reauxmeaux (edited 10/8/2008 3:40p).]

Yeah I realize that. I had already planned on seeing Dachau and the Nazi Rallying Ground in Nuremberg. Also, we are flying into Brussels so I can see my great-grandfather's grave in Henri-Chapelle, Belgium. I am excited about that.

Has anyone been to Hitler's Eagle's Nest? From what I have read about it, the original structures are mostly gone, but there is a museum there.

I haven't been there, but I've heard the same thing. My understanding is that they didn't want the Eagle's Nest to be turned into some kind of shrine. The town itself is supposed to be nice.

Henri-Chapelle is a beautiful. As for Eagles Nest - the museum is located at the base of the mountain and it is quite large - over 2 hrs to see it. The Eagles Nest itself is a little of a disappointment. It is mostly a restaurant with a few spectacular observation areas. There is a great Guest House on the way to Eagles Nest that has an entrance to underground bunkers and a tunnel system that used to lead to Goerring's and Hitler's house. The place is old - no tv's, but the owner is like 80 years old and can tell you stories about Hitler and growing up next door to Hitlers main house in Berchestgarden. If you do make it Berchestgarden - check out the salt mines - awesome fun.

[This message has been edited by Stanco (edited 10/8/2008 8:44p).]

I wasn't aware that there's a Nuremberg rally museum. Of course, I was last there in 1992. At that time, they still had a lot of stuff overgrown, because the Americans had just given some of that land back to the city.

I'm going to have to get back to Nuremberg one of these days. I spent 6 weeks there studying German and it was a great town.

The town itself is pretty cool. The first major Lutheran church is there (St. Lorenz) and the city played a major role in the Holy Roman Empire (hence the reason Hitler chose it for the Rally Grounds).

Here's a link to the museum:

http://www.museen.nuernberg.de/english/english/reichsparteitag_e/pages/faszination_e.html

My recomnednation here remains the same, John Keegan's history of World War II is the best overview.

There's a great history museum in Bonn. I recommend spending some time in Koblenz, it's a charming place with a lot to see, and the best Italian-style gelato around.

Thanks, BQ78. That looks like exactly what I was looking for.

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My recomnednation here remains the same, John Keegan's history of World War II is the best overview.

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Agreed. Although, I have a soft spot for Churchill's "Memoirs of the Second World War (abridged)." I think if there is one book everyone should read about WWII, it is this.

Really football? I must have missed that. I found Bonn to be the worst town for a tourist in Germany. Except for Beethoven's house and the German Parliament, which was already starting to pack for Berlin when I was there.

If I'd known there was a history museum, I would have snuck away for a few hours and checked it out.

Nuremberg does have a real cool museum. If you like suits of armor, it's one of the best in Germany. There are other good ones in Dresden and Stuttgart, and I'm sure tons of other places. If you can get out of Nuremberg and get to Rothenburg, you'll see one of the best-preserved mideval towns there is. And they have a torture museum. Very good.

http://www.hdg.de/

It's a really nice museum, easily worth a 3-5 hour visit. There are two drawbacks. First, the museum focuses on the time period from the very end of the war until current, which is disappointing if you're principally interested in WWII. Secondly, none of the exhibits include much if any English text. English speaking tourists have to rely on picking up information from the visuals.

Still though, if you're in the area it's a really cool museum.