The Third Reich at War

By: Richard J. Evans

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

Length: 35 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

The final volume in Richard J. Evans’s masterly trilogy on the history of Nazi Germany traces the rise and fall of German military might, the mobilization of a “people’s community” to serve a war of conquest, and Hitler’s campaign of racial subjugation and genocide. Already hailed as “a masterpiece” (William Grimes in The New York Times) and “the most comprehensive history… of the Third Reich” (Ian Kershaw), this epic trilogy reaches its terrifying climax in this volume.

Evans interweaves a broad narrative of the war’s progress with viscerally affecting personal testimony from a wide range of people - from generals to front-line soldiers, from Hitler Youth activists to middle-class housewives. The Third Reich at War lays bare the dynamics of a nation more deeply immersed in war than any society before or since.

Fresh insights into the conflict’s great events are here, from the invasion of Poland to the Battle of Stalingrad to Hitler’s suicide in the bunker. But just as important is the re-creation of the daily experience of ordinary Germans in wartime, staggering under pressure from Allied bombing and their own government’s mounting demands upon them. At the center of the book is the Nazi extermination of Europe’s Jews, set in the context of Hitler’s genocidal plans for the racial restructuring of Europe.

Blending narrative, description, and analysis, The Third Reich at War creates an engrossing picture - at once sweeping and precise - of a society rushing headlong to self-destruction and taking much of Europe with it. It is the culmination of a historical masterwork that will remain the most authoritative work on Nazi Germany for years to come.

Listen to previous volumes in Richard J. Evans' Third Reich trilogy.

©2009 Richard J. Evans (P)2010 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

"Masterful….Evans demonstrates a fluent style and a sweeping grasp of the Third Reich’s history and of the enormous historical literature….Evans narrates the Reich’s end in gripping fashion as the Allies closed in on Germany. Evans’s fellow historians as well as a broader public will listen to this work, not quite with pleasure, for there is little joy in this story, but with admiration for the author’s narrative powers.” ( Publisher’s Weekly)

History can repeat if we’re not careful

Near the very end of the book, Prof Evans quotes a reference “What We Knew: Terror, Mass Murder and Everyday Life in Nazi Germany” by Eric Johnson and Karl-Heinz Reuband: “The power of (German) nationalism had ... been broken, so thoroughly that when elderly Germans came towards the end of the century to look back on the Third Reich and ask themselves why they had supported it, they could no longer remember that one of the main reasons had been because they had thought that it made Germany “great again.” We MUST NOT forget the Third Reich.

Packed Conclusion

Good insight for buffs and those whom like to learn the why of history. As the conclusion in the series, it contains all the events we learn about in school but with backing of many different perspectives from all over the war fronts.

an excellent historical listen. highly recommended

an excellent historical listen. highly recommended for all history addicts... great narration and as a member, outstanding value.

Wealth of information with a few snags

Have you listened to any of Sean Pratt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. It took me a while to break free of the Civil War narrative that I knew him for, but overall I felt his delivery was good.

Any additional comments?

This book contains a wealth of information in support of the military narrative. I say "in support of" because the detail associated with the military battles and campaigns is minimal when compared to other writers like Beevor or Keagan. What you will find is the underlying policies, intrigues and social/economic/political environment that is the setting for the military actions. Truly German-centric, enough of the broader context was provided to keep things relatively well rounded. For those who know nothing of the individual battles and campaigns, you will not find the details here. For those who do know the details, this provides an often missing context.

I will echo one complaint of another reviewer: common German terminology. At first I thought this criticism was petty, but it really did start to bother me as the book progressed. "The Leader" instead of "the fuhrer". The "military SS" instead of the "Waffen SS", even going so far as to translate the names of the SS units to "Greater Germany" instead of "Das Reich", "Death's Head" instead of "Totenkopf", or the one that really drove me crazy was "Personal Flag unit of Adolf Hitler" instead of the "Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler". At moments like these, I felt like I was listening to a poor Google translation of the book. Does it make a big difference? To me, not really, as I am aware of what is talking about most of the time. But for those who are not familiar with the terms, they may be increasingly confused when they do further study and encounter the German terms...as they will with just about any other history text on this subject.

Great history and such a profound subject.

Very well written and presented. The author presented facts and timelines perfectly. I very much enjoyed this audible book. I just wish Victor Klemperer's story, often mentioned in this audible, was available on audible.com in English.

The Third Reich at War, Best in the Series!

I just finished the last book of Richard Evans three volume compilation. After reading Shire's "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", I must say Evans has done a fantastic job of depicting life during Nazi Germany on all fronts, and explains in detail the extreme miserable conditions of the Jews, poles and the sacrifices all of Europe faced during this period. Great books and a very detailed history of the Third Reich during this time. Tony C.

Great book, very good narrator!

Really well written and thorough book with a narrator that is my favorite so far.

Wow!!!!!!!

This is beyond amazing and very well read. I could not stop listening to it.

It’s an astounding book

We are supposed to live in a time with racism , nazis,etc. I have a PhD in history. I don’t think it’s true But, if you want to know what living in Europe was like when there were genuine nazis and obvious racism to the point where your life, livelihood , and possessions were confiscated ? Please listen to this. It’s not easy. Stalin said the death of one person is a tragedy , the death of millions a footnote story after story of individuals that will stretch the credulity of your belief system especially if you’re younger. Under 40. I grew up with this , stories from people we knew , reading , and when there were actually decent programs on tv. Such as 20th century with Walter Cronkite I urge you not to miss this and maybe you will re-evaluate what seems to be the current dialogue I , of course will let you decide But please take the time to invest in this. If you do ? Pure evil will become quite obvious to you, as well as how this gets established in seemingly decent countries

An easy, hard listen.

How is it possible to create such a historical and emotional rollercoaster ride masterpiece that is The Third Reich at War? It’s an excellent recount that is painfully honest and true to history that brought me to feel as though I was actually there. It has educated and edified me, and given me a great love for the German people and helped me to see the war through their eyes and to appreciate their immense suffering and manipulation as a people under the dictatorship that was Hitler. I had to turn it off several times due to uncontrollable weeping at the suffering and exploitation and murders of the Jewish people and others. God help us all to love peace over war and power. History does not repeat itself- but it definitely rhymes. May we never forget.