Despite these wins, Citino identifies several fatal flaws that led to the "death" of the Wehrmacht as an effective fighting force:
The year began with a series of staggering, yet deceptive, German successes. Citino reconstructs these campaigns to show how the Wehrmacht still possessed lethal operational excellence: Death of the Wehrmacht :The German Campaigns of...
: General Erwin Rommel’s "reckless" drive captured Tobruk and Gazala, pushing deep into Egypt. The Structural Collapse Despite these wins, Citino identifies several fatal flaws
: By 1942, Germany lacked the resources to launch offensives across the entire Eastern Front. They narrowed their focus to the southern sector (Operation Blue) to seize oil and grain, but even this limited goal proved too vast. They narrowed their focus to the southern sector
: The traditional Auftragstaktik (mission-type tactics)—which allowed subordinate commanders great flexibility—was strangled by Hitler's increasing micromanagement and the rise of radio communication, which gave high command a "tight leash" on tactical movements.
: Germany’s military was built for short, decisive "wars of movement." In 1942, they were forced into a war of attrition against the "industrial machines" of the US, UK, and USSR—a battle they simply could not win. Death of the Wehrmacht: The German Campaigns of 1942