Albert Kesselring
Author: Pier Paolo Battistelli
Illustrator: Adam Hook
This 64 page paperback book is #27 in the Command series of books available from Osprey Publications.
Although he is mostly remembered for his part in the campaign in Italy from 1943 to 1945, Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring was also chief of staff of the Luftwaffe in 1936–37, playing a crucial role in the shaping of the service for the coming war. As commander of Luftflotte 1 in Poland and Luftflotte 2 in France and the Low Countries, he was responsible for supporting the armored spearheads of the German Army as they undertook their Blitzkrieg campaigns. With the Fall of France, the Battle of Britain began and Luftlotte 2 was the main force in the air attack against the British air defenses, with Kesselring planning many raids. Following the war Kesselring was tried and convicted of war crimes following a number of massacres of civilians in Italy. He was sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment before being released on the grounds of ill health in October 1952. Here Pier Paolo Battistelli provides a detailed study of one of the most famous German commanders of World War II.
Contents
- Introduction
- The early years
- The military life
- Opposing commanders
- The hour of destiny
- Inside the mind
- When war is done
- A life in words
- Bibliography
- Index
This book is a brief but excellent look at the life and career of Alfred Kesselring. This is a good book for historians and wargamers who want to know more about this important World War II German Field Marshal.
