Otto Skorzeny : the devil's disciple / Stuart Smith.
Material type:
TextLanguage: English Publisher: Oxford, England : Osprey Publishing, 2018Copyright date: ©2018Description: 384 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cmContent type: - text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781472829450
- 147282945X
| Item type | Current library | Collection | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Fiction | Davis (Central) Library Non-Fiction | Non-Fiction | 943.086 SKO | Available | T00807987 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny became a legend in his own time. "Hitler's favorite commando" acquired a reputation as a man of daring, renowned for his audacious 1943 mission to extricate Mussolini from a mountain-top prison. Skorzeny's influence on special operations doctrine was far-reaching and long-lasting--in 2011, when US Navy SEALs infiltrated Pakistan to eliminate Osama Bin Laden, the operational planning was influenced by Skorzeny's legacy. Yet he was also an egoist who stole other men's credit (including for the seminal rescue of Mussolini), brave and resourceful but also an unrepentant Nazi, and a self-aggrandizing hogger of the limelight.
Stuart Smith draws on years of in-depth research to uncover the truth about Skorzeny's career and complex personality. From his background as a student radical in Vienna, to his bloody service with the Waffen-SS on the Eastern Front, his surprise rebirth as a commando, and his intriguing post-war career and mysterious fortune, this book tells Otto Skorzeny's story in full--warts and all--for the first time.
Includes glossary and notes on the Waffen-SS.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
"SS Obersturmbannfuhrer Otto Skorzeny became a legend in his own time. Hitler's favourite commando acquired a reputation as a man of daring, renowned for his audacious 1943 mission to extricate Mussolini from a mountain-top prison. He could be brave and resourceful, but was also a notorious egoist and an unrepentant Nazi until the end of his life. From his background as a student radical in Vienna to his bloody service with the Waffen-SS on the Eastern Front, his surprise rebirth as a commando, and his intriguing post-war career and mysterious fortune, this book tells Otto Skorzeny's story in full- warts and all- for the first time."-- Back cover.
Table of contents provided by Syndetics
- Acknowledgments (p. 7)
- Prologue (p. 8)
- Maps (p. 11)
- 1 The Knowledge of Pain (p. 18)
- 2 Accidental Soldier (p. 30)
- 3 Thugs in Field Grey (p. 41)
- 4 The Liberator of Mussolini (p. 57)
- 5 Special Ops and High-Value Targets (p. 82)
- 6 Miracle Weapons (p. 98)
- 7 The Stauffenberg Plot - July 1944 (p. 109)
- 8 The Scherhorn Affair (p. 124)
- 9 The SS Changes Tack (p. 134)
- 10 Operation Panzerfaust: Budapest, October 1944 (p. 149)
- 11 Everything on One Card: Operation Greif (p. 162)
- 12 Operation Greif Mission and Aftermath (p. 179)
- 13 Implosion: The Schwedt Bridgehead (p. 197)
- 14 Skorzeny's Last Stand (p. 220)
- 15 Trial and Errors (p. 236)
- 16 Escape from Darmstadt (p. 255)
- 17 Apocalypse Soon: Preparing for World War III (p. 261)
- 18 Neo-Nazis and Colonel Nasser: Skorzeny's Wilderness Years (p. 283)
- 19 The Years of Plenty (p. 295)
- 20 Ghosts of the Past: Skorzeny's Last Years (p. 305)
- Epilogue: Man and Myth (p. 319)
- Glossary (p. 326)
- Note on the Waffen-SS (p. 329)
- Bibliography (p. 331)
- Notes (p. 340)
- Index (p. 376)