Endgame, 1945

December 15, 2007
The formal German surrender on May 8, 1945, did not end the violence and suffering in Europe. Sporadic fighting continued against diehard Axis units for several weeks, and the ordeal for civilians, forced laborers, concentration-camp inmates, and countless displaced persons continued. Stafford, who has written extensively on military intelligence, seamlessly interweaves the personal experiences of several participants with the broader conflict over a three-month period from April to July 1945. A 20-year-old Ohio native recalls the discouraging slog through Italy against well-entrenched German forces as he worries about dying in a war that seems over. A British commando describes the merciless reprisals some in his unit take against surrendering German soldiers. A Canadian officer in liberated Holland observes the abuse handed out to supposed Nazi sympathizers. There are stark images here, including the horror of Allied solders as they liberate Buchenwald; other images seem almost farcical, as some fleeing top Nazis are captured through blind luck. This is a riveting and powerful account of the winding down of a worldwide conflagration.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)