Anatomy of the Nuremberg Trials

By Taylor, Telford
1992, Knopf New York
ISBN 0394583558
Hardcover, 703 pages

Descripton: As the former American chief prosecutor, second in line to Judge Jackson, the author next to Göring et al. deals at length with the very complex personality of Dönitz, his upbringing, military background in WWI, Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and WWII. He gives the reader a very good inside look into Dönitz' defence by counseler Kranzbühler, part of Dönitz' cross examination by the prosecution and how the court deliberated and came to its verdict about Dönitz. It's fair, unbiased, and gives the reader ample to think about this individual German character, who lived in the most volatile times of German history. It is a fair account of Dönitz' life and stands in stark contrast to Padfield's very biased "prosecution" of Dönitz. No understanding of legalese is necessary, because the author makes a very effective effort to address his not judicially "blinded" audience. Highly recommended read, if somebody wants to know about Dönitz as the controversial person as he entered history.