On August 2 1934 Hitler required all members of Germanys reemerging military to take an oath of allegiance to his regime. As the war progressed and Hitlers commands became more erratic and less humanitarian his better generals were left to a moral predicamentlive up to their oath and follow the questionable commands of the Fuhrer or violate their oath and consequently one of their most basic beliefs. Through a critical examination of memoirs postwar trial testimony and peer analysis this volume explores the motivation behind the Wehrmacht leaderships support of Hitler. Beginning with the atmosphere prevalent in postWorld War I Germany the book details the conditions and mindset which left the whole countryand the military in particularready for someone with Hitlers charisma. The author uses contemporary sources to delve into the almost incomprehensible reasoning behind the loyalty of Hitlers chief lieutenants. These include the possibility of personal gain the natural culmination of their chosen career and Napoleonic dreams spurred on by Germanys initial victory in Poland. Those who apparently attempted to no avail to dissuade Hitler from his course of action are also discussed. The appendices contain a list of postwar indictments a chronology of the Third Reich information regarding treaties and agreements and comparative army ranks.