The quoted material places Canaris before reports of the shooting of Riga's Jews, which he then brought to Adolf Hitler, alongside signs of military collapse on the Eastern Front. Another report describes severe material losses, fuel shortages, falling morale, and panic, comparing the German retreat to Napoleon's army in 1812. It also alleges that Soviet forces tortured captured German wounded in reprisal for the killing of Russian prisoners of war. Canaris had an order to brand Soviet prisoners of war rescinded, and his officers protested when a similar proposal returned. Their objection was expressed partly in terms of the damage branding would do to recruiting agents and volunteers. Moral catastrophe and military effectiveness were entangled within a regime carrying out mass killing. By the end of the extract, Canaris seems aware that enemies within the state are preparing to move against him.
Chapter · 18:53-20:34
Canaris amid atrocity reports and military collapse
Late in the review, Canaris confronts reports of mass killing and military crisis, linking moral catastrophe to intelligence warnings and the conduct of war.