Robert M. Citino

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Robert M. Citino

Robert Citino's faculty picture
Born June 19, 1958(1958-06-19)
Cleveland, Ohio
Occupation Writer, Professor, Historian
Spouse Roberta Citino

Robert M. Citino (born 19 June 1958) is an American history professor, scholar and writer currently teaching at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). He specializes in German military history and has earned acclaim by writing several historical books on the subject. He has appeared as a consultant on the History Channel several times on the subject of World War II and German military tactics.

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[edit] Background

Citino was born in Cleveland, Ohio. After graduating with his Bachelor's degree in history from Ohio State University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1978, Citino then went on to earn his Master's and PhD from Indiana University in 1980 and 1984, respectively. He is married with three daughters, and has taught history at EMU for more than a decade, occasionally taking a sabbatical to write another book. He is fluent in German and is a prolific reader of early 20th century German military literature, particularly the Militär-Wochenblatt, a professional German military periodical published from 1816 to 1942.

[edit] Scholarly Works

Citino is one of America's leading authorities on German military history. Having appeared repeatedly on the History Channel as a consultant on various related subjects, notably on Hard Target; where he discussed the failure of U.S. intelligence before the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, and on HistoryCENTER where he discussed the fall of Japan in the last eight months of World War II. He has also authored numerous books, notably The Path to Blitzkrieg, Quest For Decisive Victory, Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm, and The German Way of War. His eighth book, The Death of the Wehrmacht, was released on September 6, 2007. In 2005 his book The German Way of War was chosen as one of two selections of the month for the Military Book Club, competing with Oliver North's War Stories III.

[edit] University career

Citino is a proponent of changing the current nomenclature of German military tactics. Although he uses the word Blitzkrieg on the cover of his books, he has always espoused the view that it should be called by its proper German military term, Bewegungskrieg, or maneuver warfare. He has taught history classes at Eastern Michigan University for over a decade, mostly on German military history, stressing the doctrines of maneuver warfare to create a Kesselschlacht and the German doctrine of Auftragstaktik. Citino has also taught classes about Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, as well as American military history. In 1993 he won EMU’s Teaching I Award for his enthusiasm in the classroom and his ability to inspire student interest in history.

Dr. Citino will be a visiting professor at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY for the 2008-09 academic year.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Citino (1984). Polen Greift An: Germany's Eastern Defenses, 1918-1933. PhD Dissertation, Indiana University Press
  • Citino (1987). The Evolution of Blitzkrieg Tactics: Germany Defends Itself Against Poland, 1918-1933. Ph.D. dissertation, Greenwood Press.
  • Citino (unknown). The Rise and Development of Armored Warfare: A Reference Guide.
  • Citino (unknown). Crane Army Ammunition Activity Annual Historical Review Fiscal Years 1980-1983.
  • Citino (1991). Germany and the Union of South Africa in the Nazi Period. Greenwood Press.
  • Citino (1994). Armored Forces: History and Sourcebook. Greenwood Press.
  • Citino (1999). The Path to Blitzkrieg: Doctrine and Training in the German Army, 1920-1939. Lynne Rienner; Stackpole Books (paperback, 2008)
  • Citino (2000). Was the Reputation of the Wehrmacht for Military Superiority Deserved?" In History in Dispute 4, World War II, 1939-1945 Detroit: St. James Press.
  • Citino (2001). The Weimar Roots of German Military Planning. In Military Planning and the Origins of the Second World War in Europe. edited by B.J.C. McKercher and Roch Legault. Westport, Conn.: Praeger.
  • Citino (2002). Quest for Decisive Victory: From Stalemate to Blitzkrieg in Europe, 1899-1940. University Press of Kansas.
  • Citino (2004). Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm: The Evolution of Operational Warfare. University Press of Kansas.
  • Citino (2005). The German Way of War: From the Thirty Years' War to the Third Reich. University Press of Kansas.
  • Citino (2007). The Death of the Wehrmacht: The Campaigns of 1942. University Press of Kansas.
  • Citino (2007). Military Histories Past and Present: A Reintroduction. American Historical Review vol.112 no.4
  • Citino (2008). The Path To Blitzkrieg: Doctrine and Training in the German Army 1920-39. Stackpole Books.

[edit] Honors and awards

  • Phi Beta Kappa
  • Phi Kappa Phi
  • Phi Alpha Theta
  • Summa Award for Scholarship, 1976
  • Magna cum laude 1978
  • National Resource Fellowship, Indiana University 1982
  • Susan O'Kell Memorial Award for Outstanding Associate Instructor, 1982
  • Letter of Commendation, Crane Army Ammunition Activity, 1983
  • Eastern Michigan University Teacher I Excellence Award 1993
  • History Book Club "Book Of the Month" August 2002
  • Winner of the Birdsall Prize, from the American Historical Association
  • Winner of the Distinguished Book Award, Society for Military History
  • Voted 2007's #1 Professor in the Nation on RateMyProfessor.com
  • The Charles Boal Ewing Distinguished Visiting Professor 2008/2009 West Point US Military Academy

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • Citino played in a rock & roll band while attending college
  • He achieved his Bachelor's degree in only 3 years, taking 25 credit hours in a semester
  • He sometimes browses internet news websites and blogs to keep himself up to date on world affairs
  • He used to wear oversized hockey jerseys to his lectures before he lost weight
  • Does a stellar Luftwaffe air strike impression
  • He claims that his house is stacked high with issues of the "Militär-Wochenblatt"
  • He was once lectured about one of his own books by a student in his class who did not recognize him
  • Speaks German, French, Italian, Polish and Latin
  • He is known by many students as the king of "Keeping It Casual".
  • Provided expert commentary for the History Channel on the films: "Battle of the Bulge" and "Flying Misfits."

[edit] External links