Robert M. Citino | |
|---|---|
 Citino in 2009 | |
| Born | June 19, 1958 (1958-06-19) (age 66) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Awards | Paul M. Birdsall Prize for Best Book in Strategic Studies Distinguished Book Award,Society for Military History |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Ohio State University Indiana University Bloomington |
| Academic work | |
| Era | 19th and 20th centuries |
| Institutions | University of North Texas U.S. Army War College (visiting professor) |
| Main interests | Military history:History of warfare,World War II and theWehrmacht |
| Notable works | Books on theWehrmacht and theReichswehr |
| Notable ideas | Development of the German operational doctrine into the "German way of war"[1] |
Robert M. Citino (born June 19, 1958) is an American military historian and the Samuel Zemurray Stone Senior Historian at theNational WWII Museum. He is an authority on modernGerman military history, with an emphasis onWorld War II and the German influence upon modern operational doctrine.[2]
Citino received recognition for his works from theAmerican Historical Association, theSociety for Military History, and theNew York Military Affairs Symposium. TheHistorically Speaking journal described him as "one of the most perceptive military historians writing today".[1]
Citino was born and grew up inCleveland, Ohio.[1] His father was aUnited States Army veteran of thePacific War who served in theGuadalcanal Campaign as acombat medic and gave Citino a copy ofGuadalcanal Diary byRichard Tregaskis.[3]
After graduatingmagna cum laude with his Bachelor of Arts in history fromOhio State University in 1978, he earned his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy fromIndiana University Bloomington in 1980 and 1984.[4] Citino is fluent in German, having first learned it as an undergraduate, and is a prolific reader of early 20th-century German military literature.[1][3]
Citino has held academic postings at theUniversity of North Texas,Lake Erie College,Eastern Michigan University,United States Military Academy at West Point, and theUnited States Army War College.[5]
He is a fellow of theBarsanti Military History Center, a trustee of theSociety for Military History, and a consultant for theWhite House staff. He has also appeared as a consultant on theHistory Channel.[6]
He currently chairs the Historical Advisory Subcommittee of theDepartment of the Army.
Throughout his career Citino has advocated changing the current nomenclature of German military tactics. Although he uses the wordBlitzkrieg on the cover of his books, he has always espoused the view that it should be called by its proper German military term,Bewegungskrieg, ormanoeuvre warfare. Citino has taught courses onNazi Germany andAmerican military history, includingKorean War,Vietnam War, and theCold War.[1]
On March 15, 2013, Citino was awarded the 2013 Distinguished Book Award by theSociety for Military History for his workThe Wehrmacht Retreats: Fighting a Lost War, 1943. The book explores German losses in key campaigns in 1943—losses which would eventually lead to an erosion of the German military's strategic advantage. It is his second Distinguished Book Award; he previously received one in 2004 for his bookBlitzkrieg to Desert Storm.[7] Citino was a visiting professor at theUnited States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for the 2013–14 academic school year.[8]
