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The Second World War
- The best single volume study of the war available.
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This account of WW II, though controversial, is rich in
fresh perception, interpretation and opinion. In addition to penning a
fast-paced campaign chronicle, Keegan ( The Mask of Command ) makes a
convincing case for the prime motivations of Allied and Axis leaders,
pinpoints the practical results of Allied summit conferences and
defines the war's geopolitical dimensions. He maintains that Stalin's
purge of the Soviet high command was beneficial in certain respects,
and explains why Guadalcanal was a cheap victory for the U.S. Keegan
argues that Churchill's hope that resistance forces would "set ablaze"
Europe was a romantic notion, and that the British "descended to the
enemy's level" in the strategic bombing of Germany. Most provocative
are his comments on Roosevelt: while many historians would agree that
FDR was the most enigmatic of the war's major figures, few will concur
that his policies were "profoundly ambiguous."
From Publishers Weekly
- In contrast to Martin Gilbert's broader The Second World
War Keegan's work is more a battle
campaign. His strength as a military historian ( The Face of Battle,
The Price of Admiralty ) is in his ability to synthesize the order of
battle without getting bogged down in minutae. The mighty
German-Russian struggles are well covered, as is the war in the
Pacific. While Robert Leckie's Delivered from Evil: The Saga of World
War II ( LJ 9/1/87) is nearly twice as long as Keegan's book,
integrates biographical material into the narrative, and is less
analytical than Keegan's, Keegan's is extremely well written; the
reader can almost visualize the movement of an army without looking at
the maps. On another level, however, Keegan tends to be simplistic
(e.g., in his discussion of the causes of World War II, in his view
that the war would have come even without Hitler) and skim over many
topics. Nevertheless, academic and larger public libraries will find
this in demand. From Library Journal
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The Great Battles and Leaders of the Second World War : An Illustrated History
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The Splendid Blond Beast: Money, Law, and Genocide in the Twentieth Century - Christopher Simpson -- Examines the funding of Hitler's Germany by US & British financiers during the 1920'2-30's
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- Homage to Catalonia - George Orwell Spanish Civil War
John Ellis
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Pipeline to Battle
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One of the few contemporary historians to rival Keegan's treatments of WWII is
Carlo D'Este. His earlier books on Sicily and Anzio are not always available, but grab them if you find them in a used bookstore.
Meanwhile,
Decision in Normandy is the best book I've read on Normandy. (Keegan's 6 Armies is close, but is not as comprehensive.) His biography of Patton is amazing in the number of new facts and stories he reveals about this legendary commander.
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World War II in the Mediterranean, 1942-1945 Vol 2
- West Point Atlas of American
Wars
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Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything
to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II – history rewoven
- Samurai -- memoirs of a Japanese fighter pilot who survived the war.
Excellent descriptions of aerial combat and the campaigns in the South Pacific
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