Collins Atlas of World War II Review

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(More customer reviews)I chose to purchase this Atlas on account of its author, John Keegan. The Atlas is presented in an an attractive format. Each page contains a description of the battle/era alongside a map portraying the relevant events. The maps are clear, colorful and diverse. Map topics range from political developments (pre-war), strategic military events and tactical battle views, down to the battalion level. Of particular interest I found the Stalingrad map, which clearly displays the city's various districts through an isometric view. It's the first map I saw of its kind, and provides excellent understanding of a battle conducted in urban terrain. On the downside, the pages are too small for my taste, degrading the level of detail in the maps. Additionally, while ideally covered in conventional Atlases, I believe that this Atlas should have provided a geographical survey of the battlefields, describing the topography, demography, climate and land-type. It would have saved me the need of consulting another atlas. All in all, an excellent buy, and an interesting read on its own, although mainly suitable as a companion to other WWII literature.

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A stunning visual account of the greatest conflict in world history.

The Second World War is the largest event in the history of mankind. No populated continent was untouched by its operations, and the political structure of the postwar world has been largely determined by its outcome. The global nature of the war, and the ambitions of the belligerents, meant that it was fought on a scale that, even today, confounds the imagination. It was a stimulus to unparalleled economic activity and provoked the most important clash of ideologies experienced by the world since the Crusades.

The Collins Atlas of World War II furthers our understanding of the war that forever changed our world. The scale and scope of the war is examined here in graphic form, with maps that trace the military campaigns as well as the social and political developments. Authoritative text addresses the issues and events leading to war and all of the clashes and challenges during wartime.

More than 125 full-color maps, diagrams, and timelines
Edited by acclaimed military historian John Keegan
Comprehensive coverage of the prewar world and the world at war
Examination of military plans and key battles
Internet links for further research
Glossary and Index

For anyone with an interest in the history, society, politics, warfare, and culture of the world, the Collins Atlas of World War II is a perfect companion.

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The Causes of War Review

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(More customer reviews)It was the principal textbook for a Causes of War class I took. It is very well-written. If you want to understand what really causes war and what people think causes war but doesn't, you should read this book. Blainey provides a great deal of evidence for the claims he makes and gives the arguments of the notions he disputes.

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When Europe Went Mad: A Brief History of the First World War Review

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(More customer reviews)...much about World War I, despite having focused on American history during college. And recently, as I have begun to learn more about WWII (thanks to good friends who have made it a point to understand this important part of our history) I found myself eager to understand what led to The Great War (as I now know it) and what impact it had on the course of our lives. Not wanting to read ab academic or cumbersome report, I searched for, and found, the perfect source: this brief, readable and informed description of WWI complete with context (maps), analysis, and insights into the various strategic, geopolitical, and cultural impacts of this conflict. Thank you Dr. Finn for this elegantly written and easily understood window into an important part of our history.

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"When Europe Went Mad: A Brief History of the First World War" is not your typical World War I read. Terence T. Finn offers his readers the important facts of one of the most significant wars in human history, yet presents it in a concise and comprehensive style meant for the common reader and history buff alike. "When Europe Went Mad" recounts the harrowing events of a war now nearly a century behind us, and boldly tells the story of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). Finn reminds the reader that well before General Dwight D. Eisenhower led American G.I.s into combat (1943-1945), John J. Pershing took an American army 'over there' and made history. With grace, Finn resurrects an understanding of this war's significance and ensures that its worldwide impacts, and the lives lost in the name of it, are never forgotten.

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Red Star Against the Swastika: The Story of a Soviet Pilot over the Eastern Front Review

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(More customer reviews)"Red Star Against the Swastika" is an extremely well written and compelling story, told for the first time.
The book is one of a series of new World War II memoirs by Red Army soldiers and airmen, which provide fresh and valuable insights into the Soviet armed forces of the Great Patriotic War. It remind us that Ivan, the Red Army soldier, was a living, breathing being, who cherished life as much as his counterparts in the West and who was willing to defend his family and his homeland fanatically and lay down his life dearly for all that he loved.
In "Red Star Against the Swastika" Il-2 Shturmovik pilot Vasily Emelianenko remembers his own war against the German Luftwaffe in the skies over Soviet Russia. Developed before the Second World War for the Soviet Air Force, the Il-2 was the first plane optimized for all ground attack and close air support missions. With an armored pilot's compartment, including specially armored glass, and equipped with multiple heavy machineguns and later cannon, the Il-2 played a major role in the Red Army's defeat of the Wehrmacht in Russia.
Emelianenko flew 92 sorties against the Germans, including 80 combat missions. Shot down three times, he always managed to reach home safely, once after another pilot in his squadron landed his own Sturmovik under fire to rescue Emelianenko. For his courage and successful completion of a number of critical missions, the author was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union, Soviet Russia's highest award.
"Red Star Against the Swastika" reminds us of the tremendous sacrifices made by Red Army soldiers and airmen to stop the Germans, even when the odds were stacked against them. "After the first weeks of the war our troops did not have enough fighters and anti-aircraft guns left," writes Emelianenko. "Consequently, squadrons flew their attacks without any cover. German aircraft had complete superiority in the air. Soviet military pilots had to pay tremendous prices, and a very few of those who began the war in summer 1941 lasted until victory came."
But, fortunately, the battle did not always go the Wehrmacht's way, and time after time, the Red Army managed to catch the Germans by surprise: "Approaching Bobruysk the Shturmoviks were flying very low. Anti-aircraft guns began to fire....The leader turned and launched the attack. Missiles hit the row of [German] bombers and exploded, tracer bullets shredded the wings with black crosses....Junkers and Messerschmitts ready for operational flights blazed up. Our aircraft came in time and did not allow the enemy planes to take off!"
By 1943 the tide of battle had shifted and the resurgent Red Army seized the strategic offensive, never to lose it again. "In the fierce cruel struggle we managed to crush the enemy that brought war to our land," remembers Emelianenko, "and there is my part of strain, blood and sweat in it." Indeed. In four years of combat, the author's ground attack aircraft division lost 717 men. Two hundred of those were from the 7th Guards Ground Attack Aircraft Regiment, Emelianenko's unit.
Victory thus came at a horrendous price. By the end of the Second World War, Soviet Russia had lost some 27 million people in the war, including ten million soldiers, sailors and airmen killed. And those that survived were changed forever: "Few people lived through the war without deep scars on their bodies and on their hearts," admits the author.
Emelianenko concludes his story with the following words; "My friends said to me then: 'Those who were killed must live in a book. People myst know about them. And write the truth only!' I have done my best."

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War As I Knew It Review

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(More customer reviews)"War As I Knew It" is not an autobiography. It is not a study of World War II. And it is not a doctoral dissertation. It is simply one of the greatest, most insightful accounts of the campaign in NW Europe, beautifully written by one of history's most charismatic and successful generals.
The book begins with a collection of open letters written by Patton during the time of his campaigns in North Africa and Sicily. For cesnorship reasons, these letters do not contain much battle information, but they provide a unique insight into the man Patton was, and how he dealt with problems that were not military in nature. He discusses his meeting with French and Arab leaders in attempts to protect his rear while he defeated the Germans to his front. The letters from Sicily are similar, discussing not so much tactics but outcomes, reactions, and the like. These early letters show how much Patton was moved around, and the interesting places that he visited.
The main part of the book covers Patton's proudest moments--commanding the U.S. Third Army. This section is wholly unique. Written shortly after they campaign ended with Germany's surrender, Patton describes the actions of Third Army from Normandy to Czechoslovakia. While he does not go into great detail about tactics and such, he provides a window into his own mind. The reader knows what he was thinking when he made his decisions, and the reasons that he made those decisions. In so doing, the reader gets a firm understanding of how an army worked in WW II. Also, he mentions his personal relationships with many different generals...ones you don't read about in history books. In short, this is a first hand account from the man who was a pure warrior.
The concluding section is Patton's gift to future leaders. He was a student of warfare, and his own contributions to the art are invaluable. He discusses everything from the conduct of general officers, to what the best tactics for attack are, to how to deal with trenchfoot! In conclusion, anyone who enjoys military history, or just plain good writing, should read this fascinating book written by a man born for war.

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A Short History of the Korean War Review

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(More customer reviews)When I found this book I did not have much interest in the Korean conflict, but since I enjoyed this author's history of WWII very much, I gave this book a try. I am glad I did. It explained the politics, the negotiations, the battles, some personalities and it was an enjoyable read. After reading this book, I read Henry Kissinger's Diplomacy. (Actually, I'm only about 2/3rds of the way through now. By the way, that is a truly excellent book.) The chapter in that book on the Korean War includes a discussion of the perspectives of the Chinese, Stalin, and N. Korea and the relations between these parties, whereas Stokesbury's book is basically just about the American goals, fears, etc. It is a pity that Stokesbury did not really explore these topics in this book, because it would have added so much more to our understanding of the story. Why did the Chinese get involved?; Could that have been prevented? What role did the Soviet Union play in encouraging the invasion? How did this conflict affect Sino-Soviet relatons? Whose idea was it to invade S. Korea anyway?; etc. Maybe the role of the Korean conflict in the overall containment of communism could also have been explored. Still, a very good book that accomplishes what it sets out to do very well.
The Korean conflict seems so contemporary in a way that earlier American wars do not. Think of N. Korea as Saddam's Iraq and you have a very contemporary story of trying to contain a dangerous rogue state, even if American leaders thought of their job more as containing communism.

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The Star Wars Enigma: Behind the Scenes of the Cold War Race for Missile Defense Review

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(More customer reviews)Author Nigel Hey revisits recent history in his entertaining and excellently researched narration of the Cold War's end. He examines the science -- or lack thereof -- economics and politics of the still controversial Strategic Defense Initiative -- "Star Wars." We find that the notion of a defense shield was Ronald Reagan's response to MAD -- mutual assured destruction. Reagan considered MAD dangerous, unstable and insane, exactly what the Soviets -- and many American critics -- thought of Reagan and his Star Wars concept. Hey presents careful analyses of all the key players from Sagdeev and Gorbachev to Teller, "Cap the Knife" Weinburger and George Shultz. He renders a surprising portrait of Ronald Reagan and his complex simplicity. Most importantly, Hey vividly explains the role that Star Wars played in the demise of the Cold War. And he reminds us how very dangerous those times were. The Star Wars Enigma is a rare blend of science, human nature, personalities, politics and history that makes for lively, thought-provoking reading.
Tony Fitzpatrick, science writer
Author of Signals from the Heartland, Walker and Company, New York

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The year 1982 was a desperate time for the U.S. defense community. The United States had no effective system to protect itself completely from a Soviet attack with nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles, which the Soviet Union possessed in large quantity, and the doomsday philosophy of mutually assured destruction seemed inescapable. But people in the Reagan administration, including Reagan himself, were not content with what they viewed as a morally unacceptable status quo. Then Adm. James Watkins, a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, asked, 'Wouldn't it be better if we could develop a system that would protect, rather than avenge, our people?" With that, the president's commitment to the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) became certain. Ultimately, SDI reflected Western political idealism, a powerful ingredient in the struggle to finally conquer the terrors of the Cold War and to allay the threat of nuclear holocaust. The Star Wars Enigma tells this dramatic story.

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White Eagle, Red Star: The Polish-Soviet War 1919-1920 and The Miracle on the Vistula Review

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(More customer reviews)This much goes beyond any doubt in my mind: the history of the Twentieth Century in Europe could have taken on an entirely different path should Poles fail to beat the Bolsheviks at the gates of Warsaw in 1920.
Lenin, following doctrine of Karl Marx, believed that the communist revolution, initiated in Russia, should be taken abroad to the rest of Europe and beyond. He wanted to go global. Time of the capitalistic society was nearing its end, he thought; social conflicts came to their extreme during World War I, hence - it was time to abolish old system and replace it with Socialism, Communism and the so called 'classless society' of eternal justice.
Feeling already victorious in his 'domestic' dispute over who were to rule Russia, Lenin believed time was ripe for other countries.
And let's not forget that the Communist movements elsewhere in Europe following the end of the Great War were strong and lively, especially in Germany. Lenin believed that if Bolsheviks could beat Poland the gates of Berlin would stand wide open to Communist takeover enthusiastically supported by German workers. And then the rest of Europe would fall into their hands.
It did not happen that way, Russians were beaten at the gates of Warsaw, Communist Revolution in Germany run out of steam, Social Democrats and supporters of democracy in general prevailed, Europe was spared horrors of the Gulag System created soon after in the Soviet Union by Joseph Stalin.
Norman Davies in his book attempted to explain in detail what exactly had happened and how did it happen. As far as I can tell this book, originally written, I believe, close to thirty years ago (was it not his doctoral dissertation?), still remains the most comprehensive, complete study of the Polish-Bolshevik War of 1920. I tend to agree with some of the reviewers that this book may be somewhat outdated, may be lacking in some illustrative materials such as graphics, maps and so on... bear in mind, thought, this was written when the Iron Curtain was still dividing East from West, archives in Poland and the Soviet Union were not widely opened (if at all) leaving the author certainly to desire much more. Nevertheless, Norman Davies prevailed in writing an (almost) complete story of the war that saved Europe from Communist takeover.


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