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(More customer reviews)The author was a news correspondent, working in Berlin during the late 1930s and saw first hand Hitler's securing of power at home and then his flanks by annexing the countries surrounding Germany before the invasion of Poland. During the war he worked in London for two years and moved to Washington where he helped out until the end of the war. After the war he stayed in the States to become part of academia where he studied the War for decades.
With its broad range of coverage, this book is ideal for new or causal students to learn of the war era. The coverage begins around 1870 when Germany rises in stature due to its victory over France. The coverage becomes more involved after WWI with the description of conditions on the continent, especially with Germany. The rise of Hitler and Nazism, the restrictions placed on Jews and other "dissidents" is then discussed as is Hitler's escalation of annexation of the late 1930s. The negotiations between Britain and France as well as the peace accord with Stalin in August 1939 is also covered among many other topics.
Chapter Four begins the coverage of the war. Coverage is quite broad but not very deep. Militarily, the key events in Poland, Norway, Finland, France, the air war with Britain, Balkans, Russia (limited coverage), North Africa, Italy and the Normandy landing to the end of the war are discussed. There is so much more than the combat. There is also the Holocaust and its ramifications, the Resistance, Intelligence with special mention of breaking the Enigma codes. Also covered is Hitler's views on Lebensraum, his secret weapons, Communist revival in Europe, the Allied Conferences including Potsdam, the coming Cold War at war's end. Also included are the key political and military leaders of the war. The Nuremburg trials are also covered. In the final chapter the author presents his analysis and conclusions of the war. With having first hand knowledge plus his extended study of the many facets of the war the author makes his thoughts relevant and interesting.
There are 29 maps and a gallery of photos of key people as well as battlefield shots. A Chronology of key events that ranges from 1914 to 1945 may be helpful as well.
Footnotes and a Bibliography of primary and secondary sources are included as is an Index.
This book is an easy to follow read that will give the new student a very good foundation as to the conditions prior to the War and the reasons why the War started as well as many key events of the War. It will also show the beginnings of the Cold War.
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