Beevor, in this book on the entire second world war, attempts here what he achieves in his accounts of individual battles from that conflict; the pancaking of several layers of narrative viewpoint: analysis of grand strategy, power struggles of the 'great men' moving the map-pieces around, and violence propagated and experienced by the soldiers and civilians. For the most part he succeeds; each layer is balanced by the others. Several popular myths are pierced effectively, most notably the unimpeachable nobility of allied leaders and politicians, who are often shown to be craven and cynical. However, this is no revisionist rant; the crimes inflicted by the Nazi forces are recounted in horrifying detail, the need to militarily defeat Germany and its allies is rendered utterly plain. Finally, Beevor's focus on the suffering of civilians is admirable; whether victims of RAF/USAF fire bombings, marauding rear-area SS murderers, or the mass rape and pillage of a revenging Red Army; the awfulness of their lives (and deaths) is starkly and unforgettably described. An enlightening as well as moving history of a period too-often romanticised and soaked in decades of propaganda. Ik heb de Nederlandse vertaling gelezen. Ik had eerder dit jaar al D-Day gelezen van Antony Beevor. Ook erg goed. Dit boek is ook bijzonder goed te lezen. Er hadden een paar extra landkaartjes opgenomen kunnen worden, dan zouden sommige hoofdstukken duidelijker zijn geweest. Het boek heeft mij een veel beter inzicht gegeven in de 2e wereldoorlog: de politieke verhoudingen aan geallieerde zijde (USA, GB en Rusland), de (neven)effecten van de atoombom, de holocaust, de tragiek van Polen, Mussolini, de oorlog in Azië, Vichy-Frankrijk etc etc.
Do You like book La Segunda Guerra Mundial (2012)?
Simply BrilliantNothing more to add other than to say people should read it
—beguiled
Well written, great understanding and wonderful depth. Great book
—anjelica
A brilliantly written single volume history of World War Two
—mwt137
A very fine and readable one-volume overview of WWII.
—Amanda
Reads like a fireside chat. Simple And direct.
—rat474
