About book The Guns At Last Night Liberation Trilogy Volume 3 (2013)
This is the epic conclusion of the best history of the Second World War at least as it occurred in Europe that I have ever read. Mr. Atkinson is a writer who captures the whole range of war in its entirety. Yes, from the leader's points of view but even more from the rank and file's point of view. Others have told this story but maybe from too close of a perspective. Now with more than half a century gone by from the last shot fired the full story is heard. It does not lessen the greatness of those who fought then even with the knowledge that the war was not fought completely under the auspices of the Geneva Convention. We've long known that the enemies we fought committed many war crimes but we retaliated to some extent in kind. Having read these three volumes it is easy to see why and have no lessening of the respect these men and women earned. Exceptionally well-done. Atkins writes in an economical but muscular style and knows how to leaven the account of the big picture with telling detail on the individual -- be it general, sergeant or foot soldier -- contributing to the war effort. The military maps provided in the book were quite helpful in clarifying the text that dealt directly with "salients", "anabases" and other military movements. Signaling my lack of depth on military history, I was surprised to learn the dreaded German V2 rockets targeted Antwerp late in the war and the D-Day attack in Normandy was soon supplemented in southern France by an allied Mediterranean landing originating from ports in western Italy. The assault was an unqualified operational success, contrary to all the predictions from the English high command. Atkins provides considerable depth on the familiar themes from the European theater, among them General Eisenhower's constant struggle with the vain, self-aggrandizing 'Monty', the ill-fated and poorly planned 'Market Garden' operation (paratroop operations seem to fail more often than not), Roosevelt's struggles at Yalta, and the nature of American war crimes that occurred as the camps were liberated near the end of combat. Atkins likes to enumerate, whether it be boxes of condoms shipped or shell tonnage. While it tends to bore, it's surely necessary to convey the scale of the war, in all its aspects. Great book, great story.
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Definitive. The 3 book series of WW II in Europe is comprehensive and gripping.
—ollyb
