"World War II Seen by a Classicist, and Other New ..." Topic

..Books About Conflict.

"…So I picked up Hanson's THE SECOND WORLD WARS: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won (Basic Books, $40 USD) with some trepidation. To my surprise, I found it lively and provocative, full of the kind of novel perceptions that can make a familiar subject interesting again. It wouldn't make a good introduction to World War II, but it may win readers already familiar with the conflict's events.

Much of the book is written at the level of the strategic overview. Hanson notes, for instance, that both Germany and Japan probably would have won the war had they stopped early in 1941 and consolidated their gains in Europe and the western Pacific, without Germany attacking Russia and Japan pulling the United States into the conflict.

One of Hanson's running themes is that the Allied victors mainly killed German and Japanese soldiers, while the Axis focused more on killing civilians. Over all, in its accounting of the global carnage, this book amounts to an ode in praise of deterrence and against appeasement and isolationism…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Unfortunately it seems this link doesn't currently go to the review.

worked for me.

Worked for me.

If you've already read your ration of free NYTimes Online articles, it might not work for you unless you buy a subscription (it says I have 9 more left…).

But … you have to scroll down past the part about the book on My Lai to get to the book on WW2 that's in the column's title. Note how the review starts "So I picked up Hanson's THE SECOND WORLD WAR…" If it sounds like it is starting mid-conversation, well that's because it is.

Looks to me like an interesting book. There are a couple others in the review that look interesting too.

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

I'm reading it now. Pleasant suprise. I've read several of Hanson's books and have enjoyed them. For the most part he keeps his political views under control.

Good strategic insights. Loves Churchill and is harsh on Chamberlin as one might expect. Over plays air power a bit – but I'm just getting to the land war section so this may change.

Organized by topic not chronology.

Well worth a read even for seasoned WWII reader vets.

TomT