Blood, Tears and Folly: An Objective Look at World War II [Import] [Paperback]

Len Deighton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 4, 2007

By 1942 the civilised world had been brought to the brink of ruin. It had taken the Axis powers less than three years to command the high seas in the North Atlantic and the South Pacific, to lay waste most of Europe and enslave millions in Asia, to drive deep into Stalin's Soviet empire and come within an ace of controlling the oilfields in the Middle East. At the height of their power the European dictators and the Japanese military autocracy ruled ruthlessly almost half the world. Standing alone, the British were bankrupt and the United States only driven from isolation by the humiliation at Pearl Harbour. Before the tide fully turned in 1943, millions had been put to death, the machinery of the holocaust was in place and nuclear devastation well on the way to become a reality. Yet, Deighton warns, fifty years on the lessons of the Second World War continue to reverberate unheeded. Racial hatred, ethnic cleansing, recession, trade wars and the widening gap between the world's rich and poor promise economic migration on a frightening scale. The dangers of today are seen all too clearly in this account of a recent time when humanity was consumed by violence and destruction.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The author of City of Gold here takes a pragmatic look at the early years of WW II, "that complex and frightening time in which evil was in the ascendant, goodness diffident, and the British--impetuous, foolish and brave beyond measure--the world's only hope." His absorbing narrative concentrates on six major phases of the 1939-1941 period: the Battle of the Atlantic (U-boats versus convoys); Hitler's blitzkrieg victories in Western Europe and the Dunkirk evacuation; the tank battles between the British and the Germans in the Western Desert; the struggle between the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force for command of the air; the German invasion of Russia; and the complex combination of events and hardening attitudes that led to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Deighton pays close attention to Winston Churchill's thorny relations with his generals, and is especially critical of the British failure to prepare for an attack in Malaya, since the peninsula's rubber and tin made it an obvious target. Americans are largely absent from the narrative, but Deighton comments on U.S. isolationism and adds a stirring tribute to Air Corps General Henry Arnold for his foresight in organizing a pilot-training network before Pearl Harbor. Illustrations. $20,000 ad/promo.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

"One good reason for looking again at the Second World War is to remind ourselves how badly the world's leaders performed and how bravely they were supported by their suffering populations." Deighton, best known as the author of spy novels, takes the reader into the early years of World War II, particularly the time when England stood alone. Chapters are organized topically (Atlantic, Blitzkrieg, Mediterranean), with extensive descriptions of prewar events to explain how or why the adversaries fought in a particular place. The British clashes with Axis and Axis sympathizers in places as diverse as East Africa and the Middle East will be unfamiliar to many Americans. Deighton ends his book with the opening of the Pacific war, leaving hope there will be a sequel. Deighton's opinions are explained reasonably, and his writing is both easily understood and thoroughly researched. Recommended for all libraries with an interest in World War II. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/93.
- John F. Camenga, Tampa-Hillsborough P.L., Fla.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Vintage Books (December 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099520494
• ISBN-13: 978-0099520498
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 1.4 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,681,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating look at World War II, May 27, 2000

By 

Tim F. Martin (Madison, AL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood, Tears and Folly: An Objective Look at World War II (Hardcover)

Len Deighton does an excellent job in looking at nearly all aspects of the Second World War. One of its strongpoint is that he provides a lot of background in addressing the problems and events of the Second World War. In order to understand why the Battle of France was fought the way it was, he takes you back to the First World War, the lessons "learned," and events in the various armies between the war. To shed light on the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, he brings you the bombings of London in WWI, and what was thought of that at the time. In many cases, in order to understand why generals and admirals commanded their troops to do certain things, and why certain types of equipment were or were not available, you had to understand the mind set of the time, and the history they were drawing upon.

Another strength of the book is its look at the personalities of the people involved, which as much as anything else helped determine who won or lost. From Churchill to Rommel to Zhukov, you have to understand to an extent their personal motivations, how they interacted with their subordinates and superiors, and the lessons they had learned earlier in life. Churchill for instance was shaped by early life experiences in Cuba prior to the Spanish-American War and during the Boer War, and by his serving as the civilian head of the Royal Navy.

The book is pretty harsh on the British. While clearly liking the British (he is British himself), and greatly impressed by the courage of many of her warriors, again and again he lays into them for shortsightedness, petty infighting, turf wars, and failure to learn from battle.

All and all a good book. Less good for an overall history of the war, but better to understand some of the background of the war, some of the personalites involved, and why the two sides did not do better than they did.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One terrific book, December 15, 1999

By 

Doug Vaughn - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Blood, Tears and Folly: An Objective Look at World War II (Hardcover)

Despite its subtitle, this is NOT an 'objective look' at World War II. Whatever else Len Deighton may be - and he is certainly a terrific writer - this book bristles with opinions and may fairly be viewed as a long argument, using very detailed analyses of weapons, events and personalities, to demonstrate that much of what is now taken for true about the war is myth. Deighton takes especial delight in puncturing certain British pomposities, and while he is not the first, he is certainly one of the best writers to turn the spotlight of a considerable intelligence on stupid and self-serving decision making. He shows repeatedly the human cost of decisions that seem to have been made out of misplaced allegiance to a particular branch of the service or from clinging to unfounded beliefs in the face of all conflicting evidence. He seems to be saying to his English audience that though Britain 'won' the war, it was only through exceptional sacrifice, accident and outside intervention.

While this book can be enjoyed as a war history - heavy on specifics related to combat on sea, land and in the air and light on political and social aspects - it is especially interesting as argument. The comparison of weapons systems, especially in light of the brief histories that Deighton presents showing how each country had positioned itself (or not) for the war, allows the reader to see much that was already known in an entirely different light. We leave this book feeling as though we have really learned something new. No mean feat when we consider that this is the most written about war of all time.

Deighton manages to make his use of detail and specific anecdote work by employing his skill as a story teller. And his story becomes more significant because it is really a very involved argument. This is a book that is satisfying on many levels and one I strongly recommend to anyone interested in the history of our era. One doesn't have to agree with Deighton's opinions to appreciate the clarity of his writing and thought. This is simply one terrific book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Perspective, February 11, 2004

By 

M. Tillman (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood, Tears and Folly: An Objective Look at World War II (Hardcover)

Perhaps Deighton realized while writing this book that he had bitten off more than he could chew. He devotes six roughly equal sections to various components of the war. As a Yank, I must give him a little slack for focusing the subject of the book on the European war, and in fact I think that the section on the Pacific/Japanese war would better have been left out of the mix (and perhaps replaced with an additional section on Europe).

As I was reading the book, it really struck me how much Deighton was going out of his way to expose the manner in which the Axis lost the war, rather than the way in which the Allies won it. A thorough examination of mistakes and miscalculations by the senior leadership provides some good insight into why lady luck always seemed to be with the Brits.

Overall, I would recommend this book thoroughly, especially the section on the battle of the Atlantic, in which Deighton gives some startling figures as to the number of ships sunk and men lost over the course of the war in keeping the British and Russians supplied.

Interestingly enough, there are many myths that Deighton makes great effort to dispell, and these do provide some additional interest for the book. I suppose that this makes it somewhat novel, and provides a bit more of an objective view of the war and how it was fought than is traditionally presented. Even so, when I read book after book that provides conflict with Deighton, I ask myself if he was right. At least he made me think about it.

Worth reading, and oddly enough a fairly brisk read despite its length.