The Last Great Victory [Hardcover]

Stanley Weintraub (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2001

July 15 to August 15, 1945: the last month of World War II. What happened in those dramatic days, not only would end the greatest conflict in history but decisively shape decades to come. Circling the globe, interweaving momentous events with fascinating personal stories, The Last Great Victory, brings to life the unfolding of that fateful time in all its stirring triumph, tragedy, action and suspense.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This history by the author of Long Day's Jourey Into War, encompasses bloody battles in the Pacific, the Potsdam Conference, the successful testing of an atomic bomb at Almogordo, and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In the same format as the author's Long Day's Journey into War: December 7, 1941 (LJ 9/1/91), this book examines the last month of the war through a creative combination of overview and individual recollection. Presenting the events on a daily basis, the author leads up to the Potsdam Conference and the end of the war in Europe. The scene shifts to the Pacific theater and bloody combat that led to the U.S. island victories, the plans for invading Japan, and the agonizing decision to employ the atomic bomb, not once but twice. Meticulously detailed accounts capture the diplomatic maneuverings and political infighting, from the war-weary Winston Churchill and freshman President Truman to the news reports of an invalided naval officer named John F. Kennedy. Strongly recommended for all collections.?David Lee Poremba, Detroit P.L.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 732 pages
• Publisher: Konecky & Konecky (May 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568523467
• ISBN-13: 978-1568523460
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,157,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lengthy and Sometimes Boring, May 23, 2004

By 

Vaughn W. (Gibsonia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Great Victory (Hardcover)

I found Stanley Weintraub's book The Last Great Victory to be boring. I usually enjoy books regarding World War II, but this was one to suffer through. The book covers all of the final preparations towards the end of the war. I guess someone who enjoys reading about all the planning towards the end of World War II would like this book.

Some people have said that The Last Great Victory is comparable to Steven Ambrose and other famous historical writers. I disagree in the sense that Ambrose manages to keep the readers attention, while Weintraub's book seems to include more detail than interesting trivia.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you are interested in the preparations at the end of World War II or in politics of the 1940's, but other than that, skip this and pick up one of Steven Ambroses' books instead.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GOOD CLOSURE TO WORLD WAR II BATTLE ACTION, November 15, 1999

By 

TED B. (MARYLAND) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Great Victory: The End of World War II (Mass Market Paperback)

For those who have read various accounts of action in World War II, Weintraub presents an excellent closure to the entire Second World War, something that the reader does not find in accounts of individual battles.

Weintraub covers the closing moments of the war with the Axis powers, providing the reader with quite good insight into what happened to both the Allied victors, the vanquished Axis populations, and those often-forgotten displaced persons (DP's) and POW's produced by the war.

The book is very detailed and provides the reader with a good understanding of what exactly evolved, and why it happened. Once the war was finished, what were the consequences to the people, the military, the concentration camp prisoners, and, most importantly, the politicians, especially Truman, Roosevelt, and Stalin who receive excellent coverage in this book. Some good surprises come to light...

I give the book five stars for its analysis of the European civilian, military and political situations in the aftermath of surrender.. With regard to the portion of the book covering Japan, instead of describing the Japanese occupation in detail, which I had been expecting, Weintraub spends far too much time on the atomic bomb and political infighting in Japan prior to surrender, both of which are covered far better by Richard Rhodes in "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" and in "Japan's Longest Day" published by the Pacific War Research Society (Kodansha International).

Still, quite good reading.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding work in tradition of Ambrose, Catton and Ryan, March 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Last Great Victory: The End of World War II (Mass Market Paperback)

"The Last Great Victory" is an outstanding achievement. It is written in the great narrative style of Steven Ambrose, Cornelius Ryan, and Bruce Catton. The reader is transported to the pathos of the Summer of 1945. It is a work that has deserved greater attention. Outstanding, vigorous scholarship, coupled with a poignancy and urgency that can create a visceral response on the part of the reader (especially in the Hiroshima narratives), it deals honestly with the likes of Stalin, Molotov, Churchill, Truman, and Hirohito. The only limitation is that the Pottsdam material is at times a bit tedious---however it is an important inclusion if one is to understand some of the policy issues behind the denouement of the war, as well as the policy issues that framed the Cold War. Once beyond Pottsdam, however, the book soars as a tragic poem about both the frailties as well as the aspirations of the human experience. Kudos, kudos, and more kudos!!!