Customer Reviews

The Second World War

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John Keegan's World War II is a superb one volume history of the military aspects of World War II. There are three primary strenghts to Keegan's work: (1) his graceful style, which makes reading this work a pleasure, (2) his ability to use detail to illuminate broader themes, much like a talented newspaper reporter, and (3) the depth of his historical knowledge, which allows him to place the events and campaigns he is writing about into a broader and deeper context.

As other reviewers have noted, this is not the definitive shot-by-shot history of every battle. Rather, Keegan provides an overview, zeroing in on detail to make illustrative points; nevertheless he covers virtually every major theater of operations, including some peripheral ones. I don't regard his decision to summarize as a weakness; had he tried provide a more close-grained analysis, the book would have reached thousands of pages at the sacrifice of general readability. Keegan generously acknowledges, both in the text and in his notes, his reliance on narrower and more detailed explorations of many of his subjects and the notes contain many excellent suggestions for further reading.

Furthermore, to try to provide a day-by-day history of the war would have blunted the strength of his analysis and historical comparisons. And this is where Keegan truly excels, in helping the reader understand both Hitler and Nazism in the broader sweep of the aftermath of World War I, Bismarck and other European wars. Writing about Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's attempt to conquer Russia, for example, Keegan draws upon his knowledge of the campaigns of Frederick the Great and the Napoleonic wars. In discussing the Yugoslav partisan operations against the Nazis, Keegan makes the connection to Ottoman wars of independence fought by the Serbs. Other histories of World War II generally fail to provide the same measure of connected analysis, largely, I suspect, because their authors lack the depth of knowledge that Keegan has.

From the standpoint of an American reader, the book will appear to have something of a Euro-centric and British-centric feel, which is not surprising. Keegan was for many years a lecturer in military history at Sandhurst, the English equivalent of West Point. And for the English, World War II was overwhelmingly a European war. And for all his evident admiration for American efforts, it is clear that he regards Roosevelt as a mystifying and distant figure, and Eisenhower as a blunt but too-cool commander. If you think about Keegan's observations, his complaint appears to be that the American leaders weren't passionate enough, didn't hate the Nazis enough, a conclusion that is probably not shared by American scholars and readers.

But these quirks are also what makes this work so great: it is not simply a bland recitation of names and dates. It is writing infused with knowledge and a point of view, which is what makes this work so valuable.

While I do not agree that this is the single best one-volume treatment of World War Two available, I do agree it is a wonderful, eminently readable, and fascinating thematic approach that helps the reader look at the basic overarching themes to found in WWII. The introduction explaining how and why world wars became possible and attractive is worth the price of the book alone. Only Keegan could bring so much style, verve, and new perspective to such a widely covered subject as the Second World War. Therefore, understanding that the book is not an exhaustive and comprehensive history of the war on a battle by battle, theater by theater approach as one can find in other excellent one volume books such as Gerhard Weinberg's "A World At Arm" or Williamson Murray and Allan R. Millett's "A War To Be Won", it is still a singular tome with a unique and valuable perspective on the war that any self-respecting student of the war will not want to miss.

Also, given Mr. Keegan's mastery of the written word and his way with a phrase, this is a book one lets drag on as you read it slowly, stopping to think about what he has just written in a particular paragraph and what it means. This is indeed great stuff! The book is organized chronologically but devotes specific chapters in the general narrative to particular important factors influencing the progress and direction of the war effort, such as the nazi bombing campaigns, the Allied war air over Germany, war production, organized resistance in occupied countries, and the various types and relative successes associated with espionage.

Keegan's ability to marshal a stirring and articulate argument is unparalleled, and he relates the opposing forces' war strategies with an authority no one else can match. He also appreciates the many different levels of contribution to the overall war efforts ranging from unique leadership characteristics of specific individuals such as Montgomery, Patton, Eisenhower, and Marshall, but also pays attention to the massive contributions of ordinary soldiers, sailors, and war production civilians who made important efforts aiding ultimate victory. This is a very well-written and meticulously researched and documented book, and one I am glad to have on my World War Two bookshelf!

Keegan provides an excellent narrative of a topic that is almost too big to include in one volume. He organizes the book into six parts, each covering a specific time frame and theatre of war (e.g., The War in the East 1943-1945). In each part he provides the reader with a description of important events, as well as "tidbits" of his own analysis. I found these "tidbits", where Keegan provides commentary on the usefulness of a particular strategy, long-term effect of a battle, etc., the most enlightening aspect of the book. I was frustrated by the lack of depth in the book, but I suppose that in a one-volume history one can expect only so much. I recommend this book for readers who have never read anything on World War II, or those who are interested in "brushing up" their general knowledge. If you are looking for detalied description and analysis of specific World War II events you should search elsewhere, but for a single volume general history Keegan's work is excellent.

The Second World War was the largest, bloodiest conflict in history. It was fought on three of the seven continents and involved every major power of the time. Some of the combatant nations (most notably France and Italy) changed sides at least once between 1939 and 1945, and by the time Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945 over 50 million men, women, and children were dead, millions more were wounded and/or uprooted, homeless, and bewildered by the war's effects. Indeed, those of us now living in the early 21st century are still living with the aftermath of World War II; many of the crises we now face can be traced to decisions made during or shortly after the war.

John Keegan's The Second World War is a one-volume general history of the 1939-45 conflict, and it should be read more as an introductory text rather than a comprehensive "this-is-the-book-that-explains-the-whole-darned-thing" opus. It's too short (595 pages, not counting the bibliography or index) for that. Instead, it is structured in six parts, starting with Hitler's early campaigns in Poland and the West in 1939-40 and culminating with Japan's surrender in midsummer of 1945. Each part is divided into a few chapters that focus on themes and strategies...with attention given to a particular type of warfare in form of an example. For instance, for "Air Battle," Keegan cites the Battle of Britain. For "Airborne Battle," he uses Crete as his centerpiece.

The book is strongest when Keegan goes into detail about such things as the evolution of armies from the 19th century until the war starts in September 1939; he is particularly adept when explaining the revolutionary changes in European military organizations, particularly after the integration of the railroad and mass-production techniques from 1860 on. Keegan takes a potential snore-inducing subject -- Surplus and war-making capacity, say -- and makes it interesting to the average reader. His experience as an instructor at Sandhurst and his writing skills allow Keegan to weave a coherent narrative tapestry that depicts World War II in all its terrible yet mesmerizing spectacle.

As good as this book is, it is not without its flaws. Perhaps his research assistants blundered on occasion, or the publisher's deadline loomed too near when Keegan completed The Second World War, but I spotted a few errors of fact or terminology. In Part V: The War in the West, Keegan writes this about Operation Market-Garden: "Market, the seizure of the bridges at Eindhoven and Nijmegen [in Holland] by the American airborne divisions, proved a brilliant success. Garden, the descent of the British 1st Airborne Division on the more distant Rhine bridges at Arnhem, did not." In fact, Market was the code name given to the entire airborne half of the operation, while Garden referred to the British ground force (XXX Corps) assigned to relieve and reinforce the paratroopers. In another chapter, Keegan labels the SS mobile task forces used to round up and execute tens of thousands of Jews in the East with the term Sonderkommando. This, too, is inaccurate. The German SS units Keegan writes about were called Einsatzgruppen. Sonderkommandos were Jewish concentration camp inmates given the awful duties of emptying the gas chambers and crematoria in such hellish places as Auschwitz and Treblinka. Obviously, few books ever escape the odd typo or small factual error, but there are enough of these gaffes to distract or confuse the reader.

Nevertheless, John Keegan's book is worth reading, flaws and all.

Simply put, this is the best single volume history of the Second World War available. John Keegan was a Senior Lecturer at Sandhurst, the British equivalent of West Point. He produced a series of books on WW II and on other wars. This book is, in my opinion, his masterpiece.

The book is profusely illustrated, and the illustrations are carefully tied into the text. The text itself tells what happened and when, but is also expanded to cover what other activities might be going on at that time. It also relates how that particular incident ties into the rest of the war.

If there is any complaint you might make regarding this book, it would be that the war in the Pacific is not given as much coverage as the war against Germany. To be sure there are sections on the Pacific war, but they do not have nearly as many pages as the other.

John Keegan is a supurb writer and this book is excellent.

In his history of the Second World War, John Keegan manages to wrestle the global upheaval of 1939-1945 into a mere 608 pages. The concise, cohesive narrative arc of this work demonstrates not only Keegan's mastery of the endless particulars of the conflict that do not make their way into his description of it, but also his skill at plucking out of those myriad particulars those bits of information that are representative of the larger whole and arranging them into a compelling portrait of his subject.

Keegan's analysis is subtle, deft and administered with reverent restraint: where his hand is evident at all, it is almost always in the narrative structure, as in his treatment of the American and British bomber commands, rather than in the narrative itself.

The preceding notwithstanding, however, what may recommend this volume above all its many virtues is Keegan's mastery of the English language. It should surprise no one that a work of such depth and erudition is a "best-seller": Keegan's gift for language, coupled with his incisive analytical ability, make the causes, actors, events and outcomes of the Second World War accessible to all readers. The magnitude of this accomplishment cannot be overstated: the true gift of the pedagogue is his ability to play Prometheus, to grant his students, not entrée into the inner chambers of his subject, but rather passage through the door of first principles, giving them through that process enough knowledge to navigate their own way to a deeper understanding. What opens that door to understanding for Keegan's readers is his ability to communicate crucial and representative events effectively--in other words, his gift for storytelling. Keegan frames the war expertly, laying out its political, military and social dimensions like pieces on a tabletop battle map with great care and precision. The reader will likely put down this book with a sense of having engaged a great mind, and with a desire to peer more deeply into the events he has unfolded, if only partially, before him.

There has been too much written about World War II; it was not the only war in history, though the most destructive. Why, then, another volume on this over-examined period? Because, in short, this one treats the period with a critical eye that few other authors have summoned. Keegan, formerly a lecturer at Sandhurst and now a correspondent with the Daily Telegraph, brings to the subject an eye that questions heroism, jingoism, cliches and old assumptions which have been reinforced in retelling. His chapter on resistance movements during the war is chilling and depressing, but a needed anti- dote to the Hollywood renditions of "French Underground" history that tells lies and half-truths. Keegan blends all aspects of the war in a superb mixture of tactics, strategy, logistics, industry, horror and humanity. The book is divided into chapters which pick up topics of the war, such as the naval war, war industry production, air wars, background, etc. These topics are arranged in such a manner as to meld the chronology of the war into these topics. The result could sometimes be less satisfactory for a person who wants a straight "What-happened-when" treatment, but those can be found elsewhere. This book will question many of the assumptions we all hold about the war, and look them directly in the eye. Perhaps, after all, more does need to be written about the Second World War. But it needs to be written by authors who are more like John Keegan.

The Second World War was the greatest single event in human history. It contained more drama and urgency, and altered the reality of the world more than any war before or since. In "The Second World War," John Keegan describes in thorough, but not overwhelming, detail every aspect of the war, including the military, political, and economic realities facing the combatants. He divides the war into six sections, by geography and chronology, and begins the sections with a chapter on the strategic decisions facing the leader who had the initiative at the time, which sets the table perfectly for the events that unfold in the rest of the sections. The book also includes examples of five specialized types of battle that took place in the war. This is a very good read, especially if you are interested in all aspects of warfare.

If I were to teach a class on WWII I would choose this as the textbook. It covers all the military, strategic and political aspects of the conflict in an accessable and readable narrative without sacrificing any essential detail. Clearly a landmark work the book is useful as a reference or as a cover to cover read. There is no better one volume treatment of the pivotal events of the last century to equal Keegan's work here.

What Keegan's excellent "The Second World War" lacks in depth, it more than makes up for in breadth. The author does a superb job of condensing literally tons of sources, and a host of viewpoints, to capture the essence of the war.

He does so by focusing on strategy; more specifically, the strategic dilemmas facing the major combatants. For example, how the U.S. could maintain a "Germany first" strategy after Pearl Harbor. He then goes on to capture the revolution in combat by considering the different kinds of battles fought in WWII. e.g. amphibious, airborne, urban, etc.

Overall, "The Second World War" is an excellent volume, whether for someone new to the field, or an old hand. While the book is weighted towards the strategic/tactical aspects of the war, it is in these areas that Keegan truly shines. He is, after all, the world's foremost "military historian" not "economic", or "politcal" historian. Even so, this work is still an excellent "one-volume" history of WWII.

Two final notes, one positive, one negative. The bad first; for a work that focuses largely on strategy the maps are entirely inadequate. Significantly more, and better, are required to capture the action being described. On a positive note, Keegan does an excellent job of making use of combat photography to supplement his work. While many authors of "serious" histories seem to shun illustration, Keegan realizes that a picture really can speak a thousand words...especially when it is capturing the horror of combat.