The Second World War

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.

World War II was the largest war in history in every way possible. More people mobilized into the country. Battlefronts in more countries than in any other war. More people killed and injured. In fact, World War II was the crucial event of the 20th Century. It represented the synthesis of technology and intentio nal destruction. WWII was probably the last major conventional war humankind will see, as the past half-century has demonstrated. Keegan's overview is comprehensive. While entire volumes could and have been written on such topics as the Eastern Front (more than 15,000), Keegan looks at the broader scope, but provides a surprising amount of detail. For someone seeking a one-volume history that will fully acquaint them with this great, tragic conflict, this is it. Jerry

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.

A couple of points. Whatever the imbalance in number of pages between the war in the east and that in the west (which started two years earlier, of course), Mr Keegan leaves the reader in no doubt about the horrific casualty rates and the attrition, barbarism and suffering on the Eastern Front. Nor for that matter, does he fail to stress that it was this campaign that broke the back of Nazi Germany. And he does not "sneer" at the efforts of the resistance movements, but points out that their overall impact was small, especially when set against the terrible retributions they provoked. I think this is a brilliant book; its scope is huge, and to cram this much information into such a readable text is a considerable achievement. It whets the appetite of the reader for more details of events which it can (by necessity) only briefly survey. Buy.