Download PDF The Second World Wars How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won eBook Victor Davis Hanson

Product details File Size 27319 KB Print Length 720 pages Publisher Basic Books; 1 edition (October 17, 2017) Publication Date October 17, 2017 Language English ASIN B01N808V2J

The Second World Wars How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won eBook Victor Davis Hanson Reviews

• A sophisticated analysis from an author with the knowledge and background to write it convincingly. Taking a globalist perspective , similar to Weinberg but at half the length, Mr Hanson uses a unique approach. For example; Chapters 2 through 6 are entitled Air, Water, Earth , Fire, and People. I have never seen that methodology used before and yet the author makes it work.
  The author writes at a level which assumes the reader is knowledgeable of WW2 and has read at least some of the popular histories. This saves a great deal of time and text. The analysis concentrates on fundamentals of production ,logistics, time and distance while spending almost no space on battlefield sketches of individual actions. Mr Hanson is very good at avoiding the standard tropes and clichés , making his own reserved judgments. The Author has a firm grasp of basic Economics, essential to any serious History of this subject. Because I agree with much of what he writes, he sure seems insightful.
  The best one volume History of WW2 to come along since a" A World at Arms". I recommend the Read.
• According to Hansen,WW2 was a moral crusade to defeat an evil enemy with the Allies overwhelming material resources, which enemy was still able to kill more of us than we killed of them. This paradox is fully explored in this magnificent work, beautifully written and massively researched, it is bound to be a standard in the field of strategic studies of the war. Read it.
  
  Just single out two issues
  1)Hansen correctly emphasizes throughout the book the central role of Britain. The standard approach to this in most cases to to say well, yes, the British fought on alone for a year but with the entry of America and Russia Britain became a junior partner. In 1938 Britain was the only super power with the world's largest navy. Six years later she had the world's second largest navy as well as the largest mercantile marine. In the air British planes were preeminent throughout the war, particularly the Lancaster bomber and the Supermarine Spitfire and its engine installed in the P51.
  As Hansen makes clear in depth, the war as won largely as a result of allied dominance on the seas and in the air. In this sense Britain was at the forefront as the only Allied power who fought the entire war from 1939 to 1945. Also, the British Empire was essential in defeating the Axis by giving the Allies a global reach. For example, without the bases in Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, and Alexandria, North Africa and Italy would have been failed campaigns. The British army was smaller than Russia or the USA but that was not the deciding factor in the importance of Britain to the war effort. Britain's role in the Pacific is often slighted yet Britain had one million troops in Burma under General Bill Slim.
  
  2) Another now standard ploy says that Russia won the war by breaking the back of the German army. And yet that would have been impossible without the many "second fronts" such as North Africa, Italy, the strategic bombing campaign, Normandy as well as massive material aid. The simple fact is that it took three superpowers six years to defeat the Axis, something which no two of them alone could have done.
• This is a remarkable book. Those of us who have been reading about the globe-spanning wars of the past century for decades may be skeptical as to whether yet another book on the subject of the greatest wars in history can add anything new. Well, Hanson does. This esteemed classical scholar has become, arguably, our leading military historian, displaying a command of the subject enlivened by innovative thought and adept writing. His latest book stands out among his best--which is a very high standard, indeed. Rather than revealing his richest insights--a nasty trait in reviews--I suggest that readers, no matter how busy or distracted by daily life, make time for this book It's underlying themes are even bigger than the declared subject. In our age of willful ignorance and historical amnesia, Hanson's contributions to our society spread far beyond the campus. Fine work from a courageous leader in the field of military history.