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The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War (Paperback)
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Short Description for The Storm of WarOn 2 August 1944 Winston Churchill mocked Adolf Hitler in the House of Commons by the rank he had reached in the First World War. This title analyzes how Axis strategy was evolved. Examining the Second World War on various fronts, it asks whether, with a different decision-making process and a different strategy, the Axis might even have won.
Full description- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- Published: 01 April 2010
- Format: Paperback 768 pages
- See: Full bibliographic data
- Categories: European History | 20th Century History: C 1900 To C 2000 | Military History | Second World War
- ISBN 13: 9780141029283 ISBN 10: 0141029285
- Sales rank: 17,435
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Reviews for The Storm of War
- Top review
A must read
This book is the best single volume on the history of World War II that I have read to date. The amount of details and information Andrew Roberts cram into this book is amazing.
As well as what you would expect in such a book, the author's analysis of key battles an characters are masterful, as well as a few new pieces of information recently de-classified This is definitely one author who know his stuff. As
a self confessed World War II buff I found this book an enthralling and educational read by Michael Flanagan Excellent
Storm of War is both an overview and an evaluation of WWII. It is a sequel-companion to Masters and Commanders, which focused on the strategic view of WWII taken by the high command of the western allies - Roosevelt, Marshall, Churchill and Brooke. Read together, those books explain a great deal about WWII, and by extension post-war Europe and the Cold War.
This time around there is more focus on the Eastern front - where the Germans lost the war, and Eastern Europe lost its sovereignty. The march of the Red Army is covered in detail, although it is pointed out that the effect of allied bombing on Germany had a number of contributing factors to this advace, in disrupting war productivity and causing AA guns (which could often double as anti-tank weapons) and the Luftwaffe to defend Germany rather than be brought to bear on the Eastern front.
The war in the Pacific is also covered, although anyone wishing to know more here should see Max Hastings Retribution/Nemesis.
As well as what happened, the why is also covered off - could Hitler and Japan have won? Only, says Roberts, by their not being who they were. Genocide and slaughter was integral to militaristic Nazism, and a direct cause of many of the mistakes Hitler made. As I read the book, a Germany without a Holocaust, and which acted a liberator from Bolshevism in Soviet Russia, might have been able to win, especially with the aid of a number of Jewish scientists who escaped to the West in the 1930's. But, says Roberts, this madness was part of who Hitler was, and his drive to power and war depended on mania. Without this, Hitler could have won WWII, but he would never have been able to start it. Being in the position to start it, he was always likely to lose, at least once the USA joined in the fight.
Without a US surrender after Pearl Harbour, Japan was always fated to lose, provided there was will to fight against them. This is a less controversial position - even one taken by Yamamoto in late 1941.
Storm of War is a superb big-picture history of the defining conflict of the 20th century. It is hugely readable, well written, and shows a strong understanding of how and why WWII was fought. by John Middleton
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