Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)David Downing's book reminded me a little of Martin Gilbert's Second World War history which followed a strict chronological approach for the entire six years. Downing concentrates on 22 days at the end of 1941 culminating in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which he argues was the decisive moment of the war. That's when, in his opinion, the eventual victory of the Allies and defeat of the Axis became inevitable.
Most of the action Downing describes takes place on three fronts: the diplomatic maneuvering between the United States and Japan and Tokyo's simultaneous advanced planning for the attack; the Russian front around Moscow where the German advance eventually ran out of steam as winter set in; and in North Africa where Rommel's tactical victories over the British turned into strategic defeat because of the German inability to logistically support his breakthroughs.
But we also visit other places: Riga where the Germans were busy slaughtering thousands of Jewish civilians, Rostov on the Don where a German advance was followed by retreat; Croatia, Montenegro, Berlin, Leningrad -- the scope is truly worldwide.
I personally find it disconcerting when the narrative wanders all over the globe in a single chapter. The reader has to remember where matters stood in North Africa as the action swings to Russia. It may be another 30 pages before we're back in North Africa.
The other problem with this book is the thesis that these 22 days changed everything. There were many "decisive" moments in World War II. Other reviewers have pointed to the Battle of Britain and the failure of the Germans to establish air superiority over the British which would have paved the way for a land invasion; the Battle of Midway in which the U.S. Navy inflicted irreparable damage on the Japanese navy and seized the strategic initiative ... and there may be others. I tend to agree with those who say there was no one "decisive moment" but rather a series of important battles that could have changed the course of events.
Having said all that, this book is well written and delivers an exciting narrative. I endorse Downing's decision to emphasize human suffering and Nazi brutality against Russian civilians as well as Jews. He also rightly points out how Stalin and Hitler's capricious decisions, based on bombast, hubris, ignorance and wishful thinking paved the way for awful defeats and huge loss of life. Tojo is scarcely better. Downing suggests the Japanese knew all along they could never beat the Americans but decided to launch the attack anyway in the name of some amorphous idea of national honor.
I don't agree with his contention that Roosevelt's decision to push ahead with nuclear weapons research was a mistake. The Germans were busy trying to develop atomic bombs and ballistic missiles. Not to have pushed ahead with the Manhattan Project would have been gross irresponsibility.
The author's criticism of Churchill's decision to launch strategic bombing against Germany seems to me overly pious. There was a war going on and British civilians had been hammered. It was important for national morale to hit back.
Downing's book is a catalogue of human folly. He has few words of praise for any of the commanders on either side. Their mistakes are balanced by the valor of the ordinary troops, who together with millions of civilians were the ultimate victims.
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