A War to be Won, Fighting the Second World War

[72 usmc]

 

 

I am currently reading a book that some may find interesting if the reader appreciates books about a synthesis of WW II operational history. The book, A War to be Won, Fighting the Second World War, is written by authors Williamson Murray and Allan R. Millet. It is published by Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England in 2000. This is a rather lengthy book containing 665 pages that has also been published in paperback in 2001(ISBN 0-674-00680-1). However, due to its thickness of approximately 4.5 cm, I suggest it is best to obtain the hardcover version (ISBN 0-674-00163X). On my paperback copy, the binding cracked on its first reading although the pages still remain bound.

 

A War to be Won is a comprehensive, single-volume, operational history of World War II that tells the story of fighting on land, sea, and in the air. It is a realistic global assessment of the problems that the Allies and Axis powers overcame, as well as an assessment of their accomplishments and failures. The authors focus on numerous points: battlefield operations, weapons, the scientific innovations of warfare, the commander’s profiles and the ambiguities and opportunities they faced, selected, or missed, and the politics of war, strategy and tactics, and the military doctrines of each side. This book specializes in the overall global operational aspects of the war while moving between the command war room and the battlefield engagements. It discuses the probable outcomes the commanders, soldiers, airmen and sailors took or missed, and how fate and luck played a factor in the strategic successes and failures of the warring nations. In their preface, Murray and Millet state that they are looking at “…conduct of operations by military organizations…” and “…the underlying factors that shaped the outcomes of battles…” , they “…judge the decisions of military leaders and statesmen on the basis of what they could reasonably have known at the time… (2000:p. X).”

 

I enjoy the writing style in the text. I like the quality of the paper, the quality of the black and white photos, and the easy to read font. The hard cover edition is a quality publication. Most importantly, I enjoy how the two military scholars write a WW II historical academic book as if they are sitting back at dinner while explaining in a somewhat conversational style what happened during WW II. They discuss the facts of the war and its strategic events and people, but also add their own insights and comments which greatly adds to the book’s significance. With a somewhat American perspective, this book provides equal weight to both the European and Pacific theaters. Writing from the author’s combined years of academic expertise, the book’s focus makes for an outstanding "operational history" of the war and its overall socio-political aspects. The preface is stimulating and the following twenty chapters do not disappoint. At the end of each chapter is a comprehensive review that neatly summarizes its main points as well as the author’s interpretations. Although it is a twenty-three year old book, it still remains a superbly written analysis of WW II. Used copies can be economically obtained at $13 or less in hard cover.