Product Description

On 2 August 1944, in the wake of the complete destruction of the German Army Group Centre in Belorussia, Winston Churchill mocked Adolf Hitler in the House of Commons by the rank he had reached in the First World War. ‘Russian success has been somewhat aided by the strategy of Herr Hitler, of Corporal Hitler,’ Churchill jibed. ‘Even military idiots find it difficult not to see some faults in his actions.’ Andrew Roberts’s previous book Masters and Commanders studied the creation of Allied grand strategy; The Storm of War now analyses how Axis strategy evolved. Examining the Second World War on every front, Roberts asks whether, with a different decision-making process and a different strategy, the Axis might even have won. Were those German generals who blamed everything on Hitler after the war correct, or were they merely scapegoating their former Führer once he was safely beyond defending himself? In researching this uniquely vivid history of the Second World War Roberts has walked many of the key battlefield and wartime sites of Russia, France, Italy, Germany and the Far East. The book is full of illuminating sidelights on the principle actors that bring their characters and the ways in which they reached decisions into fresh focus.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #163 in Books
• Published on: 2009-08-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 816 pages

Review
'Andrew Roberts's latest offering is a sparkling addition to the groaning shelves. Roberts offers refreshing judgements' --Robert Service, Observer

'what might be his best book yet' --Nigel Jones, Sunday Telegraph

'His mastery of the huge variety of subjects is truly impressive and his ability to marshal these subjects into a single compelling narrative stunning' --Keith Lowe, Daily Telegraph

'he presents stylish penmanship, gritty research and lucid reasoning, coupled with poignant and haunting detours into private lives ruined and shortened' --The Economist

'tightly written, every page packed with terse comment, well-organised facts and, often, telling details. Engrossing to read'
--Paul Johnson, Spectator

About the Author
Andrew Roberts’s Masters and Commanders was one of the most acclaimed, bestselling history books of 2008. His previous books include Salisbury: Victorian Titan (1999), which won the Wolfson History Prize and the James Stern Silver Pen Award for Non-Fiction, Hitler and Churchill: Secrets of Leadership (2003), which coincided with four-part BBC2 history series. He is one of Britain's most prominent journalists and broadcasters.

Customer Reviews

an excellent new history
As we reach the 70th anniversary of World War Two's beginning, this is a first-class new general history of the conflict. Roberts writes with clarity and enthusiasm: his survey is wide-ranging and thoughtful and full of fascinating insights. The focus is on Axis war strategy, and using fresh archive material, Hitler's blunders are put under the spotlight - particularly his invasion of the Soviet Union, and - once the tide of war had turned - his dogmatic orders to hold every scrap of occupied territory, denying the German Wehrmacht all tactical flexibility. At the heart of the book is the simple yet powerful truth that the hateful race prejudices of the Nazis ultimately undermined their military efforts - but Roberts also pays proper and moving tribute to the courage of those who stood fast against them.

A Fresh Light
Andrew Roberts The Storm of War has provided a fresh light on various aspects of World War 11. Most of the story is well known but at least on a few aspects Robert's access to a hitherto private archive provides nuggets of interest. The most interesting is probably the definite confirmation that Hitler's 1940 decision to leave the Luftwaffe to finish off the British at Dunkirk had it's roots in the German failure to understand that a maritime nation would be able to conduct an evacuation by sea. Roberts rightly describes this decision as being one of the many blunders made by Hitler since it preserved the British Army. Roberts points out in reasoned detail that one of the main reasons that the war was won was the total incompetence of the Fuhrer as a Warlord. An incompetence that had it's roots in the absurdity of Nazi racial policy which left the best German atomic scientists on the Allied side. Roberts has succeeded in saying something fresh about what is probably the most written about war in history. No mean achievement since it ended 65 years ago.

An Excellent Read
"The Storm of War" is just superb as a one volume overview of World War Two. Because it is a one volume book, Roberts must necessarily pick and choose what he focuses on. That said, the writing is crisp and clear, and the details and quotes that he does provide are chosen extremely well. I lost track long ago of how many books I have read on World War Two, but I found myself being fascinated by this book and learning a lot from it. The main thing about this book is that it is just so damn fun to read. I haven't had this much fun reading a book since I read Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" series almost forty years ago. Based on the quality of this book, I will seriously consider buying all the other books Roberts has written. "The Storm of War" is just that good.