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World War II |  | Author: HP Willmott
Creators: Robin Cross, Charles Messenger, Neil Grant, David Welch, Michael Barrett, Mark Grandstaff, Michael G. Paul
Publisher: DK ADULT
Category: Book
List Price: $40.00
Buy Used: $2.67
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Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 645681
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.4
Dimensions (in): 12 x 10.1 x 1
ISBN: 0756605210
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.5400202
UPC: 690472005216
EAN: 9780756605216
ASIN: 0756605210
Publication Date: September 6, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The Second World War was fought on an unprecedented scale and claimed the lives of millions, from soldiers to civilians. Providing a challenging analysis of its causes and momentous consequences, as well as a clear narrative and explanation of the course of the war, World War II examines the objectives and concerns of all the combatants in one of the most deadly conflicts of the 20th Century. Approximately 40 maps and 500 images give a complete picture of the conflict across its many theaters - the Eastern and Western fronts, Scandinavia and Italy, the Balkans and the Mediterranean, and China and Southeast Asia, as well as the Western Pacific.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
 world war II June 13, 2009
Benedict M. Difranco
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
More of a coffee table reference book than a book that can be read with any type of continuity. Nice illustrations.
 Pacific War forgotten. October 22, 2008
Ken Luke (Japan)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
There is less coverage on the Pacific War, which was a major factor in WW2. The atomic bombs were dropped in Nagasaki and Hiroshima which ended WW2, not elsewhere, am I right??!
It seems as if the authors think that the Pacific War is not important or does not belong to WW2...heh!!
I have been to Nagasaki and Hiroshima and would like to know more about the Pacific War/theatre.
 Causes and Consequence March 21, 2005
Rebecca Johnson (Washington State)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. ~Marianne Williamson
It seems impossible to eradicate the idea of war from our daily existence. War (somewhere on the planet) seems to be a part of daily life, as real as the internal wars of the soul. How can the world ever know peace when we cannot even find ways to be at peace in our homes or in our own communities? It seems we are always fighting an internal war and that war is represented in the experience of physical war.
H.P. Willmott, Robin Cross and Charles Messenger explain the reasons behind the most dramatic event in human history. They show how the shock waves of World Wwar II still resonate in our world today. As they analyze the causes of the war and the consequences, we may be able to learn from the past to prevent future destruction.
When I read a book like World War II, it does awaken me to the reality of what mankind is capable of in regards to fighting for freedom and trying to suppress freedom. There are shocking accounts of man's cruelty and contrasting accounts of those who would seek to free mankind from tyranny.
This book is divided into nine chapters:
The Path to War
War Begins in Europe
Germany Triumphant
The War Becomes Global
The Initiative Changes Hands
The Axis on the Defensive
The Allies' Great Offensives
The Final Battles
A New World
World War II is not a calm read and you may find yourself becoming angry or sickened while reading about the atrocities of mankind. Perhaps it is necessary to feel that sense of revulsion in order to make better decisions in the future. There are also interesting moments where pictures show how soldiers adapted to fight in brutal conditions like the picture of the Finnish ski soldier or the pictures of beach landings. The stories of survival will give you a new respect for the soldiers fighting for freedom, while the stories of cruelty and brutality towards human beings will leave you sickened. The hope on the faces of liberated POWs with emaciated bodies and children starving to death because they had to give up food so soldiers could stay in the war makes you think about war on a much deeper level.
"...it is a vast furnace lit by the reflection of the flames. And when night arrives, on of those scorching, howling, bleeding nights, the dogs plunge into the Volga and swim desperately to gain the other bank. The nights in Stalingrad are a terror for them. Animals flee this hell... only men endure." Pg. 138
Throughout this well illustrated book, you will find quotes, illustrations of propaganda, stories of heroism, notes from soldiers on the battle field and observers of the destruction, pictures of weapons, timelines, pictures of battle scenes all over the world and maps showing the advancement of various armies involved in conflicts. One of the most shocking pictures in this book does not even contain soldiers at war, it shows a million pairs of shoes at an extermination camp.
Some of the more interesting topics include the making of penicillin, how POWs survived by making their own sandals, charts showing war losses, information on the changes occurring in society throughout the war, how civilians reacted to the war, children being sent to the countryside, the role of women in the war, why owning a radio was forbidden in many countries, why household items were turned into armaments or other goods for the armed forces and the food soldiers ate in contrast with what the civilians had to eat. My main interest while reading this book seems to be to see how human beings survived such a great terror and destruction of their daily lives.
The section on Wartime Cinema is also of interest as it shows how humor lightened the mood of the world and how movies helped to give hope to the world's oppressed. It also shows how everything can be used for good or evil, because there are instances where movies definitely encouraged evil actions with a message of hate.
The final chapter shows how the individuals started to rebuild the shattered world and the authors explore the differences between the two world wars and why the second was a continuation of the first.
My thought about war is that it will continue to occur until humans spend more time loving and less time hating and being selfish. That is the only way the world can know peace. The irony is however very apparent, because when we love freedom, we have to fight for freedom. Freedom itself has never been free.
~The Rebecca Review
Where Is the Pacific War? January 8, 2005
Anonymous (CA United States)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is a well-illustrated overview of World War II if your main interest is in the European and African campaigns. Unfortunately, like so many other books about the war, the Pacific campaign is treated as an afterthought. In this book the Pacific rates about 20% of the text. For the Europe-Africa campaigns this book is a four. For the Pacific campaign it is about one-and-a-half.
Great book with some glitches December 24, 2004
Aruj Maekwatana (Madison, WI)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
Overall this book is full of very nice pictures and data. However, I have noticed some glitches in this book as following:
- The publisher could has used better photos for some tanks especially Tiger I and Tiger II tank. Tiger II photo in the book is the limited production version utilized by the German in the war. The photo in this book is the "Porsche Turret" which was one of the two proposed designs. The Porsche design was not selected for mass production (only 50 produced). It would be more appropiate to use photo of Tiger II with "Production Turret" designed by Henschel in this book.
- The book did not mention about the world first assault rifle Sturmgewehr (STG) 44 while the much respected machine pistol MP40 has only limited descriptions. The STG 44 and MP 40 should have enjoyed the same context as the Thompson sub-machine gun.
However stunning layouts and pictures compensate these glitches. For those who are interested in WWII, this book is absolutely highly recommended!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
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