Worse book I ever read

This guy page after page basically listed the amounts of people killed, planes lost and sometimes the battle or mission. Absolutely the worst book I've ever read No plot or storyline whatsoever. I read it all the way through because I was amazed at how badly it was put together. A total waste of hours of my life.

nearly 1000 pages, constitutes a "complete history" indeed. battle by battle action interspliced with the atrocities committed at the same time.

Very comprehensive but also very dry to read.

First the issues: This is written from a very British viewpoint. It's not so much the conclusions, but what is considered important to cover has that Western European focus which would be expected from a British author. I am NOT saying his conclusions are faulty, just that his focus is very eurocentric. Beyond that, the work is well written, and he makes sure to drop names, like Anne Frank, Primo Levi, and many other figures you would recognize to add some additional points of contact for what is a vast narrative, spanning millions of people around the world across many years. He largely avoided a lot of the controversy with the behavior of Field Marshall Montgomery in the North West Europe Campaign. The audio version I suspect was recorded some time ago based on the quality of the audio, which is somewhat tinny and muted. This is not a bad place to go for a general history of the European side of World War II. I keep hoping to see someone really getting in to the Soviet archives. I don't know if that will change much, but there are lots of problems with the narrative on the Soviet side, which comes from lack of access to the senior commanders, as far as I know they didn't leave memiors as most of the senior Western figures did. Again, I am not disputing his conclusions, I am hoping some future historians will be able to digest the Soviet archives and give us a more definitive history.

An essentially chronological history of WWII as viewed through a British viewpoint. Arguably, for the US, there were a number of events prior to the invasion of Poland that ultimately lead to US involvement including the invasion of Mongolia by the Japanese in 1931 as well as their attack on China in 1937. Also many historians view Italy's attack on Ethiopia in 1935 as the first step towards war in Europe. But, Mr. Gilbert's frame of reference leads naturally to the commencement date of the Sept 1, 1939 invasion of Poland by Germany which is where he starts. For the remainder of the book Gilbert highlights important events on an almost monthly or biweekly basis through the end of the war. Chock full of statistics: aircraft lost. sailors drowned, ships sunk and Innocents murdered... which is really the point of this book. This theme is repeated throughout the book... not for effect but to clearly get across the reality of the massive murder machine that was German society in the late 1930s and early 1940s... The horror of mass murder as an aim of war strategy is made real in this book... almost tediously ... because of the actual scale... tens of millions murdered as a matter of State policy. No history of WWII is legitimate without emphasizing the merciless acts perpetrated by the Germans and their Allies (as well as the Japanese). Gilbert provides us with a history that emphasizes what was important about what happened in this awful war.

Perfeitos! Profundo, detalhado, bem escrito! Livro definitivo sobre o assunto.

4,5

About as comprehensive account as you could ask for. Light on analysis, context. More of a global daily diary from 1939 to 1945. But this is a history that does not stint from lots of details about the daily horrors of the Holocaust. The Holocaust is not a separate chapter in this 1,000 page book. It is present on just about every page. That is an important, valuable difference versus many other histories which focus on forces under arms.

Concidentally I finished reading this book on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

This book really is a magnum opus on WWII. Its 15 pages of bibliography points to the amount of research that has gone into its making.

A must read for anyone who is interested in the big picture of WWII

What a magnificent book, ww2 was much worst that what I thought. This book should be mandatory for many people

Gilbert's history of world war 2 should be the first choice of anyone not only interested in the military campaigns but also in the social atmosphere of the times. He is amazing in his ability and willingness to blend the two into this amazing narrative of possibly the largest human undertaking in history. I was enthralled from beginning to end. The story really comes alive. The refreshing thing is that it's not just told through the stories of the big names that we all know, much of it is seen from the perspective of everyday folks like you and me caught up in the whirlwind. An impressive work through and through.

If you are looking for a more strictly military history of the war try John Keegan's book by the same name.

It is no small feat to sum up a book in a few short words, but this book does not present that problem - Amazing and Haunting. Gilbert removes the layers of history that we've all been accustomed to, and delves into the accounts of individuals, showing us the atrocities that have gone untold. An absolutely amazing read, and absolutely haunting.