Lavoro molto preciso e dettagliato MA con diverse falle. Di seguito quelle principali, secondo il mio parere:
1. La narrazione strettamente cronologica tagliuzza tutti gli avvenimenti in pezzettini, e rende difficile seguire un certo argomento nella sua totalità. Alcuni esempi sono la battaglia di Stalingrado, lo sbarco e la campagna di Normandia etc etc: tutti spalmati su diverse pagine, anche distanti tra loro.
2. Altro punto negativo di una tale narrazione è che, al di là delle date e dell'andamento generale durante gli anni, il tutto sembra sempre "tutto uguale" una mera lista di episodi, nomi posti etc, e questo per quasi 1000pagine
3. L'autore è chiaramente inglese e l obiettività non è il suo forte: giusto citare ed esaltare la resistenza e le vittorie inglesi, ma il resto (al di là di qualche citazione per i russi) non viene fatto per tutti gli altri contendenti. Non so quante volte si legga l esaltazione dei decifratori di Bletchley. Ok, bravi..ma anche meno
4. La parte dedicata all'Italia è praticamente nulla (se non sulle sconfitte/affondamenti grazie agli alleati). Ok che non è stato un Paese determinante, ma è stato comunque la seconda forza dell'Asse, terza dopo l aggiunta del Giappone

Mi sarò dimenticato di sicuro qualcosa. Riassumendo: il tema mi appassiona e ho letto diversi libri al riguardo, ma questo è stato tremendamente difficile da completare rimanendo in giro come lettura aperta per diversi mesi. Una volta terminato non mi sembra di aver ricevuto un "qualcosa in più" che invece capita con altri libri. Letto una volta, non penso lo rileggerò.

Like its predecessor, this complete history is packed with details and eyewitness accounts. Facts of heroism and horror in equal measure map out the futility of war perfectly.

This is a chronological history of World War Two, starting at September 1, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland, until the Japanese surrender, and aftermath. It tells what occurred on a weekly if hot daily basis, and provides detail. But there is NO Analysis, either military or political, and NO background as to the personalities involved; either the Generals, or the Politicians. It involves only what occurred during the War, not on the home-fronts. The detail is somewhat overwhelming, in that the author delineates the death toll almost by day, from bombs and blasts, and killings and gassings. Very serious, and Very, Very sobering.
Rather well written and researched, but personally I would rather read someones analysis, and their take on the personalities involved. That's why my rating was 3*.

The author takes a chronological approach, detailing what happened in WWII day by day, month by month, year by year. While this may have an advantage in keeping the order of things clear, overall it is a very dry and narrow approach. And the author gives no context whatsoever to the war; he just jumps in and starts listing battles. Likewise, he gives no context whatsoever to the Holocaust; he just jumps in and starts listing massacres and concentration camp figures. Not only does the author not provide any context, he also fails to discuss any trends at a deeper level. Because he's glued to the daily progression of events, he can't take a step back and look at larger strategic developments. You could finish this book knowing a lot of details about the war, but understanding it not at all.

Overall, a disappointing book; basically a glorified almanac.

Tried twice to read, stalled out both times. Little perspective offered, just a day by day WW2 almanac.

The book is a masterpiece that immerses readers in the vast tapestry of World War II. Martin Gilbert weaves together the global narrative of this defining moment in history while humanizing the experiences of those who lived through it. This book is a testament to the indomitable human spirit, the intricacies of warfare, and the profound impact of the war on individuals and nations alike. A comprehensive and emotional journey, it is an essential read for anyone seeking to grasp the full scope of this transformative period in our world's history.

After finding myself embarrassed by how little I really knew about the Second World War, I decided to try Martin Gilbert’s epic work to hopefully enlighten me. And ‘epic’ it certainly is, providing a near daily record of just about everything from the invasion of Poland to Hitler’s suicide and the dropping of the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The daily catalogue of bombing raids, the deaths of airmen, servicemen, civilians, the sinking of merchant ships, destroyers. The sheer numbers involved are shocking and mind-blowing. The stories of the atrocities meted out globally are gut-wrenching and unfathomable. While the book lays out all the facts before the reader, it does get somewhat tedious and repetetive to read, but on reflection, that only served to emphasise, the relentless day in, day out stress and misery of war.
I’m left utterly baffled at how such horrors could have occurred a mere 15 to 20 years before I was born. And while the world rightly condemned the Nazis for their hideous treatment of most notably, the Jews, but so many others, it should not be ignored either that it was with Britain’s support that an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, wiping out eighty thousand lives in an instant.

A huge gap in my historical knowledge has now been filled and what I do with that knowledge is the next question. I have before me a similarly epic piece of work, with the same title, by a certain Winston S. Churchill, which should provide another interesting perspective!

This book gives an almost day to day account from one of the most disastrous conflicts in human kind. Following the events across the globe, although tending to a healthy eurocentric perspective, Martin Gilbert gives us both a bird's eye view of events and quotes, names, isolated facts making us more intimate with the cruelties done and received by those involved.
I read the 800+ pages in under a week. The amazing detail of the narrative and this balance between particular quotes/events/people vs cold facts is the strongest point of this book - like the previous 'First World War" book. .
May the cruelties of made up ideas obfuscating men's minds and therefore imposing tremendous pain and destruction on those only based on race, hatred if any other reason comes never be forgot. Or at least be remembered and recuperated by most of us.

excellent detailed history of ww2 very long and includes more ww2 politics and strategies than any ww2 book ive read. If you needed to learn as much as you could on ww2 but only wanted to read one book it would be this one.

Recommended read


A remarkable book told from.all sides in chronological order. Painful to read at times with harrowing accounts of loss and horrific conditions . it was also astounding how often we came close to being invaded where some decisions or downright luck changed the the course of the war. I also discovered when and where my Dad's ship was torpedoed and sunk (he survived the war) which was amazing as I had never seen the detail in writing before. Recommended reading I think, to learn so much about a conflict which will soon be out of living memory .

It is a long book with a lot of information, but I didn't like the flow. It was sort of a sequencial report of events.
It gives you a perspective of what World War II was, but it isn't a pleasant read.

What a ride, I can read quickly! It took me almost 3 months to get through Gilbert's book on the First World War, and this one in less than a month, with most of it within one week. While this book is significantly more diversified in its perspectives of the war - the previous one focused very heavily on the British POV and left others feeling underrepresented - I was still a little disappointed at how little it seemed to focus on the Pacific war in favor of just Europe. In all, it talked about the war in the way I'm used to hearing it, but provided much more personal, human elements to it. It makes me want to delve deeper into the specifics, and into the perspectives that both this book and WW2 history as a whole seems to neglect.