The Battle For History: Re-fighting World War II

In a manner that will surprise few of his faithful readers, historian and writer John Keegan turns what one would expect to be a dry bibliographic survey of what this noted scholar believes to be the seminal and meaningfully works on the subject of World War Two into a fascinating and sometimes provocative survey into the subject of not only that most fateful of conflicts, but also of war itself. As has recently been proven through the edifying work of other authors such as Ian Kershaw with his brilliant two volume study of Adolph Hitler (see my reviews) as well as books by Michael Burleigh's "The Third Reich: A New History", Daniel Goldhagen's "Hitler's Willing Executioners", and Williamson Murray and Allan Millet's "A War To Be Won", the field of investigation is hardly complete.Indeed, given the fact that the integration of all the relevant information concerning the war remains such a daunting task based on its size, complexity, and the fact that it is found in a plethora of languages and dialects, one has to admire Keegan's admission that his own work as well as that by notable others such as Sir Martin Gilbert, Gerhard Weinberg's mammoth "A World At Arms" (my own personal favorite) do not represent anything close to definitive histories of the Second World War. Instead, he insists with both energy and enthusiasm that such a definitive work is yet to be written. Moreover, as anyone familiar with works ranging from Hugh Trevor-Roper's early masterpiece on Hitler's final days in the Berlin bunker to the recent short overview by Richard Overy (see his wonderful short essay and overview in "The Origins Of The Second World War"), arguments regarding the etiology and progress of that war are hardly settled beyond the point of argument or discussion. So while one might think that some half century after the fact the dust of truth would have settled over the subject, Keegan insists the quite the opposite is the case.In my opinion, this book is an essential read for anyone who seriously attempts to study the most amazing string of historical events we now refer to as comprising World War Two. Keegan threads his way through a pile of titles, many of which the serious student of 20th century history will be familiar with, but also including a number of titles I am now scurrying to find or order in order to further my understanding of this endlessly fascinating time period. By the way, by providing such an authoritative survey of all these works, he of necessity must provide a kind of unifying narrative that amounts to one of the most concise and immensely readable histories of the war I have yet seen, including all of Professor Keegan's other works.This may not be the first book on WWII you want to order, and in fact few of us finding this book would expect to approach it as anything like a comprehensive history. But it is at once both an engaging and entertaining read as well as an intelligent guide through the virtual briar patch of the hundreds and hundreds of titles still in print on the subject of the single most important historical event of the 20th century. I highly recommend this book. Enjoy!

The book you need to read to know where all WW2 books transcended. Keegan actually synthesised areas and aspects of the war in disclosing his top picks. As a reader of ww2 history I came to see how many 'blind spots' I had in my reading.The book could be considered a meta-history of ww2 books chosen by a scholar of some prominence.The book may be somewhat dated, but I'm certainly not making that argument. The histories he chose may continue to stand the test of time. At the very least I've found It's interesting to choose a few books and start to see the different ' forms and functions' historians used to write WW2 histories.

This is sort of a "history of history books" on WW II at the grand strategic level. World War II is easily the most written about event of all time. This book reviews the main themes or events of the war and also how these events are treated in general by various authors and books..In my opinion, it is now dated as it was written in 1995 prior to much new research that is now available and especially in view of information now available from the former USSR records and archives. It's discussion of the Battle of Kursk in 1943 is badly outdated. Per page 72: "... The German tank fleet suffered losses from which it never recovered." This is now known to be grossly inaccurate.There is some good discussion of the economic effects of the war on the various major European national economies, especially Britain. In general, Europe did not recover economically from the war until the 1960s. In terms of foreign investment, Britain did not recover until the 1980s.

Because it came in damage but I will update it after I reading it

Keegan's piece offers an holistic and broad view of WWII and it's consequences. The author seems to strive for impartiality, however it does not mention the cruelty of US and British soldiers during the war - differently than how the Russian and Axis armies were depicted.Great writing, although the non-linear approach can be challenging to readers that don't have an intermediate understanding of the WWII.This book is also a fantastic reference for literature about the WWII.

John Keegan’s summary of the Second War is full of new information concerning the origins of the war and the many miscalculations of the world leaders that led to the deaths of 65-80 million people.

This book is an historiography and provides an excellent guide to other historians works even as it highlights interesting and less known aspect of World War Two. Keegans prose is smooth and eloquent. His comments about the works chosen are very helpful and throughout the book I felt I was in the hands of a reliable guide. Recommended starting point for anyone seeking to read about six years of tragedy which we call World War Two.

Brief, concise, and well informed. Can be used as a solo source of information or as a launch board for delving into other works.

The condensed overview offered by Keegan of the highlights of World War II is definitive. It is of special value to younger generations who need a snapshot before plunging into any in-depth aspect of that war. Even as a member of older generation, its insights helped round out my understanding of the main issues and decisions of that global war. If I were to teach about the war I would use this book as a text. But it is also a treat to read in private.

Sort of a re hash. Nothing new. Like a lecture he gave somewhere

Excellent overview of the historiographic debate and the various genres of war historiography. Warning: this is only of interest to historians!