The Day the War Ended

Rating:
Summary: Terrrific Overview of A Fascinating Moment In History!
Review: No one has been more acclaimed or prolific in writing about the total scope of twentieth century history than British author and historian Sir Martin Gilbert, who sometimes seems to represent a kind of one-man revival in British historical publication. Here he focuses impressively on the end of the war in Europe in "The Day The War Ended", giving the reader a breathless and almost exhausting look at all that transpired all over Europe, and indeed, in the world, as the terrible conflict that had raged for almost five years final drew to a terrifying close. He brings impressive credentials to the task; as the foremost biographer and authority on Winston Churchill (with an 8 volume biography already published), he is obviously well versed on the particulars of the European theater of the conflict, and in this volume he displays how comprehensive his knowledge of the other theaters of wars, especially the Pacific campaign, is as well.

Gilbert's particular genius as a writer and as an historian is particularly acute here, for the narrative centers on the very human ways in which the war has affected people. Here the people have names, families, pasts, and hopefully, now, futures as well, as the dust finally begins to settle over the ashes of a Europe that had been ablaze. The reader is allowed to make the essential connections between various events and the breathing, living human beings that made them happen, and that makes this work fascinating to read. His approach is magisterial, and his account vast in terms of the numbers of people, places, and situations he describes. Doing so, of course, is all too appropriate, for this war was indeed global, and it is indeed useful to recognize that events transpiring in places as far flung as London, Budapest, and Stalingrad were materially affected by each other, and by the particular events that each scene of the war experienced in its final moments.

Gilbert's sweeping prose style and selection of topics makes for entertaining and informative reading; he masterfully weaves together a meaningful context in which the political, military, and diplomatic aspects of the conflict are connected in a perspective that always pays compassionate heed to the civilian impact of the bloody struggle. As one of the foremost authorities on the Holocaust, Gilbert blends the particulars of the "Final Solution" into the history of the final day of the war in Europe as part of the ongoing narrative, placing it in context and showing the shock, bewilderment, and amazement of so many people at what had transpired as they liberated the death camps.

Of particular interest is the way Gilbert uses personal recollections and anecdotal details to humanize the epic struggle and to bring home the horrific and monstrous scale on which this war brought terror, death and destruction to much of the civilized world. He reminds us with compelling evidence and stirring narratives that people died horribly and needlessly every day during the disastrous, painful, and nearly six-year long struggle, so that those who still stood alive and alert in its final moments were survivors forged in the crucible of a terrible, horrific ordeal. If you want to better understand what happened as the raging inferno that raged over Europe was finally extinguished and a very human look at the people who actually experienced it, this wonderful and admirably comprehensive overview will serve you quite well. Enjoy