Rating: 
Summary: An Interesting Perspective
Review: Perhaps Deighton realized while writing this book that he had bitten off more than he could chew. He devotes six roughly equal sections to various components of the war. As a Yank, I must give him a little slack for focusing the subject of the book on the European war, and in fact I think that the section on the Pacific/Japanese war would better have been left out of the mix (and perhaps replaced with an additional section on Europe).As I was reading the book, it really struck me how much Deighton was going out of his way to expose the manner in which the Axis lost the war, rather than the way in which the Allies won it. A thorough examination of mistakes and miscalculations by the senior leadership provides some good insight into why lady luck always seemed to be with the Brits. Overall, I would recommend this book thoroughly, especially the section on the battle of the Atlantic, in which Deighton gives some startling figures as to the number of ships sunk and men lost over the course of the war in keeping the British and Russians supplied. Interestingly enough, there are many myths that Deighton makes great effort to dispell, and these do provide some additional interest for the book. I suppose that this makes it somewhat novel, and provides a bit more of an objective view of the war and how it was fought than is traditionally presented. Even so, when I read book after book that provides conflict with Deighton, I ask myself if he was right. At least he made me think about it. Worth reading, and oddly enough a fairly brisk read despite its length.
Rating:
Summary: The Eye of the Professional Analyst
Review: This book corrects many widely held appreciations. (1) Rommell wasn't a genius, but impetuous and overreaching; much of his success came from reading Allied signals. (2) German generals overcredited the effectiveness of Russian artillery for their defeat. (3) The German campaign in Greece didn't delay invasion of Russia or cost Germany the war. (4) Churchill was vain-glorious. (5) Hitler was taking amphetamines for a heart ailment! Consistent with his theme, Deighton is least forgiving to those who falsified or destroyed records from self-interest. Well researched, and broader in reference than most military history, the book critically evaluates personalities, strategies and key decisions. It is unusual for its point-of-view--the professional intellegence analyst who estimates dispassionately, deleting passion to comprehend reality. A hard-headed contribution to what was done or left undone, and written with skill.
Rating:
Summary: An intriguing analysis
Review: This book is well written and thought out. The focus is on key figures and actions of the early part of the 2nd world war. The author provides a brief overview of what actually happened and introduces the major figures of the scenario. He then analyzes the actions of these key figures and comments on them. He is not afraid to challenge common beliefs like Rommel being the extradonarily talented General who was failed by his superiors. Rather, he beleives that his failings were due to his own poor logistical planning. The author provides well researched figures to back his claims up. Indeed, many of his ideas run contrary to conventional wisdom but these are well thought out and thought provoking I reccomend this book even to sceptics simply because it jogs your mind. It helps the average world war 2 buff to think in a different light. Whether you come out beleiving it or not is up to you but at least you have thought of it from another angle. THis book is not perfect in that it tends to be very brief. In order to provide his analysis, the author seems to skimp on details. FOr people not as versed in the history of the war, this book does not provide much detail but at the same time makes easy reading. Also to the true sceptics, the lack of detail might make one even more skeptical! All the same I reccomend this book for any person who wants another view on WW2
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