Davies is in my opinion, the foremost living historian on Eastern Europe; his books on the Warsaw uprising of 1944, the histories of Central Europe (those countries comprising of Poland, Hungary, the Baltic states, etc.), are outstanding examples of, in my opinion, objective history. This book is a bit different from his others in topic as it covers the war in Europe from 1939-1945, on several levels such as military action, politics (before, during and after), soldiers, civilians, and portrayals (in movies, literature and history).
Those separate sections give both the novice and serious historian excellent reference points as they give an overview of those areas which I have found are often forgotten by other similar histories. As an example, the section on soldiers covers such sub-topics as identity, enlistment, training, officers, discipline, generals, a brief section on each of the sub sections such as artillery, engineers, etc. This approach allows the reader to go beyond the typical history to better understand the complexity of the subject and plan out further reading. And, as these sections cover both the Allies and Axis powers, an excellent comparison can be found in numerous areas.
It does not matter if you are a novice to World War II or a self-proclaimed expert, this is one book which will provide an excellent overview of the European war, not from the overall strategic side or individual battles, but rather from the perspective of logistics, human needs, and military management. I would recommend No Simple Victory. Interesting, concise, inclusive it provides an excellent touch stone and one which will allow the reader to easily go back to review some facts which were of special interest.
Leave a Comment