Europe at War 1939-1945: No Simple Victory: Amazon.co.uk: Norman Davies: Books

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Mail on Sunday
'Davies challenges the myths of good and evil that colour popular perceptions of war'
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
What was the biggest operation of World War II in Europe? It wasn't D-Day. What was the name of the largest concentration camp operating in Europe between 1939 and 1945. It wasn't Auschwitz. What European nationality lost the largest number of civilians between 1939-45? It wasn't the French - or the Germans. Bringing his usual fresh eye to bear on a story we think we all know, Norman Davies answers these questions, and many more, in this concise, vivid and thought-provoking new history of the Second World War. Powerfully argued, compellingly written and devastating in its conclusions, Davies forces us to look again at those six years and to discard the usual narrative of Allied good versus Nazi evil and reminds us that for the greater part of the continent, the Allied victory and the 'liberation of Europe' was the beginning of more than fifty years of totalitarian oppression.

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews

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4.5 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)

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49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A battle for the truth., 13 Jan 2007

By	Mr. Leszek S. Werenowski (England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book addresses a basic but to date un-remedied defect consistently present in most books written about World War Two. Now that in excess of sixty years have passed since the war's end fresh, un-biased books on this most complicated and emotional of subjects are still few and far between. In particular from an English speaking perspective, one is still given the strong impression that Nazi Germany was beaten in equal measure by the combined efforts of Britain, America and the Soviet Union together with its associated allies such as the Poles, French and others. The reality is a good deal more surprising than such an orthodox view would suggest and to this end Norman Davies comprehensively and in a very readable manner dispels such myths. The book is also multifaceted in its perspective giving a comprehensive view of the war as fought in Europe, (the book is not an account of the Pacific conflict). It is rare for one book to cover the catalogue of World War Two issues documented here, it is rarer still to find such matters written about in a compelling, accessible yet scholarly way. In this regard, the book is a towering achievement and must have presented a massive task to compile. As you progress through the book, Davies repeatedly demonstrates that in essence the lion's share of fighting was done in the Eastern Front where both sides employed the most barbaric of practices to destroy their enemy and to compel their men (and women)to fight under the most grisly and inhuman of circumstances; and where on balance the Soviet Union under Stalin was prepared to go further than anyone else to gain the upper hand. One is therefore faced with accepting that World War Two whilst perceived by most people as a battle between good and evil was in reality a battle between an extreme and criminally culpable Nazi Germany and an even more extreme and more criminally culpable Stalinist Soviet Union that ultimately resolved the conflict. The contribution of others, such as Britain and the US whilst significant was not ultimately decisive. As a result of secrecy, clever propaganda, an unwillingness to criticise an ally and a general naivete of those in positions of influence in Britain and the US, Soviet criminality remained unexposed for decades and even to this day is not properly appreciated. Such revelations when properly explained as they have been by Davies simply take your breath away. On a rare occasion a book deserves something more than five stars. This is one such rare occasion.

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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For those who THINK they know all about the war., 12 Jun 2007

By	Ps Macleod "Petermac" (Southampton, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is not a dry and dusty tome full of statistics and minute detail, and as such is probably not a good first port of call for students. However, it is a very fine overview with particular emphasis on context, delving into usually unconsidered aspects of this calamitous conflict. Social, economic and human aspects are well covered. The military aspects are somewhat briefly addressed. This is not a criticism as there are numerous other sources for the nitty gritty of campaigns, strategy, tactics and weapons. The strongest point that this book makes is that despite our acquired memory of of the apparent dominance of the war in the west, in reality the contribution of the western allies was relatively small. The war was largely won and lost in the east and at its close it left almost as many unresolved matters as the First World War had. In reality it was the central conflict of a long European war that lasted from 1914 until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. For those seeking a fresh outlook on what they think they know about the war, this book meets that need. It is well written in an open and readable style and is organised into small bite sized chunks for those who wish to dip in and out. Read it, you won't be disappointed.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to demolish a lot of myths .., 15 Dec 2007

By	A. J. Sudworth "tonysudworth" (UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Europe at War 1939-1945: No Simple Victory (Paperback)

I put this book down with a sigh because it completely explodes the myth of a good and bad side to WW2
I'd always been told that this was a war against the evil Nazis - but in fact a) we didn't do the majority of the fighting against the Nazis
b) the methods of our premier ally in the war was every bit as bad as what we fighting against (I clear case of 'they may be ********, but they are our ...'

Stalin may well have been right, in that England bought the time, the US the money and the USSR the blood' to the fight but the whole book just leaves you with a very nasty taste in your mouth, not just about the war but the methods used by the protagonists in pursuit of their aims

The image of two sides in the European war is demolished - there were qute clearly three on this evidence and the Allies had very different aims.
Its also quite clear that the battles that destroyed the German ability to attack were not fought by the US and UK - the USSR are shown to have destroyed that capability at Kursk and we should acknowledge that effort for the turning point that it was

The worst part of this book is not the campaigns but all the associated activity around the occupation of countries , police , summary justice, race murder and so on.

The Germans needed to be stopped - I still think that is a fact
But it was the USSR that did most the work in Europe and what the UK and US were unable to stop was the partition of Europe after the war that took another 50 years to change.

In fact the most chilling part of the book is the suggestion that the second world war was just the second military phase of a power struggle in Europe that lasted from 1914 to 1990

An excellent read with some uncomfortable conclusions

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Who really won the Second World War?
"Europe at War" is intelligently broken into sections that cover different aspects of the conflict: one for "Civilians", another for "Politicians" and so on, such that by the end... Read more

Published 5 months ago by Confido13

5.0 out of 5 stars Towards an objective perspective of WWII
Norman Davies had already made himself my favourite historian with his mighty Europe: A History and majestic The Isles: A History both of which provided pictures bigger than all... Read more

Published 10 months ago by John Ferngrove

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent revisiting of the facts of WW2
This is written with both humour and intelligence and is a startling re-examination of what you thought you knew about WW2. Read more

Published 15 months ago by J. Duducu

5.0 out of 5 stars The history, boys!
I found this to be quite gripping. It's not a straightforward chronological treatment; it is topic based and none the worse for that. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Stockeditor

5.0 out of 5 stars World War II in Europe: more in the East than in the West
Norman Davies, as in many of his books, makes a significant contribution to understanding the nations of Central & Eastern Europe, which are now members of the European Union. Read more

Published 22 months ago by Marcus Ferrar

5.0 out of 5 stars Different
Unlike other WWII histories, Davies splits his book into warfare, politics, soldiers, civilians and portrayals, and this works well. Read more

Published 24 months ago by Mrs. R. Dean

4.0 out of 5 stars Obligatory reading about the Second WW
A famous historian has written a rather special account, with particular purpose in mind as well, as the Author tells us in the introductions. Read more

Published on 2 Jul 2007 by jan Read

5.0 out of 5 stars A fair account of history
This is yet another excellent book by Mr. Davies. You will not find in it too many details on tactics, strategies and military operations, however you will find facts that have... Read more

Published on 9 May 2007 by Robert Bednarski

4.0 out of 5 stars The truth is out there
Davies has a forgotton point of view in his book. Alhought Germany invaded Russia and Ukraine it wasn't the first or last time when russian people suffered. Read more

Published on 4 April 2007 by Rintala Pekka Niilo

2.0 out of 5 stars Pedestrian
I had bought this book with high hopes but got increasingly irritated as I read it. It is replete with USA Today type tables and the funniest of all, three pies to show the... Read more

Published on 30 Jan 2007 by Miran Ali

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	90% buy the item featured on this page: Europe at War 1939-1945: No Simple Victory 4.5 out of 5 stars (13)
	3% buy Europe: A History 4.4 out of 5 stars (23) �13.29
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	2% buy Armageddon: The Battle for Germany 1944-45 4.6 out of 5 stars (32) �6.99


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Europe at War 1939-1945: No Simple Victory (Hardcover)

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