The Second World Wars

August 28, 2017
Ancient history specialist Hanson (Hoplites), a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, makes his first foray into WWII history with an examination into why the Allies won and the Axis lost. The book is not a chronological history of the war; rather it consists of six parts that examine 20 diverse themes, including alliances, airpower, infantry, soldiers and armies, and supreme command. Hanson considers the six major belligerents (Italy, Germany, and Japan on the Axis side, and Great Britain, the U.S., and the Soviet Union on the Allied side), analyzes their characteristics (for example, why the Germans had the best infantry), and assesses the impact of those characteristics on the outcome of the war (e.g., the consequences of Italy and Germany’s failure to recognize the importance of aircraft carriers to global war). Little in Hanson’s work is new and he largely relies on authoritative secondary sources, but his organizational approach allows him to isolate and highlight observations that may surprise even some well-read WWII enthusiasts. Maps & illus.

Starred review from August 1, 2017
Not just another account of World War II, but a thoughtful overview of the battles that were "emblematic of the larger themes of how the respective belligerents made wise and foolish choices about why, how, and where to fight the war."According to veteran military historian and Hoover Institution senior fellow Hanson (The Savior Generals: How Five Great Commanders Saved Wars that Were Lost--From Ancient Greece to Iraq, 2013, etc.), the war began during the 1930s as a series of fairly straightforward border conflicts--e.g., Germany versus its neighbors, Japan versus China. Suddenly, in 1941, as the result of poor decisions around the world, it exploded into a global conflict that the so-far-victorious Axis Powers were guaranteed to lose. Beginning with its cause, Hanson dismisses the time-honored denunciation of the Treaty of Versailles, which was softer than the peace Germany imposed on France in 1871 or the Soviet Union in 1918. It was the humiliation that nagged. Neither Germany nor Japan was endangered or impoverished; both believed that their honor had been slighted and that their racially superior citizens deserved better than their decadent neighbors. "The irrational proved just as much a catalyst for war as the desire to gain materially at someone else's expense," writes the author. Four long chapters on weapons deliver a few jolts. Everyone knows that infantry wins wars, but Hanson maintains that strategic bombing probably persuaded Japan to surrender. High-tech weapons--the B-29, proximity fuse, and atomic bomb--unquestionably helped the Allies. Vaunted German technology (rockets, jet planes, guided missiles) merely wasted money. Unique in its 50 million to 80 million deaths--the great majority of which were civilians and included far more Allied than Axis soldiers--and worldwide extent, WWII broke no rules. Hyperaggression and ruthlessness win battles; resources and stubbornness carry the day. An ingenious, always provocative analysis of history's most lethal war.

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Starred review from October 1, 2017

Esteemed historian Hanson is known for his valuable contributions, such as The Savior Generals, and this newest work is no exception. As a thematic rather than narrative chronicle, this volume approaches World War II in a nonlinear fashion. Chapters are devoted to various aspects of the conflict, such as air power, sieges, and military workers. Overriding themes are that the Axis powers were ill-prepared and blundered into the war, and that their focus on killing enemy soldiers and civilians never destroyed, nor compensated for, the Allied ability to make war. Equal attention is devoted to various theaters as well as different aspects of the conflict. For example, Hanson details missions in Europe, Asia, and Africa, including naval, air, and land operations. The result is a balanced account. Although Hanson often mentions the Axis powers' barbarity, he also notes Russian leader Joseph Stalin's harshness, and that both the United States and Britain often neglected rights to their own people, or people they subjugated--the same rights they fought to secure for victims of the Axis powers. VERDICT Hanson has produced a solid thematic history that should prove a worthwhile companion to firsthand, narrative accounts.--Matthew Wayman, Pennsylvania State Univ. Lib., Schuylkill Haven

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