Reddit reviews The Second World War

I just read The Second World War and it was remarkable how long the US slow-played entry for political gain, extorted Great Britain on lending terms (albeit even that act was opposed by congress at the time, so it may have been necessary), and reneged on the "Germany first" policy, diverting the lion share of resources to the pacific where it seemed there was more to be gained. And, meanwhile, was charmed by Stalin into what amounted to an Allied betrayal of Poland (Stalin unfortunately had a knack for charming everyone while convincing world leaders that he was being charmed, to the point where the US/Allied can proudly say we fought beside the worst and most violent dictator of the time, and not for lack of competition).

The aid of the US was pivotal to be sure, but (as an American) I just wish we hadn't made such an embarrassing job of it.

https://www.amazon.com/Second-World-War-Antony-Beevor/dp/0316023752 makes a very nice and detailed reading of what we generally understand after many years of hindsight since the WW2.

This is a fantastic book from a pretty objective point of view, and covers from the end of the first world war to the end of the second. All the dumb strategic decisions, errors, etc. by all sides are covered. It's also pretty long http://www.amazon.com/Second-World-War-Antony-Beevor/dp/0316023752/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450295011&sr=8-1&keywords=beevor+the+second+world+war

https://www.amazon.com/Second-World-War-Antony-Beevor/dp/0316023752/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

is what I'm reading. I'm about 2/3rds through before I kinda lost interest a few weeks ago in the airport(basically when US enters teh war/pacific theatre which I already knew tons about before the book)

I don't have an article but I listened to the audio book The Second World War by Antony Beevor. He talks about Rommel.

Super lame way to do it, but if you go to Amazon, and do the "Look Inside" option, you can see most of the notes, although some pages aren't available in the preview. Really a criminal oversight to take them out of the paperback and not make them easily available elsewhere.

The historian Antony Beevor recounts this event in his book The Second World War.

Beevor writes,

> The gleaming carriages of the Amerika carried on towards the Spanish frontier at Hendaye, where [Hitler] met Franco the next day. The Caudillo’s train had been delayed due to the dilapidated state of the Spanish railways, and the long wait had not put Hitler in a good mood. The two dictators inspected a guard of honour from his personal escort, the Führer-Begleit-Kommando, drawn up on the platform. The black-uniformed troopers towered over the pot-bellied Spanish dictator, whose smile, both complacent and ingratiating, seldom left his face (Beevor 2012, 144).

>When Hitler and Franco began their discussions, the Caudillo’s torrent of words prevented his visitor from speaking, a state of affairs to which the Führer was not accustomed. Franco spoke of their comradeship in arms during the Spanish Civil War and his gratitude for all that Hitler had done, and evoked the ‘alianza espiritual’ which existed between their countries. He then expressed his deep regret for not being able to enter the war immediately on Germany’s side as a result of Spain’s impoverished condition. For much of the three hours, Franco rambled on about his life and experiences, prompting Hitler to say later that he would prefer to have three or four teeth pulled than go through another conversation with the Spanish dictator (Beevor 2012, 145).

Source: Beevor, Antony. The Second World War. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2012.


Also, I recommend reading Antony Beevor's book The Battle for Spain.

https://www.amazon.com/Second-World-War-Antony-Beevor/dp/0316023752 makes no bounds