MILITARY ERRORS OF WWII (Cassell Military Paperbacks) - Softcover

Macksey, Kenneth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0304350834 ISBN 13: 9780304350834

Publisher: Cassell, 2004

Synopsis

Wars and combats without mistakes are unknown. This collection of sixteen specific blunders from the Second World War includes Hitler’s postponement of the ‘invasion of Britain’, ineptitude in the Western Desert, the Arnhem debacle and Japanese errors in the Pacific. Here Kenneth Macksey shows how greed, arrogance, and complacency contributed to some of the worst defeats of the war.

About this title

About the Author

Kenneth Macksey was commissioned into the Royal Tank Regiment during the Second World War and has enjoyed a long and successful career as a miitary historian. Cassell Military Paperbacks include his THE MILITARY ERRORS OF WORLD WAR TWO.

Review

The author gives a 'top-down' view of the errors in strategy made by both the Allies and the Axis powers in key campaigns of the 2nd World War. The spectrum is wide, covering political, scientific, operational research, logistical, industrial, human as well as military considerations. He describes how and why strategies were formed, where their strengths originated and where errors came from . This gives the reader a fascinating and practical insight into the elements of success in modern warfare as well as illustrating the rewards of getting the mix right -- and the penalties for not so doing. The book is not a 'blood and thunder' account of courage on the battlefield, nor a detailed analysis of individual battles, and so may not appeal to some readers. But its strength is in putting the reader into the Commander's shoes and reviewing the important factors in winning a war, and illustrating this with major events of the 1939-45 conflict. The author grasps from the beginning the uncertainties in war and the impossibility of getting everything right. This book is therefore not an academic view but one that is both practical and realistic. --By Hector (Paris, France)

This is an interesting review of the human errors and miscalculations that the the military and their civilian masters succumbed to in World War II. It makes no distinction for nationality and the follies of the Allies are just as readily exposed as are those of Axis powers. The book is well set out with summaries conveniently placed in boxes throughout the book --By Rf And Tm Walters "rtwalters" (London)

The author undoubtedly knows his stuff, allocates blame fairly to all sides and produces a very useful summary of Critical Flaws at the end of each chapter. --By nonglak -

Edition details

• Publisher: Cassell
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0304350834
• ISBN 13: 9780304350834
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256