Thomas F. (hardtack) -
I enjoy books about "revisionist history." Sometimes I agree with the author, other times I don't, but it makes for interesting, if not fun, reading. As historians take a deeper look at what happened and why, they discover that what we once thought was true isn't. One good example is Douglas MacArthur, who was once thought to be a great general, but turned out to be a great liar who made too many mistakes that his staff covered up with misleading dispatches.
Many history books tell you what happened. This book by Levine tells you why it happened. I found it fascinating reading. In it Levine exposes many of the mistakes made by both sides, as well as their lucky breaks. One premise he proposes is the Axis never really had a good chance of winning World War II.
If you are an avid reader of World War II histories, this book may be a must-read.
While I pondered Levine's thoughts, I really only found one serious mistake. On page 285 he has the Japanese capturing Port Moresby in New Guinea. This never happened.
And, in at least one instance, he contradicted himself. In the final chapter he says Ultra really didn't help the Allies as much it was given credit for, then a few pages later, he says it did.
But I forgive him these errors as he won my admiration, when, on page 273, he refers to the "...brilliant Lt. Cdr. Joseph Rochefort..." It was Rochefort who made the victory at Midway possible. Rochefort was so good admirals in Washington, who wanted to be better than him, took credit for what he did, gave themselves medals for it and then transferred Rochefort to command a drydock for the rest of the war. If you aren't aware of him, look up "Joseph Rochefort" in Wikipedia.
Many history books tell you what happened. This book by Levine tells you why it happened. I found it fascinating reading. In it Levine exposes many of the mistakes made by both sides, as well as their lucky breaks. One premise he proposes is the Axis never really had a good chance of winning World War II.
If you are an avid reader of World War II histories, this book may be a must-read.
While I pondered Levine's thoughts, I really only found one serious mistake. On page 285 he has the Japanese capturing Port Moresby in New Guinea. This never happened.
And, in at least one instance, he contradicted himself. In the final chapter he says Ultra really didn't help the Allies as much it was given credit for, then a few pages later, he says it did.
But I forgive him these errors as he won my admiration, when, on page 273, he refers to the "...brilliant Lt. Cdr. Joseph Rochefort..." It was Rochefort who made the victory at Midway possible. Rochefort was so good admirals in Washington, who wanted to be better than him, took credit for what he did, gave themselves medals for it and then transferred Rochefort to command a drydock for the rest of the war. If you aren't aware of him, look up "Joseph Rochefort" in Wikipedia.
