Command: How the Allies Learned to Win the Second World War

Command: How the Allies Learned to Win the Second World War

  • Downloads:4237
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2022-12-29 00:52:54
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Al Murray
  • ISBN:1472284593
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

Al Murray's passion for military history and the Second World War in particular has always been a duel passion with his comedy and was brought to the fore with several acclaimed and award winning television shows and the recent huge success of his podcast We Have Ways of Making You Talk which he hosts fellow bestselling military author James Holland。 The podcast has built up a loyal, nationwide fanbase and has given birth to its own annual three-day festival。 In his first serious narrative book, Command showcases Al Murray's passion for this pivotal period in the Twentieth Century, as he writes an engaging, entertaining and sharp analysis of the key allied military leaders in the conflict。

Command highlights the performance and careers of some of the key protagonists who commanded armies, as well as the lesser-known officers who led divisions, regiments and even battalions for the British, Commonwealth and United States of American armies。 By showcasing each combat commander across every theatre of operations the allies fought in, Murray tells the story of how the Western Allies rebounded from early shocking defeats (Dunkirk and Pearl Harbor) to then victories (El Alamein and D-Day) in its efforts to defeat the Axis forces of Nazi Germany and Japan, and what that tells us about the characters and the challenges that faced them。 Command will be the book all fans of Second World War History will want to buy who appreciate a true enthusiast of the genre who has something new and compelling to say。

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Reviews

Mark Green

Fantastic book。 Learnt so much despite having read a lot about WW2。 Selective but still wide ranging。 Recommended。

James Cary

Really interesting book on WW2 that isn’t your standard popular work on a particular campaign or overview。 He focuses in particular leaders, with lots of interesting asides too。 And it’s written with plenty of scholarship and insight, but totally readable, as he’s a stand up comedian too。 It left me wanting more, in a good way, although a bit more would have been nice!

Keith Weller

A very different kind of book for me to read I never thought I would read a historical book but was very impressed

David Rhodes

Insightful, thought provoking read that does an excellent job of highlighting how the allied command changed during WW2。 I hope these is not the last of Al Murray’s ‘serious’ books。

Peter Fleming

Command is billed as the author’s first book without jokes and while that is true, there is plenty of his trademark wit and humour throughout。 War and conflict are no laughing matter but as anyone who has read Spike Milligan’s war autobiographies, which are referenced by the author, will attest squaddies use humour as a way so dealing with the madness all around them。 Here it is pitched just about right, enough to lift the prose but without being in anyway knockabout or disrespectful。Written in Command is billed as the author’s first book without jokes and while that is true, there is plenty of his trademark wit and humour throughout。 War and conflict are no laughing matter but as anyone who has read Spike Milligan’s war autobiographies, which are referenced by the author, will attest squaddies use humour as a way so dealing with the madness all around them。 Here it is pitched just about right, enough to lift the prose but without being in anyway knockabout or disrespectful。Written in an accessible style, not the dusty history books of the past, it has been carefully researched and represents a work of real substance。 I would imagine that his understanding of the subject and real empathy with the ordinary solider proves popular with members of the armed forces and veterans alike。The text is constructed as ten chapters, each around 30 pages long, which concentrate on one commander, who are mainly generals。 Each one has basic biographical details, along with a side story or digression together with the lesson learned。 The men selected vary from the famous like Montgomery and Patton, the model professional like Bradley and Slim to the more obscure such as Hobart and White。 A huge spread of personalities and commanding styles are distilled into a cogent study of how continuous improvement and learning the harsh lessons from earlier mistakes served the Allies well。 Indeed, from the strap line ‘How the Allies learned to win the Second World War。’That the Allies were going to win, barring Germany of Japan discovering some wonder weapon or winning the race to produce the nuclear bomb, the reader is left in no doubt。 Initially with Germany having a big head start in re-armament production, development of weapons and modernised tactics, the battle was just to remain in the war。 There are the battles in North Africa, of which Montgomery was heavily involved, where tank warfare came to the fore, with British tanks being inadequate in build and fire power but also being used ineffectively。 It is here that Tuker proves to be effective, but then later in the war the spirit of continuous improvement leads to ‘Hobart’s specials’ tanks resigned and modified to carry out specific roles during the ‘D Day’ Normandy landings。In the autumn and winter of 1941 two events changed the whole course of the war。 The failure of the Blitzkrieg element of ‘Barbarossa’ bogged Germany down against a determined Russian foe who could bring massive numbers of men and arms to bear。 Then the December attack on Pearl Harbour brought the United States formally into the war along with its massive manufacturing base。 How big this advantage became is made clear by statistics quoted within the book and it is truly staggering。 German production was declining rapidly whereas that of the allies was growing。 The Germans were also running out of manpower for their war machine, even when armament production was largely carried out by foreign slave labour。 From this point onward the object is to end the war as soon as possible with the least cost of life。 This is poignantly covered in the final chapter on Peter White。 White wasn’t a General but a Second Lieutenant, a man on the ground demonstrating great leadership and dealing with ‘command’ when it is thrust his way。 Here we see a thoughtful but pragmatic man doing all he can to get the job done, albeit with some personal regret。Command is an excellent modern history book of some substance which is well written and certainly engaging。 I hope you find it as fascinating as I did。 。。。more