1945: Victory in the West
£11.10£12.30 (-10%)
‘Magisterial . . . [a] fine, balanced and superb account. It deserves to be read for many years to come.’ TELEGRAPH
March 1945. Allied troops are poised to cross the Rhine and sweep on into Germany. Victory is at last within their grasp. But if they believe this victory can be easily won, they face swift disillusionment. The final I00 days of the Second World War will prove to be bitterly and bloodily fought, village by village, town by town.
This is the extraordinary and gripping story of those final I00 days.
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‘Superbly written and full of wisdom and deep understanding, this will stand as a defining work on these darkest months of the conflict.’ JAMES HOLLAND
‘This is the most vivid and detailed narrative of the subject that we are likely to see.’ MILITARY HISTORY MAGAZINE
‘An impressive work. Lively, informative and comprehensively researched.’ CAROLINE MOOREHEAD, SPECTATOR
‘An important contribution to military history. A great read and powerful reminder of how the Second World War in Europe was definitely not over until the final surrender.’ BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE
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Additional information
| Publisher | Penguin (11 May 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 688 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1529157730 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1529157734 |
| Dimensions | 13 x 5 x 19.5 cm |
by maureen fitzpatrick
They say knowledge is power and this book is powerful. It holds secrets about our history that may surprise you as it did me. This is the first book about the 1939-45 war I’ve listened to and I felt daunted at first -, however, the narrator soon put me at ease and I relaxed and was drawn in quickly on a journey I found it hard to stop listening to.
It is clear the author has a real passion for the subject as he has meticulously and painstakingly recorded every detail and there are no questions left unanswered and put together the books turns into an exciting running commentary of the last 100 days of World War II.
I enjoyed the road trip to get to the Rhine, listening to the stories of the regiments, battalions, Generals and individual personnel stories. There was detailed narrative about the equipment and vehicles used, even how much fuel they used for each one on a daily basis. I tried to transport myself there and imagined what it must have been like and the courage they must have had to get from somewhere or maybe that was on sale with the army cigarettes. There were lighthearted moments and anecdotes that made me smile and laugh out loud but I don’t want to give that away to spoil it for anyone.
In particular, I enjoyed learning about the Generals whose peculiarities and methods of leading were varied. Eisenhower, Patton and Montgomery were clever men with egos and a separate battle was going on there too but a silent one. I think I admired Eisenhower as he knew how to handle Montgomery and therefore because of this could achieve more. I felt for them too when they suffered personal loss and yet they continued with this objectives and put their own pain aside.
Apparently Eisenhower visited Culzean Castle in Ayrshire so I may pay it a visit over the summer to see if they are selling his special tipple! Again I won’t spoil it.
I have no words for the devastation that took place in the concentration camps. When your body is shocked by something you get goosebumps. This happened to me as the authors words chilled me and I listened to the words with disbelief and yet knowing every single word was true. The piles of dead bodies, skeletal people just staring and the ones who witnessed it – they were all victims. Many of the survivors never got over what they not only saw but smelled, they existed traumatised for the rest of their lives. They too have their own stories.
I have no doubt this book should be part of the curriculum for students studying the war, its the creme de la creme of books written by the master himself.
The narrator was exceptional. I believed every word and it was smooth and effortless to listen to. He switched from language to language effortlessly and seamlessly. A good choice of narrator who added to its authenticity. Audible works for me to listen on the go but I will order a hardback copy too as I feel I missed out on the photography.
Thanks to Dr Caddick – Adams we are very much more aware of the events of the past which can only but help guide us on the way forward to learn what works, what doesn’t and be grateful for who we are as a nation. It should make us aware of the horrors of war and that it should be avoided at all costs. It should help us face the challenges we are no doubt about to come up against in the future. We owe it to the victims of WWII to live free and happy lives which they themselves could not do. If we try to live a life of purpose we can maybe give something back.
I hope that sometime in the future the talk which was scheduled to take place before the launch of the book in the History Museum manages to happen.
Bravo Dr Caddick – Adams. ????
by BJW
Was attracted to this by the 100 day tag and the reviews. It clearly had taken a lot of research as the detail of companies, regiments, ranks, names of soldiers, weapons used and tactical information with the route east through Europe by individual units and collective armies was well documented, was impressive though a bit too dry at times.
by Kindle Customer
Informative fluid writing
by David E
The final book in the trilogy written to the describe the campaigns in France and the Low Countries and into Germany from 1944 and the Normandy invasion until 1945 and the German surrender. Peter Caddick-Adams book as the other two books sets out these 100 days of warfare in great detail. A very good account.
by Paula Towell
I’m not really interested in gun placements, ammunition used, battalions etc and you’re probably wondering why I would buy a book about world war 2, but I am interested in the personal stories of people during this time. I’ve heard PCA (author) talking on The We Have Ways podcast and thought he seemed very well informed. I wasn’t wrong. This book gave me exactly what I wanted. There is lots of information about battalions etc but I was left open mouthed during each chapter with surprising revelations about the ordinary person and their extraordinary exploits. A very easy read and I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this period.
by Dermie X
Get past Normandy and Arnhem and the Ardennes. This is an excellent account of an under-reported and essential phase of the war in the west. The author has an engaging style, with plenty of first-hand soldier stories and tactical vignettes to make it personal but maintains the central narrative and assessment so it doesn’t devolve into war porn. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is becasue the book doesn’t have enough on my pet operation – a biased reviewer!
by Dr.D.Treharne
Covering the last 100 days of a war that had embraced all of Western Europe is a tough ask, and the author tries hard to cover all the bases – moving from wide screen views to the experiences of individuals caught up in the conflict and the difficulties of trying to knit together a coalition of so many diverse forces, many (like the French) with an agenda that chimes mainly with their own aims and objectives. It must be difficult to lay aside emerging prejudices – the decline in the longer term view of Montgomery, for example – and draw together a really coherent and objective view – which the author does well, but also reveals his admiration for specific allied leaders – like Jake Deavers. It’s certainly a heavy read that covers a lot a ground and history, but still leaves certain set of questions about overall allied strategy unanswered.
by A. R. Krantz
Whilst it is true that the allies fighting in Italy and the Burma and south East Asia land campaigns have claim to being genuinely forgotten armies, the allied armies fighting into Germany after the battle of the bulge also were very much forgotten. The war after the German Ardennes offensive of 1944 is regularly consigned to mere footnotes, yet many hard battles and difficult experiences for western allied forces lay ahead. This work does some much needed justice and re-balancing to correct that.