The Battle of France, 1940
ISBN-10: 0304356441
ISBN-13: 9780304356447
Contributor: Andrew Nguyen
Review Date: 12 Sep 2009
Published in 1990, the fiftieth anniversary of the 1940 conquest of France, this book by Philip Warner deals with the battle with, which the author thinks and hopes, new information and perhaps a new perspective.
The book divides its contents into three sections titled: The Preliminaries, The Action, and The Results. The Preliminaries deal with the lead-up to the battle and includes the status of the military forces on all sides and the relative preparedness that all had at the beginning of World War II. The Action, which takes up most of the book, deals with the battle from the opening invasion of the Low Countries to the surrender of France. Mixed in with the actual action are retrospectives about the impact of this battle on the future of the war and its influence on Hitler. The Aftermath deals with the results of the battle, its influence on launching the invasion of the Soviet Union, the results leading to a changed world, and what may have happened had the Allies fought better. This also includes a surprising and odd claim that had Germany had been forced into trench warfare once more with Britain and France, it would have left all three and Europe at the mercy of the Soviet Union and its leader Joseph Stalin.
Although an okay book in of itself, it largely pales in comparison to other well-known works (with Alistair Horne's To Lose a Battle being at the top of that particular list).
Back to Main | Back to Book Reviews Index
Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
» Invasion of France and the Low Countries
Affiliated Link:
» The Battle of France, 1940
- » 1,150 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 43,890 timeline entries
- » 1,241 ships
- » 349 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 372 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 259 facilities
- » 470 book reviews
- » 28,514 photos
- » 431 maps
James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, 23 Feb 1945
Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!
Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!