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The Armchair General: Can You Defeat the Nazis?
A ground-breaking approach to history where YOU choose the fate of WWII - perfect for readers of Bletchley Park Brainteasers and The GCHQ Puzzle Book.''An original and exciting approach . . . Buckley is one of our very finest historians.' JAMES HOLLAND________________________TAKE THE HOTSEATAssume the role of real Generals, Leaders, Soldiers and Intelligence Officers in the Allied Forces during WWII, including Winston Churchill and President Eisenhower.EXAMINE THE INTELLIGENCEExplore eight key moments of the war with real contemporaneous intelligence: Britain's Darkest Hour, 1940; The War in North Africa; Stalin's War on the Eastern Front; The Pacific Battle of Midway; The Dresden Bomber Offensive; Casablanca; Arnhem and Operation Market Garden; The Bomb and Hiroshima.CONSIDER THE SCENARIO & MAKE YOUR DECISIONFrom battlefields to war cabinets, each tactical and strategic decision you make leads to a different outcome.Will you follow the path of the past - or shape a new history?________________________'Wonderfully original . . . putting readers at the heart of the decision-making process and allowing them, literally, to change the course of history. This is counterfactual history at its best.' SAUL DAVID'A reminder that history is a never ending now, a relentless and endless present that comes without the luxury of hindsight.' AL MURRAY'An original and exciting approach . . . Buckley is one of our very finest historians. The Armchair General adds enormously to our understanding of the conflicts.' JAMES HOLLAND'A unique, enjoyable approach to evaluating military decision-making.' HISTORY OF WAR
395 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 28, 2021
33 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
John Buckley
14 books6 followersJohn Buckley is Professor of Military History at the University of Wolverhampton, where he has taught and researched since 1992. He is the author and editor of a range of books on aspects of twentieth-century military history, air power, and conflict studies, including The RAF and Trade Defence, 1919-1945 (1995) Air Power in the Age of Total War (1999) and Monty's Men: The British Army and the Liberation of Europe 1944-5 (2013) which won the 2014 Templer Medal (awarded annually to the author of the book deemed to have made the most significant contribution to the history of the British Army).
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 1, 2022
The idea is a great one, and the 8 scenarios that are played out are well selected so that the entire war is covered, however, I find the execution to be a little heavy handed and slightly lacking imagination.
Each scenario has a series of decisions you can make to lead you to a potential alternative, however the majority of these alternative endings within the scenario are very similar. It's difficult to project what a single decision may have meant for the entire war, but it would have been interesting to speculate which is the entire point of the book.
Some chapters are a little dense, and seem to hold a level of unnecessary detail to provide context for something which is irrelevant.
The idea of an alternative history is fascinating, and I particularly enjoy when academics let their creative sides decide what might have been, but in this instance although the idea is a great one, I'm slightly disappointed by the outcome.
Each scenario has a series of decisions you can make to lead you to a potential alternative, however the majority of these alternative endings within the scenario are very similar. It's difficult to project what a single decision may have meant for the entire war, but it would have been interesting to speculate which is the entire point of the book.
Some chapters are a little dense, and seem to hold a level of unnecessary detail to provide context for something which is irrelevant.
The idea of an alternative history is fascinating, and I particularly enjoy when academics let their creative sides decide what might have been, but in this instance although the idea is a great one, I'm slightly disappointed by the outcome.
December 27, 2021
Many historians like to say that counter factualism is a waste of time, at least until the port has been around the table twice and then they tend to become as keen as the rest of us on the what if game. John Buckley’s The Armchair General is probably one of the best examples of counter factualism that I have seen in a long time, probably because he sticks as closely as possible to either what happened, or to what we think would have happened had things been slightly different.
Buckley takes eight major events from the Second World War and sets the scene for each of them in turn. Then, the reader has to make a choice from two options that are presented to him. Depending upon his choice he then moves to another section of the book where that scenario plays out and further options are offered.
Let’s take the aftermath of the Norway Debate in May 1940 as a case in point, as it is the first chapter in the book. Chamberlain has won the debate, but with a party that is badly split. Playing the role of David Margesson, the Tory Chief Whip, you take soundings and find that Winston Churchill and Lord Halifax are the two favourites to succeed him. Labour will not form a coalition under Chamberlain and lean towards Halifax, but will accept Churchill. Who do you recommend?
If you choose Halifax then the possibility of Italian mediation would probably have come into play. The war would end with a British defeat, but the army would have been allowed to leave the continent in good order and with all its equipment intact. Germany would probably have taken back the African colonies that she had lost in 1918 and possibly Malta would have gone to the Italians as a reward for their efforts at peace. All this would have amounted to a defeat, but not the end of the world, and a lot of people in Britain would have been happy enough to take the deal and ignore future events in Europe.
On the other hand, if you opt for Churchill, then your options can lead you to the actual historical outcome, but that is far from certain. The other option is based on the fact that Churchill was afraid that Halifax might have resigned as Foreign Secretary and taken Chamberlain with him to form a peace faction unless peace feelers went out. In reality that did not happen, but had Halifax threatened it unless he could at least explore the Italian option he would have probably got his way. In this version that is exactly what he does so we head towards a mediated peace brokered by Italy.
The really engaging aspect of this book is that by keeping to what we know about these events the younger students of history will be encouraged to see that historical outcomes are the result of the decisions that were taken by real men. Those men were often acting with unclear information against a backdrop of real pressure to come up with something.
It would have been very easy for Professor Buckley to fall into what I call the fantasy trap of the counter-factual game and go off with ludicrous flights of whimsy. Sir Winston Churchill as a writer did that with a piece that speculated on what might have happened had the Confederacy won the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. He started by allowing General Lee to abolish slavery in the new republic which is a thought that is so off the wall as to be risible. Buckley keeps to the conservative options at all times, which makes his work very credible indeed.
The Armchair General takes the reader from May 1940 to the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945. Some chapters are more complicated than others with the one devoted to the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa being a case in point. As part of the Soviet leadership do you remove Joe Stalin? If you keep him can Moscow be held? That section was one that I really enjoyed as the reader gets to play an NKVD officer and I have always thought that I would have been rather good at that role.
I really cannot praise The Armchair General too highly. It is good fun that is based on solid research by a professional historian and I enjoyed every minute of it.
An edited version of this review has appeared in The Brazen Head, an online political and literary quarterly journal. https://brazen-head.org
Buckley takes eight major events from the Second World War and sets the scene for each of them in turn. Then, the reader has to make a choice from two options that are presented to him. Depending upon his choice he then moves to another section of the book where that scenario plays out and further options are offered.
Let’s take the aftermath of the Norway Debate in May 1940 as a case in point, as it is the first chapter in the book. Chamberlain has won the debate, but with a party that is badly split. Playing the role of David Margesson, the Tory Chief Whip, you take soundings and find that Winston Churchill and Lord Halifax are the two favourites to succeed him. Labour will not form a coalition under Chamberlain and lean towards Halifax, but will accept Churchill. Who do you recommend?
If you choose Halifax then the possibility of Italian mediation would probably have come into play. The war would end with a British defeat, but the army would have been allowed to leave the continent in good order and with all its equipment intact. Germany would probably have taken back the African colonies that she had lost in 1918 and possibly Malta would have gone to the Italians as a reward for their efforts at peace. All this would have amounted to a defeat, but not the end of the world, and a lot of people in Britain would have been happy enough to take the deal and ignore future events in Europe.
On the other hand, if you opt for Churchill, then your options can lead you to the actual historical outcome, but that is far from certain. The other option is based on the fact that Churchill was afraid that Halifax might have resigned as Foreign Secretary and taken Chamberlain with him to form a peace faction unless peace feelers went out. In reality that did not happen, but had Halifax threatened it unless he could at least explore the Italian option he would have probably got his way. In this version that is exactly what he does so we head towards a mediated peace brokered by Italy.
The really engaging aspect of this book is that by keeping to what we know about these events the younger students of history will be encouraged to see that historical outcomes are the result of the decisions that were taken by real men. Those men were often acting with unclear information against a backdrop of real pressure to come up with something.
It would have been very easy for Professor Buckley to fall into what I call the fantasy trap of the counter-factual game and go off with ludicrous flights of whimsy. Sir Winston Churchill as a writer did that with a piece that speculated on what might have happened had the Confederacy won the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. He started by allowing General Lee to abolish slavery in the new republic which is a thought that is so off the wall as to be risible. Buckley keeps to the conservative options at all times, which makes his work very credible indeed.
The Armchair General takes the reader from May 1940 to the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945. Some chapters are more complicated than others with the one devoted to the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa being a case in point. As part of the Soviet leadership do you remove Joe Stalin? If you keep him can Moscow be held? That section was one that I really enjoyed as the reader gets to play an NKVD officer and I have always thought that I would have been rather good at that role.
I really cannot praise The Armchair General too highly. It is good fun that is based on solid research by a professional historian and I enjoyed every minute of it.
An edited version of this review has appeared in The Brazen Head, an online political and literary quarterly journal. https://brazen-head.org
September 11, 2023
I have finished reading “The Armchair General: Can You Defeat the Nazis?” by John Buckley.
This is a unique historical discussion about the Second World War that puts the reader into the positions of certain decision makers, as powerful and formal as Presidents to more understated wives of key figures, who could potentially have changed the courses of the conflict.
What do you consider important? What is a sure thing and what is a big risk with a worthy pay off? Do you disregard an idea just because it came from someone you find irksome? Are your ideas for a plan warped by your future career goals?
These questions and many more are put before the reader in this book which throws the reader into several carefully chosen consequential crossroads moments during the Second World War. Straight away the author throws in the scenario and then……you…….whoever you may be. It is an interesting and unique way to present a brand of history which in the UK has become something of an obsession for my demographic. Of course, the weight of history draws heavily and one cannot just ignore hindsight. But the author carefully counters this leading up to this decision point. This is why the choice you think is obvious wasn’t necessarily then. This is how high risk the historically correct decision was. Or better yet………..this was the catastrophic mistake and this is why the hapless historical figure fell right into the trap.
What I found interesting is how the author took pains to illustrate how some military efforts, even unsuccessful ones, are often carried out with political goals or gestures in mind. Such as British efforts to save Greece which seemed to be in vain in it’s official objective but put neutral Turkey on notice about British resolve for the region. Some mistakes even came down to a simple guess, like whether McCluskey’s Dive Bomber should go North or South during the Battle of Midway. Most controversially of all, the author takes shot at certain so-called decisive battles. Were they really all that decisive? I respected his confidence and thoroughness to forensically investigate the most likely alternative historical scenarios.
Overall, this was just the read I needed at the right time. It was an engaging fun, sometimes controversial, but very accessible at a time when I am waiting for the COVID positive clock to run out. At first I thought the book’s constantly casting of the reader into the roles of characters was a bit contrived, but when I saw the scope of them I appreciated what the author was trying to do. He was trying to lay out the vast tapestry of decision making, hunches, calculations and blind guesses that make up consequential and inconsequential decisions made during a major war. It was done in a way that gave not only a stage to the Generals of the time, but also the more off stage people who help run a war such as planners, logistics staff and even the family of important figures.
There are a fair few “what if?” books about the Second World War, but I like how this one dared the reader to do something different. Consequently, I found myself immersed and even sometimes a little dared or taunted to go off the beaten track to see what was there. Sometimes victory! Sometimes disaster! Sometimes nothing of any consequence. A lot like life then.
For the record; I am not an Armchair General. I sit on a sofa.
This is a unique historical discussion about the Second World War that puts the reader into the positions of certain decision makers, as powerful and formal as Presidents to more understated wives of key figures, who could potentially have changed the courses of the conflict.
What do you consider important? What is a sure thing and what is a big risk with a worthy pay off? Do you disregard an idea just because it came from someone you find irksome? Are your ideas for a plan warped by your future career goals?
These questions and many more are put before the reader in this book which throws the reader into several carefully chosen consequential crossroads moments during the Second World War. Straight away the author throws in the scenario and then……you…….whoever you may be. It is an interesting and unique way to present a brand of history which in the UK has become something of an obsession for my demographic. Of course, the weight of history draws heavily and one cannot just ignore hindsight. But the author carefully counters this leading up to this decision point. This is why the choice you think is obvious wasn’t necessarily then. This is how high risk the historically correct decision was. Or better yet………..this was the catastrophic mistake and this is why the hapless historical figure fell right into the trap.
What I found interesting is how the author took pains to illustrate how some military efforts, even unsuccessful ones, are often carried out with political goals or gestures in mind. Such as British efforts to save Greece which seemed to be in vain in it’s official objective but put neutral Turkey on notice about British resolve for the region. Some mistakes even came down to a simple guess, like whether McCluskey’s Dive Bomber should go North or South during the Battle of Midway. Most controversially of all, the author takes shot at certain so-called decisive battles. Were they really all that decisive? I respected his confidence and thoroughness to forensically investigate the most likely alternative historical scenarios.
Overall, this was just the read I needed at the right time. It was an engaging fun, sometimes controversial, but very accessible at a time when I am waiting for the COVID positive clock to run out. At first I thought the book’s constantly casting of the reader into the roles of characters was a bit contrived, but when I saw the scope of them I appreciated what the author was trying to do. He was trying to lay out the vast tapestry of decision making, hunches, calculations and blind guesses that make up consequential and inconsequential decisions made during a major war. It was done in a way that gave not only a stage to the Generals of the time, but also the more off stage people who help run a war such as planners, logistics staff and even the family of important figures.
There are a fair few “what if?” books about the Second World War, but I like how this one dared the reader to do something different. Consequently, I found myself immersed and even sometimes a little dared or taunted to go off the beaten track to see what was there. Sometimes victory! Sometimes disaster! Sometimes nothing of any consequence. A lot like life then.
For the record; I am not an Armchair General. I sit on a sofa.
March 28, 2023
This was a fun read that certainly set itself apart from other non fictions in its interactability.
You are at the helm, determining the fate of the war and the fight against the nazis. Taking up the mantle as various figureheads and notable decision makers, you must decide between a diverging point and then go to the corresponding pages to read the outcome. How cool! You can see how things would end if you decided and all I can say is the world will probably be thankful I wasn’t the one pressing the buttons.
It was interesting to explore diverging routes to decisions made. The ‘what if’ scenarios of making a different call, sitting back to see how thing would unfold or the fallout to brash decisions. It made it a novel way to learn and connect to history !
As per my preferable method of reading, I like to read the full book so it was a little bitty for me as I kept having to go back to explore alternative routes and did read the whole book so it felt a little disjointed for me.
I really enjoyed the concept and the first 200 pages were great. Then after that I felt like the novelty wore off a little bit and it just became a little long and heavy to read. There felt like a lot of info, most needed in some aspects but maybe not in others. It was an interesting read though and great way to learn history.
You are at the helm, determining the fate of the war and the fight against the nazis. Taking up the mantle as various figureheads and notable decision makers, you must decide between a diverging point and then go to the corresponding pages to read the outcome. How cool! You can see how things would end if you decided and all I can say is the world will probably be thankful I wasn’t the one pressing the buttons.
It was interesting to explore diverging routes to decisions made. The ‘what if’ scenarios of making a different call, sitting back to see how thing would unfold or the fallout to brash decisions. It made it a novel way to learn and connect to history !
As per my preferable method of reading, I like to read the full book so it was a little bitty for me as I kept having to go back to explore alternative routes and did read the whole book so it felt a little disjointed for me.
I really enjoyed the concept and the first 200 pages were great. Then after that I felt like the novelty wore off a little bit and it just became a little long and heavy to read. There felt like a lot of info, most needed in some aspects but maybe not in others. It was an interesting read though and great way to learn history.
December 2, 2021
Can I recommend you read this on a tablet?
Buckley has assembled a great range of contemporary materials and 'what if' scenarios based around key events of WW2. He then allows you to follow the consequences of taking different decisions. Using the tablet ensures you break up the linear narrative and offers alternative outcomes without 'peaking' at the other options. The decision tree approach works brilliantly in this format.
It's also illuminating to go through the consequences of different decision making. In particular, had Churchill not become PM, you would be not be reading this.
It also confirms the view that in reality, despite the options open, the players at the time could only rationally make the decision they did, however wrong in hindsight.
Buckley has breathed new life into alternative history and given fresh insights into decisions made in the past.
Buckley has assembled a great range of contemporary materials and 'what if' scenarios based around key events of WW2. He then allows you to follow the consequences of taking different decisions. Using the tablet ensures you break up the linear narrative and offers alternative outcomes without 'peaking' at the other options. The decision tree approach works brilliantly in this format.
It's also illuminating to go through the consequences of different decision making. In particular, had Churchill not become PM, you would be not be reading this.
It also confirms the view that in reality, despite the options open, the players at the time could only rationally make the decision they did, however wrong in hindsight.
Buckley has breathed new life into alternative history and given fresh insights into decisions made in the past.
November 28, 2021
A good entertaining book.
When that a novelty, a book where you decide wich plans the allies are gonna do against the axis. With real time intelligence data and many pro and cons You decide what plan to activate against the Axis. I must say I had a pleasent and entertaining reading. I just read the alternatives I used. Some of the time I stick with the real history, sometime whas better than the real commanders when I booted out the Italians from Africa in 1941 and sometime well I had a lesser performance than the real history as the time I only had draw at Miday.
Its as fast paced reading and also something out of the box. Usually those type of books where you are the hero are for childrens or teenagers so thank you very much Dr Buckley for that great book.
When that a novelty, a book where you decide wich plans the allies are gonna do against the axis. With real time intelligence data and many pro and cons You decide what plan to activate against the Axis. I must say I had a pleasent and entertaining reading. I just read the alternatives I used. Some of the time I stick with the real history, sometime whas better than the real commanders when I booted out the Italians from Africa in 1941 and sometime well I had a lesser performance than the real history as the time I only had draw at Miday.
Its as fast paced reading and also something out of the box. Usually those type of books where you are the hero are for childrens or teenagers so thank you very much Dr Buckley for that great book.
December 19, 2022
This book is the sliding doors of WW2 ! what if you made a different decision about operation market Garden, dropping the Nuclear Bomb on Hiroshima, what if Halifax became prime minister and not Winston Churchill when Chamberlin resigned. History could have gone a number of ways!
With fully detailed research scenarios you can become the key decision maker in the room with the people who made the key decisions ,leading to the key chapters and events in WW2 it’s a fascinating insight into the unforeseen consequences of decision making in the heat of the moment would you have changed the course of the war?
Brilliant book
With fully detailed research scenarios you can become the key decision maker in the room with the people who made the key decisions ,leading to the key chapters and events in WW2 it’s a fascinating insight into the unforeseen consequences of decision making in the heat of the moment would you have changed the course of the war?
Brilliant book
September 21, 2022
I really enjoyed this book which provides readers with the opportunities to make decisions about paths to take at various points of WWII history. Would you take the path chosen by the allies during eight key moments of the war or would you choose a different tactical position or strategic move that might have altered the ultimate outcome of the war. Highly recommended and have bought copies for our male relatives who we think might love this for birthdays and Christmas.
December 21, 2021
This book is so interesting! It’s basically a choose your own adventure book but using real historical events. There were parts of this that felt a little heavy - particularly as I don’t read many historical non-fictions. But, I’m sure this book would go down well with history fans who are looking for a new approach to World War 2.
April 9, 2022
This was a great new take on history during the Second Word War. I wish something like this had existed when I was younger. Although I knew the historical outcome of a few of the events covered in the book, some I didn’t, which made for a good twist to the telling of those events. Well written and covering all the factual outcomes in a concise manner.
November 22, 2025
Interesting incites into some of the behind the scenes goings on during the wars great turning points. Though I had thought there would be more battlefield than political decisions that the reader would participate in. Would've been interesting to have some scenarios where decisions had to be made from the Nazi side as well.
January 20, 2022
A fun read and I liked the concept. Unfortunately a lot of it boiled down to, oh you chose wrong go back and try again. Would have preferred fewer scenarios but more in depth exploration of the alternatives.
March 7, 2024
An interesting enjoyable book. I have a deep interest in WW2 but am far from an expert. I would say this book is not designed for me. Most interest garnered would be from people like me, however, it is designed for those new to the subject, such as early secondary school age.
August 21, 2022
Interesting and informative, but a bit plodding in places.
Well worth a read for originality alone.
Well worth a read for originality alone.
September 13, 2022
Very interesting.
December 20, 2022
Great book, really shows both the inevitability of some events and how small choices have large ripples
April 14, 2025
Choose your own adventure, historic ww2 style. Managed to to end the wwar early and save loads of lives, all in a days work :-)
December 10, 2025
Interesting concept. As I know this period quite well, I tended to follow the known historical route so cannot comment for the bits of the book that went in a different direction.
November 17, 2024
I thought that if you need to look at a good read about the war this is a great book, As it asks if you would ever back Sir Winston Churchill, or the American President Gerneral Eisenhower. So if you enjoy this book like I did please get it and put on your list to see if you can solve the situation in each of the chapters.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews