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The Historical Atlas of World War II
Examines all the key events of the six year conflict, with thoroughly researched text accompanied by 140 highly detailed maps that give an entirely original visual reappraisal of this global war.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 1, 2022
When I was very young, World War II was underway. I’d been born six months before Pearl Harbor and thus was three in 1944 when I developed a fascination for the maps on the pages of the newspaper my father read at the dinner table each evening. They showed troop movements in Europe and the paths of ships and aircraft in the Pacific. I saw them upside down, of course, and that was how I learned to read, picking out the letters in the headlines and the legends on the maps. That fascination—both with maps and with World War II—has stayed with me all my life. And that recently led me to pick up The Historical Atlas of World War II by Alexander Swanston and Malcolm Swanston, two British cartographers and writers.
AN IMPERFECT PORTRAYAL OF WORLD WAR II
The Swanstons’ work depicts the war’s principal events over the six-year period from the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939 until the Japanese surrender in September 1945. (The authors ignore the prior events in the Far East beginning in 1931 in Manchuria.) The heart of the book consists of 170 full-color maps (though the cover says 140), surrounded by narrative text that sums up the action pictured. It’s a less than comprehensive account of the war, since the authors portray it almost exclusively as a succession of individual military campaigns and battles. Of course, World War II—”the most cataclysmic event in history,” as the cover announces—was all-consuming. Political, social, economic, psychological, and other factors loomed large in the war, too. There’s little hint of those broader dimensions.
A STRONG PRO-BRITISH BIAS
The authors are British, and it shows. Although World War II started at least two years earlier in Asia than in Europe—some would say eight years—the book’s first hint of war in the Pacific comes only on page 144. And the entire war in Asia and the Pacific claims only 94, or 25 percent, of the 377 pages of text and illustrations.
The Swanstons devote 12 pages to the back-and-forth battles in the Western Desert of North Africa from 1940 to 43, when British, Indian, and Australian troops faced off against the Italians and (later) Germans. That chapter is exceeded in length only by the 14 pages devoted to the Battle of Normandy in 1944. And Operation Barbarossa, Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union, claims only nine pages. It was by far the largest military operation in the history of the world—and, many historians assert, the strategic event that doomed the Third Reich.
MANY ANNOYING ERRORS
The Historical Atlas of World War II abounds with colorful maps and rarely seen photographs that bring many of the events of the conflict into vivid relief. It was an ambitious project, and successful up to a point. However, the book is marred by maps that are often so complex as to be difficult to follow and photographs that are unfocused and foggy. Also, there are innumerable small errors, such as misspellings, sentence fragments, and run-on sentences. The copy appears to have been hastily written and published without review by an editor. While the errors are sufficiently minor, they cast doubt on the care with which the authors (and the publisher) prepared the book.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
As Google Books reveals, Alexander Swanston “has worked on over 30 historical titles, creating the cartography and layout, along with picture editing.” His books include The Historical Atlas of World War II and the Atlas of Air Warfare. The latter has been translated into seven different languages.
Malcolm Swanston‘s Canadian publisher notes that “Alexander Swanston and Malcolm Swanston have been writing about and mapping history collectively for over 30 years, working on subjects ranging from ancient Rome to Vietnam and beyond. They have researched and written about World War II for many years and have mapped the key battles and events that took place between 1939 and 1945. They have recently produced books on a range of subjects, including The Atlas of the Civil War, The Historical Atlas of the Bible, and The Historical Atlas of Knights and Castles.”
AN IMPERFECT PORTRAYAL OF WORLD WAR II
The Swanstons’ work depicts the war’s principal events over the six-year period from the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939 until the Japanese surrender in September 1945. (The authors ignore the prior events in the Far East beginning in 1931 in Manchuria.) The heart of the book consists of 170 full-color maps (though the cover says 140), surrounded by narrative text that sums up the action pictured. It’s a less than comprehensive account of the war, since the authors portray it almost exclusively as a succession of individual military campaigns and battles. Of course, World War II—”the most cataclysmic event in history,” as the cover announces—was all-consuming. Political, social, economic, psychological, and other factors loomed large in the war, too. There’s little hint of those broader dimensions.
A STRONG PRO-BRITISH BIAS
The authors are British, and it shows. Although World War II started at least two years earlier in Asia than in Europe—some would say eight years—the book’s first hint of war in the Pacific comes only on page 144. And the entire war in Asia and the Pacific claims only 94, or 25 percent, of the 377 pages of text and illustrations.
The Swanstons devote 12 pages to the back-and-forth battles in the Western Desert of North Africa from 1940 to 43, when British, Indian, and Australian troops faced off against the Italians and (later) Germans. That chapter is exceeded in length only by the 14 pages devoted to the Battle of Normandy in 1944. And Operation Barbarossa, Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union, claims only nine pages. It was by far the largest military operation in the history of the world—and, many historians assert, the strategic event that doomed the Third Reich.
MANY ANNOYING ERRORS
The Historical Atlas of World War II abounds with colorful maps and rarely seen photographs that bring many of the events of the conflict into vivid relief. It was an ambitious project, and successful up to a point. However, the book is marred by maps that are often so complex as to be difficult to follow and photographs that are unfocused and foggy. Also, there are innumerable small errors, such as misspellings, sentence fragments, and run-on sentences. The copy appears to have been hastily written and published without review by an editor. While the errors are sufficiently minor, they cast doubt on the care with which the authors (and the publisher) prepared the book.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
As Google Books reveals, Alexander Swanston “has worked on over 30 historical titles, creating the cartography and layout, along with picture editing.” His books include The Historical Atlas of World War II and the Atlas of Air Warfare. The latter has been translated into seven different languages.
Malcolm Swanston‘s Canadian publisher notes that “Alexander Swanston and Malcolm Swanston have been writing about and mapping history collectively for over 30 years, working on subjects ranging from ancient Rome to Vietnam and beyond. They have researched and written about World War II for many years and have mapped the key battles and events that took place between 1939 and 1945. They have recently produced books on a range of subjects, including The Atlas of the Civil War, The Historical Atlas of the Bible, and The Historical Atlas of Knights and Castles.”
October 3, 2022
Really well done by Shirer. I appreciated the specific focus on the Third Reich. It’s a good foundation of understanding before you dive into the military history of WW2. Nazi ideology is still confounding to me, but this book did alot to illuminate the why and how of German National Socialism. History rhymes.
April 14, 2021
Nearly 400 pages of maps and battle details but not ONE SINGLE MENTION OF THE HOLOCAUST. Look in the atlas for a mention of any of these words and you will not find: Jews, gypsies, genocide, concentration camps (or liberation of), anti-Semitic propaganda, etc. Not part of the war apparently. Even in the last pages where casualties of war are listed no mention of 6 million Jews. I can think of no valid excuse for leaving this out. Not part of the war itself? The camps were liberated by Soviet and American forces, as part of conquering and liberating Nazi occupied countries. Surely that's newsworthy. Nuremburg Trials -Nazi leaders put on trial after the war for war crimes. Seems important. But nope, not for these stooges.
I am remembering their names so I never read or buy a book by them again.
I am remembering their names so I never read or buy a book by them again.
October 8, 2023
Some glaring typos and editing issues as well as interjection of biased analysis rather than letting facts speak for themselves mar what could have been an otherwise handsome addition to a ww2 collection.
In a historical atlas of perhaps one of the most documented events in human history, perhaps less analysis and more atlas? Some of us ww2 armchair historians enjoy watching battlefield setups and how they unfolded and don't need to be barraged with what one could deem as opinion.
Additionally, some of the text in the map insets could've been positioned somewhat differently or perhaps different font or color to create a clean contrast that would have benefitted legibility of said text.
In a historical atlas of perhaps one of the most documented events in human history, perhaps less analysis and more atlas? Some of us ww2 armchair historians enjoy watching battlefield setups and how they unfolded and don't need to be barraged with what one could deem as opinion.
Additionally, some of the text in the map insets could've been positioned somewhat differently or perhaps different font or color to create a clean contrast that would have benefitted legibility of said text.
April 1, 2018
I purposely took my time with this book. I read a few pages every few weeks, following the progress of WWII at a more realistic pace. This atlas has good maps, but equally good summary texts that augment the geography. An excellent one volume account of the entire military course of mankind’s greatest conflict for those of us who learn history best with the help of maps.
August 26, 2018
I bought this as a reference book, but read it cover to cover. It was excellent as it listed a synopsis of the battles with maps.
September 17, 2019
If you are looking for a book that gives you a great outline of all the events in ww2, this is the book for you.
October 7, 2016
Massive battles were waged on the Pacific and Europe, both on two sides of the world but changed history forever. The book, The Historical Atlas of World War Two, by Alexander Swanston gives the accounts of the battles conducted during World War Two, as well stories from people the participated in the battles. It tells of the violence of battles one such battle being The Battle of The Bulge. The book gave some of the most clear and well written stories of how battles were conducted during World War Two. It also told of the amazing actions that the people of the time could conduct in such gruesome circumstances.
The theme sometimes varies in the book but the most prominent one is tactical approaches of various military elements. The author gives many in-depth details and first hand accounts of how battles were conducted along with the movement of troops throughout the Pacific and Europe. The book gives people plentiful information on World War Two and would be geared towards anyone interested in the history of war and how it was conducted. It also gives good information on all the weapons of war and the typical issued weaponry. It could also be beneficial for any readers that would like to learn about how a mistake can change the whole outcome of their lives. And to me the book taught me the importance of planning ahead and how one mistake can cause everything to come down.
In the book I really enjoyed how text matched up with maps and battle plans of all the major engagements during the war. The book gave me an idea of what the soldiers on all sides and in all armies were. It really gave me a close perspective on what occurred on some of the darkest days in the history of the world. I would highly recommend that anyone who has any interest in history or is a World War Two items collector would be very interested in this book.
The theme sometimes varies in the book but the most prominent one is tactical approaches of various military elements. The author gives many in-depth details and first hand accounts of how battles were conducted along with the movement of troops throughout the Pacific and Europe. The book gives people plentiful information on World War Two and would be geared towards anyone interested in the history of war and how it was conducted. It also gives good information on all the weapons of war and the typical issued weaponry. It could also be beneficial for any readers that would like to learn about how a mistake can change the whole outcome of their lives. And to me the book taught me the importance of planning ahead and how one mistake can cause everything to come down.
In the book I really enjoyed how text matched up with maps and battle plans of all the major engagements during the war. The book gave me an idea of what the soldiers on all sides and in all armies were. It really gave me a close perspective on what occurred on some of the darkest days in the history of the world. I would highly recommend that anyone who has any interest in history or is a World War Two items collector would be very interested in this book.
April 24, 2015
I had my concerns going into this book, considering it is an atlas I wondered how much information it would actually give. Having read it I can now say this is an invaluable piece of reference material for any Second World War historian. the 170+ maps are all accompanied with descriptions of the battle or campaign of which they are apart, providing contextual information for each. The maps are detailed and allow for the reader to see the strategic thought process of the commanders on both the Axis and Allied sides of the war. If I had to knock it at all it would be that due to size and placement of the book seam that some of the maps can be difficult to read, besides that I am fully satisfied with this book.
May 31, 2012
I thought this was a great refrence book of the major battles of World War Two. I was drawn to the book because of the maps that are presented along with the written accounts of the battle. I reccomend this book to anyone that wants to learn about the major battles of World War Two. This book sticks to the facts of the battle and does not go into the depths of the soldiers suffering or struggles. This isn't a bad thing since the books purpose is to be an overview of the major European and Pacific battles of World War Two and not a personal reflection from the soldiers point of view.
August 12, 2013
Although the maps are certainly interesting and, as all maps do, provides context to the battles of the Second World War, certain details in the text are missing or not precise. Furthermore, the book makes a lot of assumption on certain small elements which results in inaccurate phrases and terms. Although it is certainly a book for the general public and not academics, the lack of references and citations has resulted inaccurate information.
February 17, 2013
I have not exactly read it, because it isn't something you really read. As in the title, it is an atlas. You don't "read" it; you "browse" it.
October 1, 2013
Stond veel in wat k nog niet wist. Enig minpunt is de niet altijd doorlopende chronologie.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews