How Hitler Could Have Won World War II : The Fatal Errors That Led to Nazi Defeat

Rating:
Summary: A solid account.
Review: Alexander has produced a solid military history of World War II from the perspective of Hitler's strategic mistakes that led to German defeat. This book is a refreshingly objective look at the war, providing some interesting character and detail to not only the Allied commanders but the German commanders as well. Alexander's basic thesis is that Hitler missed his best chance to win an overwhelming victory when, in 1941, he elected to go forward with the invasion of Russia rather than taking Cairo and the Suez Cannal and opening the door to capturing the oil-rich middle east. All in all, this an excellent history for the casual or novice World War II historian who is interested in learning more. Probably not a good pick for someone with a more informed interest.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Title
Review: I picked up this book at the local library and could hardly put it down after my initial reading. Well written and easy to read, it chronicles mistake after mistake made by Hitler in overruling his very competent military advisors. What struck me most was how each mistake compounded the last.

Thankfully for the rest of humanity, the Third Reich spiraled downward into oblivion. This book does an outstanding job of detailing how each step Hitler took worked together with previous mistakes to doom his armies to failure.

A wonderful read for anyone with even a remote interest in this subject.

Rating:
Summary: Good overview
Review: This is a well written, easy to read, overview of the critical military decisions in Europe and North Africa during World War II. What it is not, as some might surmise from the title, is a "what if" text that reviews the alternative outcomes of the decisions not made.

The author does an excellent job of reviewing the various opinions offered Hitler by his various military advisors, and he does an excellent job of outlining their merits. Furthermore, at every turn he makes a compelling case for what he considers to have been the proper course of action. Unfortunately, Alexander frequently bogs down in narrative of the various battles, and loses his focus on the critical decisions not made. Furthermore, with a few notable exceptions, he generally does not project these alternate decisions into a long term view of the war.

This is an enjoyable little book, that offers an excellent overview of some of the critical German military decisions of WWII. However, anyone looking for a more serious work would do well to consider Murray & Millett's outstanding "A War to Be Won".