Why the Allies Won: an in-process book review

[vtsaogames]

A second read reveals new insights https://corlearshookfencibles.blogspot.com/2025/02/why-allies-won-book-review-in-process.html

[fred]

Nice summary. I should read this book again too.

[TacticalPainter]

Overly is good but I’d highly recommend the more recent scholarship of Payson O’Brien. Excellent research and analysis to argue a very strong case the turning points of the war were not Alamein or Stalingrad or Kursk or DDay, rather the war was decided in the air and at sea. It’s a very impressive piece of research and analysis.

[fred]

Cool - I’ll add that to my Amazon wish list.

Always like doing this at this time of year (several months from my birthday) so then I kind of forget about the books, and its a nice surprise to receive as a gift!

[vtsaogames]

Wow, Amazon wants a hefty price for the Kindle edition!

[vtsaogames]

Further along in the book...

Overly seems to give air power its due. He notes that tactical air gives the owning side a huge advantage and likewise in naval combat.
While the accuracy of strategic bombing wasn't anywhere near what was claimed at the time, it still had a heavy effect. Aside from damage to fuel, factories and transport, the 2 million troops needed to man and maintain the 55,000 flak guns was a serious drain on German manpower and industry. And the Luftwaffe was virtually destroyed by long-range fighters in the first 6 months of 1944.

Also, Japan was on the verge of surrender because 66 cities had been firebombed, before Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Still reading...

Strange fact, not from this book: Tokyo was firebombed, destroying the working class areas and killing some 100,000 people. Young Yoko Ono was living in a more upscale area of stone buildings that wasn't consumed by the flames.

[fred]

I know with the Allied bombing campaign, there was a significant amount of reaping what you sow for the Germans. And then some.

The wholesale firebombing of cities does feel rather hard to justify as a military tactic. It almost seems a tactical evolution to cope with the limited accuracy of the bombers of the time. Then almost a post-fact justication about impacting morale.

Which again seems a massive misjudgement, in the 30s there was major concerns from governments that civilian populations would panic under aerial bombardment. But I think in WWII quite the opposite happened with civilian populations stoically withstanding huge impacts from total war.

[mweaver]

The Overy book is quite good, and I found it both an excellent introduction for U.S. college students starting a course with only a general familiarity with WWII and thought-provoking for graduate students as well.  Thanks for the  Phillips Payson O'Brien recommendation.It sounds interesting, although the idea that the air and sea aspects of the war were critical is certainly not a new argument.

-Michael