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Battlefields
'Battlefields of the Second World War' is what every Richard Holmes fan has been waiting for. In this fascinating and brilliantly articulated study of the Second World War, he clarifies the complexities of four of its El Alamein, Monte Cassino, Operation Market Garden (of which Arnhem formed a crucial part)and the RAF's bomber offensive against Germany. The book originates in his firm conviction that the sacrifices made by British service personnel are not properly understood. It uses eye-witness accounts to illuminate the horror, confusion and sheer enormity of war, and puts this in the context of the conflict's broader strategy.
- GenresHistory
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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18 people want to read
About the author
Richard Holmes
116 books94 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
See this thread for more information.
Edward Richard Holmes was Professor of Military and Security Studies at Cranfield University and the Royal Military College of Science. He was educated at Cambridge, Northern Illinois, and Reading Universities, and carried out his doctoral research on the French army of the Second Empire. For many years he taught military history at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.
A celebrated military historian, Holmes is the author of the best-selling and widely acclaimed Tommy and Redcoat: The British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket. His dozen other books include Dusty Warriors, Sahib, The Western Front, The Little Field Marshal: Sir John French, The Road to Sedan, Firing Line, The Second World War in Photographs and Fatal Avenue: A Traveller’s History of Northern France and Flanders (also published by Pimlico).
He was general editor of The Oxford Companion to Military History and has presented eight BBC TV series, including ‘War Walks’, ‘The Western Front’ and ‘Battlefields’, and is famous for his hugely successful series ‘Wellington: The Iron Duke’ and ‘Rebels and Redcoats’.
See this thread for more information.
Edward Richard Holmes was Professor of Military and Security Studies at Cranfield University and the Royal Military College of Science. He was educated at Cambridge, Northern Illinois, and Reading Universities, and carried out his doctoral research on the French army of the Second Empire. For many years he taught military history at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.
A celebrated military historian, Holmes is the author of the best-selling and widely acclaimed Tommy and Redcoat: The British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket. His dozen other books include Dusty Warriors, Sahib, The Western Front, The Little Field Marshal: Sir John French, The Road to Sedan, Firing Line, The Second World War in Photographs and Fatal Avenue: A Traveller’s History of Northern France and Flanders (also published by Pimlico).
He was general editor of The Oxford Companion to Military History and has presented eight BBC TV series, including ‘War Walks’, ‘The Western Front’ and ‘Battlefields’, and is famous for his hugely successful series ‘Wellington: The Iron Duke’ and ‘Rebels and Redcoats’.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 19, 2025
They simply could not overcome the yawning gap in culture between their own and their opponents’ forces — and were invariably punished when they tried to do so.
I initially expected to rate this relatively lowly as it is an accompaniment to a TV series and a bit long in the tooth. However, I enjoy a sharp tongue.
I do tend to favour the newer authors (Holland, Murray, Caddick-Adams) they do not recite tropes of German superiority in World War II, though it is worth considering that those authors are writing trade books for a popular market that is probably receptive to a more positive portrayal of the Allies and their leaders (Mark Clark lovers avoid this book!). So perhaps I am guilty of “listening” to the last author who “told” me their view, but Holmes’s trenchant criticism (at times) of allied efforts is worth considering, if not necessarily agreeing with. Holmes at least tamps down allegations of American-British friction below the top levels.
Allied soldiers were also sent into battle with weapons grossly inferior to their German equivalents because, despite careful examination of captured specimens, vested interests hiding behind the mask of national prestige vied with institutional conservatism in preventing the simple expedient of copying them.
Holmes also holds court on the general experiences of soldiers, which provides interesting perspectives:
Nobody who wishes to understand either war or crime can be blind to the psychic and sensual rewards they offer. Young men are the common currency of both, and their behaviour in peacetime is not such as to encourage a belief that warfare is either an unnatural activity, or necessarily an unwelcome one to many of those caught up in it. The further away from the front line, the more unambiguous the rewards can be, with easy money to be made, easy sex to be had and the sheer irresponsible joy of not having to pay for what you break.
The battle selections (El Alamein, Cassino, Arnhem, The Bombing War) are British focused, but enjoyable. You can, and definitely should dive deeper, but Holmes writes engagingly, so I enjoyed it, with reservations.
I initially expected to rate this relatively lowly as it is an accompaniment to a TV series and a bit long in the tooth. However, I enjoy a sharp tongue.
I do tend to favour the newer authors (Holland, Murray, Caddick-Adams) they do not recite tropes of German superiority in World War II, though it is worth considering that those authors are writing trade books for a popular market that is probably receptive to a more positive portrayal of the Allies and their leaders (Mark Clark lovers avoid this book!). So perhaps I am guilty of “listening” to the last author who “told” me their view, but Holmes’s trenchant criticism (at times) of allied efforts is worth considering, if not necessarily agreeing with. Holmes at least tamps down allegations of American-British friction below the top levels.
Allied soldiers were also sent into battle with weapons grossly inferior to their German equivalents because, despite careful examination of captured specimens, vested interests hiding behind the mask of national prestige vied with institutional conservatism in preventing the simple expedient of copying them.
Holmes also holds court on the general experiences of soldiers, which provides interesting perspectives:
Nobody who wishes to understand either war or crime can be blind to the psychic and sensual rewards they offer. Young men are the common currency of both, and their behaviour in peacetime is not such as to encourage a belief that warfare is either an unnatural activity, or necessarily an unwelcome one to many of those caught up in it. The further away from the front line, the more unambiguous the rewards can be, with easy money to be made, easy sex to be had and the sheer irresponsible joy of not having to pay for what you break.
The battle selections (El Alamein, Cassino, Arnhem, The Bombing War) are British focused, but enjoyable. You can, and definitely should dive deeper, but Holmes writes engagingly, so I enjoyed it, with reservations.
abridged-and-radio
December 31, 2008I think the abridgement let down this book by obscuring its structure. Interesting comments on Bomber Command & post-war condemnation of its European bombing raids.
April 19, 2009
Another look at WWII from this eminent historian: this time from the viewpoint of specific important battles.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews