Battles Lost and Won;: Great Campaigns of World War II

by Hanson W. Baldwin

In Battles Lost & Great Campaigns of World War II, military editor and analyst of the New York Times, Hanson Baldwin evaluates eleven crucial battles, describing what happened in each and why. In the words of the author, "each [of these battles] was an entity; many were a turning point; upon some the scales of history rested." The battles analyzed are the Polish campaign, the battle of Britain, the invasion of Crete, the fall of Corregidor, Stalingrad, the Sicilian campaign, Tarawa, the invasion of Normandy, Leyte Gulf, the battle of the Bulge and Okinawa.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, War, Military Fiction, Military History

532 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Hanson Weightman Baldwin was the longtime Military Analyst of the New York Times. His coverage of the early days of the Second World War earned him a Pulitzer Prize. During his long career, he wrote and/or edited many books, primarily in the field of politico-military history.

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am of two minds about this book. It is a history of 11 of the most important battles of WWII: the errors, the brilliant military moves, the wins, and the losses. It does this rather well and two of those battles, Poland, which started the war, and the fall of Corregidor, were particularly moving. The battle plans could get a bit complicated but the use of maps were helpful.

The negative side of the book consisted of two issues for me. Although this book is not a new one (copyright 1966), the author used the word "Jap" throughout. That may have been more acceptable if the book was written during the war but was very jarring for this reader. Secondly, the prose didn't fit the situation....it would have been more at home in a historical novel; e.g: "The Field Marshall sat waiting in cataleptic stillness, his face waxen"; "They were walking down their own Via Dolorosa (that phrase was used several times throughout the book); "...groves of lemon, olive, orange...hedgerows of grey-green agaves, head-high cacti, spiky dry grass thistles, mountain goats and sheep". And on and on went the purple prose which somehow seemed out of place and was distracting.

So, if the problems I had do not bother you, I would recommend this book as a good source to the famous battles of WWII.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baldwin examines several campaigns of World War II such as the struggle for Poland in addition to some of the more frequently addressed campaigns. All fronts of the war are covered.

[David Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book to familiarize the reader with the 11 battles presented in this book. Baldwin uses a mixed writing style of prose and classic military history to describe these battles that range from Poland to Okinawa. Written in 1966, Baldwin's language reflects the racial and gender assumptions of the day. If you can get past those, this is a decent book for the general military history enthusiast. This was a night stand read for me - a few pages most nights before bed.

[JerryDeanHalleck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very informative 1960s fact-based history of about 12 campaigns in WW II. Baldwin was the NYT's miliatry corrspondent and knew many of the Generals/Admirals who fought in the US navy and US army. Eastern Front is covered with Conquest of Poland, and Stalingrad. Pacific war is covered by Corregidor, Okinawa, Leyte Gulf, and Tarawa. The rest of the war makes up the other half of the book.
D- Day, Battle of Britain, etc. This is a fairly sophisticated military analysis. Not politically correct or leftwing, nor is it a "pop history". If you get the vapors over the Japanese being called anything other than Japanese, want thrilling tales of combat, or want every other page to repeat how evil Hitler was, you'll be disappointed.

Good for what it is.

[carl theaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gee about every time I go to add a WW2 book, the edition I have is 20, err, ok 30 years older than the edition pictured. Don't know how the books got so old?

It is a good read, no need to reprint the summary.

[Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chapters on Poland, Crete, and the atoll in the Pacific are incredibly well written. The rest of the chapters are good as well.

[Beth/Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas present from Matt & Keri. Analyzes different battles chronologically from both sides. Informative and interesting.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long and boring but informative none the less.