The Storm of War

De: Andrew Roberts

Narrado por: Christian Rodska

‘Russian success has been somewhat aided by the strategy of Herr Hitler, of Corporal Hitler… Even military idiots find it difficult not to see some faults in his actions.’
–Winston Churchill (2 August 1944, in the wake of the complete destruction of the German Army Group Centre in Belorussia)

Here is one of the best-selling history titles of 2009. Examining the Second World War on every front, Andrew Roberts asks whether, with a different decision-making process and a different strategy, Hitler’s Axis might even have won.

Were those German generals who blamed everything on Hitler after the war correct, or were they merely scapegoating their former Führer once he was safely beyond defending himself? In researching this uniquely vivid history of the Second World War, Roberts has walked many of the key battlefield and wartime sites of Russia, France, Italy, Germany, and the Far East.

The book is full of illuminating sidelights on the principle actors that bring their characters and the ways in which they reached decisions into fresh focus.

Andrew Roberts’s Masters and Commanders was one of the most acclaimed, best-selling history books of 2008. His previous books include Salisbury: Victorian Titan (1999), which won the Wolfson History Prize and the James Stern Silver Pen Award for Non-Fiction, and Hitler and Churchill: Secrets of Leadership (2003), which coincided with a four-part BBC2 history series. He is one of Britain's most prominent journalists and broadcasters.

©2009 Andrew Roberts (P)2010 Audible

Reseñas de la Crítica

"His mastery of the huge variety of subjects is truly impressive and his ability to marshal these subjects into a single compelling narrative stunning." (Keith Lowe, Daily Telegraph)

"He presents stylish penmanship, gritty research and lucid reasoning, coupled with poignant and haunting detours into private lives ruined and shortened." ( The Economist)

Incisive and clear

An excellent book. Looks at the big picture, yet is full of quotes that help explain the thinking of the main characters.

The author has undertaken an immense review of sources to find the quotes by the main political readers and the many generals on both sides. The context of the main decisions is now understood and somehow makes sense.

The narration by Christian Rodska is simply perfect. There must be a prize he should win.

Highly recommended.

Epic Research

This is the third time I've listened to this narrative. One word - Great!

Strange tone

I should start by saying that I had only a limited knowledge of the history of the second world war. In that respect, this book serves its purpose in that it gives a pretty straight-forward chronological account of the entire war. It is a huge subject and, even with the long running time, it is no mean task to do justice to the material. I thought the narrator did a good job although let down a bit by being considerably better at some accents than others.
What I did find increasingly disconcerting about the book was its tone. There seemed to be a little bit too much relish taken in the details and the almost jokey approach taken at times jarred for me. I also found his analysis of Hitler a little strange. It felt like he found him far more worthy of censure for his poor military strategic capabilities than say little details like his organization of the genocide of the jews and other "untermenschen". I am sure this is not the case but the emphasis seemed wrongly placed. In general, once the narrative strayed beyond reasonably cold and hard facts, I was not always convinced by it. For example, if an opinion was given on a debatable area, this was usually done by simply being emphatic, e.g. "of course this is nonsense", without actually giving any support for this opinion.

Comprehensively informative & convincingly argued

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have already recommended this audiobook to several friends. I have done so because it is chock full of relevant information and analysis about one of the most formative events in contemporary history, and because it is narrated wonderfully.

What did you like best about this story?

Throughout the book this central argument bubbles beneath all of the stories and analysis: that nazi ideology and the inability of the German high command to override it was the deciding overall factor in the outcome of the war. While the narrative still gives plenty of room to descriptions of every single front in the war as well as many of the most famous people involved, it never looses sight of the overarching purpose of the book, which is to find documentation for the central argument. Still, you will find plenty of witness accounts not only from the top of the top, but often from people who have bled and suffered and died in this mind-boggingly massive conflict.

What about Christian Rodska’s performance did you like?

At first I had my doubts about Rodska's approach. He takes on an impressive amount of accents when reading the quotations from witnesses in the book, and what put me off was not this, but the characters he adopted when quoting the most famous people involved. His imitation of Churchill is quite good, but his Hitler seemed at first over the top. But as the narrative unfolded, it build the case that Hitler was primarily a domineering man of surprisingly little talent for such a prominent historical figure. As such the choice to voice him as an intense and dirty little man grows from being a charicature to actually illuminate the psyche of the despicable dictator.

All in all the characterisation in the quotations pays off enormously in making the very, very long text come alive with a variety that is probably harder to convey effectively in the written medium (although I have not read the book in print). So if you're having trouble with it initially, stay the course. If nothing else, the Churchill impression is a hoot.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Many moments, but let me mention two. An intellectual and an emotional.

First the intellectual moment: re-listening to the book I was startled when around the middle suddenly popped up a chapter on the Holocaust. As all the other chapters are arranged as analysis of the different fronts reviewed chronologically, this was structurally weird, since the chapter spanned the entire war. But then it dawned on me. Coming as it was halfway through, it sat beautifully as a reminder of why the seemingly indestructible nazi war machine collapsed: because of the cruel and inflexible nazi ideology epitomised in the horrors of the concentration camps and their meaningless and ressource demanding slaughter of civilians. Realising this structure was a moment of intellectual clarity that stayed with me, and made the review of the atrocities more bearable.

Then the emotional one. Soldiers marching back from the front in Russia, where the witness describing their march suddenly realises that they have no eyelids, because they have frozen off in the cold. This stark image of the scars of warfare suffered by the common soldier for a cause he has little influence on and reaps no benefit from sacrificing himself for has stayed with me ever since I first heard of it.

Any additional comments?

This is history at its finest - a faithful rendering of events that slowly build up evidence for an interpetration of the meaning of said events in a larger context. I cannot recommend this wonderful audiobook enough.

Amazing

Tremendous book, and amazing performance. I learned so much about the eastern front of WWII that I hadn't known, and about campaigns in Asia. A thoroughly accessible, comprehensive history of World War II. Cannot recommend highly enough.

I absolutely enjoyed every moment of this book.

I absolutely enjoyed every moment of this book. this cannot happen ever again ... humanity can be very cruel given the chance.

Things I had never known!

I am a 67 yr old history buff. I have read many WWII histories, but none as complete as the Storm of War. I especially enjoyed the indepth coverage of "the Easten Front". No one has ever covered it better. Plus, the reader does a fantastic job. He is able to hold your interest through out. Very well done & 5 Stars is my honest vote. War history buffs should not miss this one. John

An absolute pleasure!!

Im not basing my 5 star review on content but rather on narration. This is a very well written run-through of WWII touching on all the important points and offering well thought out opinions. What makes it a stand-out is the narration of Christian Rodska. With brilliant pacing, amusing accents and command of the difficult European, Japanese and Russian names, he makes this 28 hour fact-fest a pleasure to listen to.

Comprehensive and well read

This is an exceptionally well rehearsed and expansive overview of WWII, albeit with an extreme bias in coverage towards the European operations. Very well presented and easy to listen to, with a great performance by the narrator.

Great Book & Great Narrator

A lot of new stuff I had never heard before--the author has very interesting perspectives on everything you thought you knew about WWII.
The narrator is great. Not only does he do a great Churchill impression, but his dry British wit comes through quite well.