Book Review:” Armageddon”
Max Hasting manages to bring out gripping drama through this literary work of Armageddon, a book that is well researched and very fascinating. The story captures the events that happened in the final year of the World War II in Europe. He explicitly explores the roles played by the political leaders as well as the military team. Hasting gives a vivid picture of those dark times, brutality of the battle, exhaustion of the soldiers and how the citizens continued to suffer. The story leaves every reader with the desire to read the book more and more.
Owing to successful landing of Normandy in 1944 it was very clear that the Western Allies could roll into Germany with less opposition. First the generals had no much competence on wars of rapid maneuver. S4cond, the allied soldiers were much interested in surviving but the real battle proved otherwise, the defense of Germans against the overwhelming odds reflected remarkable military skills. The bickering among the allies aggravated the situation and made them look more disadvantaged (Hasting, 2000 p. 24).
The book however made a strategic by failing to cover approaches to Antwerp the largest ort in Western Europe located a few miles from River Scheldt. The Germans for a long time took control of the port by occupying the river banks preventing penetration by the British soldiers through the port. Shortages of supplies is what made the allies to worn out because there were only some few small channel ports were available for them (Hasting, 2000 p. 24).
. Hating acknowledges the impact of the east war conducted by the soviet. As he describes, the Soviets seem to be more competent than the Western allies maneuvering with large armies. He explores the differences between the two allies and their determination to achieve political rather than military goals.
The fall of the Soviet Union enabled those people in the west to have access to the documentary evidence of the horrible and terrible war at the east. Hastings brought out a clear view of the invasion of the German and Eastern Europe by the soviet army. He strongly blamed them for their barbaric behavior at the leadership of the highest rank of the Soviet Union. The soviets were very cruel at both the Germans and the Poles. The soviet army never prevented the Germans from attacking the forces of polish resistance. They prevented the supplies from the western allies to land for the rescue the Poles. The soviet army was used as a tool to instill fear among the fighters the state. The political commissars in the war were behind to shoot any of the army officers because they feared them than the Germans. Many soldiers were shot dead to the act of cowardice, which is an offence in the army. The soldiers of Germany fought tirelessly to the end but many of the soldiers were willing to surrender to the Americans or British but not to the Soviet Union(Hasting, 2000 p. 132). The Germans were referred to by Hastings to be more aggressive in the contrast of Japanese who surrendered their Island peacefully without involving in any attacks or resistance. The Germans only surrendered after most of their cities and properties were destroyed the British and American soldiers to ashes and their weakening. The civilians of German feared the soviet army because they rape and loot the communities during the wars.Hastings also brought forward the fact that the prisoners were mistreated in the prisons and were subjected to acts, which are not humane like slavery for provision of free labor.
Reference
Hasting Max (2000).Armageddon. New York: Hasting House Publishers.
