As a military historian ( John Keegan ) has a remarkable capacity to appreciate both the political context of the war and its immediate meaning for those caught in the heat of battle. . . . The war is divided into three theatres - Western and Eastern Europe and the Pacific - up to 1943, and from 1943-1945. In each theatre and at each stage he opens with the strategic dilemma confronting one of the key actors and then takes a particular battle to illustrate the changing character of warfare. . . . lucid, informed and authoritative. SUNDAY TIMES In this magnificently illustrated volume, our most original military historian gives the whys and wherefores of war as well as the blood and guts. MAIL ON SUNDAY John Keegans history of World War II stands above the competition. PREVIEW