FIVE DAYS THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD eyewitness accounts from Europe at the end of World War II (Nicholas Best World War II History)

A fascinating and enlightening story . It makes clear a number of facts and uncovers many unknowns that have always puzzled me. Especially regarding Michael Bormann. It uncovers facets of the war that were never covered by the large media . Having visited Bergen-Belsen , Dachau , and other killing camps ,it is hard to comprehend mans brutality to men . A book that was hard to put down .

Horrifying story of an awful war. This book will give me nightmares. Those who support socialism should be made to read this. Now I’m going to change my name to something less German and never buy a VW again. NO ONE deserves to be called Hitler or compared to him. NEVER. The really frightening fact is that the atrocities were committed by so many thousands of people. Could it happen again? Yes

This book is fascinating. It describes the ordinary, the extraordinary, the famous and the infamous. It is now one of my favorite books.

An excellent, fast-moving account of the last days of WWII. The author does a great job of giving sufficient background for the many, many characters he presents. The ugliness of the end of the Nazi regime is revealed in the many grotesque and poignant episodes.

Little new info on the war but a broad look at how it wound down through the eyes and memories of the players, from Hitler to infantryman, heroes, bullies and cowards, men, women and children. I could hear their voices and couldn't stop reading.It blends military history with personal and political history, and it lays a groundwork for beginning to understand the birth of the Cold War.Excerpts from written sources and interviews are plentiful and footnoted. I do wish some of the author's unattributed statements had either fuller explanations of how he reached the conclusion, or supportive footnotes.However, it's a very readable book for the general population.

I would consider this a must read for anyone who thought they knew it all about the end of WW2.

For those who are too young to have been exposed to the war years and those who have not read about the chaotic conditions in Europe just before V-E Day, the author presents a reasonably thorough, well written synopsis. But for those who have delved into the various byways of the era, save your money. I've been reading on different aspects of the subject for decades, and although I did learn a few things, most of the book has been well covered elsewhere.

"Five Days That Shocked the World" is something of a sequel to Nicholas Best's excellent  The Greatest Day in History . His first book chronicled the catastrophic final week of World War I, and this new work performs the same service for the end of World War II in Europe. Both books use the same technique: the author weaves together a series of individual experiences to create an impressionistic yet personal description of the confusing, deadly end of a war. It must have seemed like the end of the world to those caught up in those frenzied days in Italy and Germany.Best maintains the suspense, even for some famous people who obviously survived the war, obscuring identities when he first introduces those involved and then carrying the participants to the edge of the cliff before moving on to another vignette. Some of the people trapped in this saga were already famous or infamous during World War II (e.g., Benito Mussolini, Adolph Hitler, Ezra Pound, or Leni Reifenstahl), while others would become famous in due course (Willy Brandt, Werner von Braun, Sophia Loren, Henry Kissinger, Simon Wiesenthal, or Pope John Paul II). Best tells their gripping experiences with skill, and the author includes an epilogue to wrap up the loose ends and explain what happened to his protaganists after the war ended. This book will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next.As much as I'd like to say "I'm glad this is history" and leave it at that, I can't help but notice the parallels between the destruction of Germany and the human catasrophe now unfolding in Syria. One lesson that history teaches, over and over again, is that bloody-minded fanatics care little for the welfare their own people, only for their rigid ideology.For those interested in the end of World War II in Europe and why it ended in such a horrific Gotterdammerung for the German people, see Sir Martin Gilbert's superb  The Day the War Ended: May 8, 1945 - Victory in Europe  and Ian Kershaw's The End: The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944-1945 .

Excellent work for those seeking a quick history of the end of hitlers war on the world. Good reference for those wanting a quick history lesson…..

A very well researched account of the final days of the Second World War. An excellent read. The real nazi atrocities are laid bare.

Il libro è una raccolta di testimonianze degli ultimi giorni della seconda guerra mondiale, vista dagli occhi di chi quella guerra l'ha vissuta come protagonista, vittima, spettatore impotente... Il racconto dell'uccisione di Mussolini, del suicidio di Hitler, delle atrocità commesse da parte tedesca come russa ci fanno capire che come sempre la guerra è una sconfitta di tutti e per tutti. Ci fanno anche capire che come uomini siamo i peggiori animali esistenti, capaci di generare e giustificare una violenza che altri animali non sarebbero in grado di perpetrare.Il libro è molto crudo, anche difficile in parte nella lettura in inglese perché la terminologia non è di uso corrente. Tuttavia è meraviglioso nella sua crudità e forza, come un pugno diretto in faccia o nell'anima.Unico appunto negativo è che la narrazione è filoamericana, vengono riconosciute le colpe di tutti ma gli americani risultano sempre incolpevoli.

Well written book describing in a very readable way the events that lead up to the German surrender in May 1945.

very well written, bought it as a gift for my husband and could not put it down after I started to read the first para to him