The routledge atlas of the second world war (Routledge Historical Atlases)

Great informational atlas RE WWII. I pre-ordered this atlas on Gilbert's reputation alone and am completely satisifed AT THE PRICE (under $30 when I purchased it). Mr. Gilbert manages to give us a quality atlas at an affordable price. I recommend it wholeheartedly. If I was rating it against the perfect atlas, cost not a factor, I'd give it a 3.5--4 out of 5.What this atlas is not: an oversized volume with detailed color maps showing troop nomenclature, movements, and leaders. For this type of atlas, I recommend trying to get your hands on the out-of-print "The Times Atlas of the Second World War" by John Keegan (1995 printing preferrable to the 1989).What this atlas is: Roughly 250 maps. Each page is filled with a separate map covering some WWII relevant occurence. At first glance, the book doesn't have the flash of other atlases; The maps are black and white and you don't get detailed information RE battles (i.e. troop and leader identification for each battle, movements marked down to the hour, etc...).After digging into it, however, you get the full benefit of the atlas. Gilbert tells the story of WWII using individual maps. The maps don't just cover the obligatory battles that everyone remembers and studies. He goes much further. For instance, detailed maps on such topics as "German factories using foreign forced labour, 1941-1945" and "Civilian Victims of the German Repession: The Bialystok Region of Poland, 1941-1944" give you a glimpse of how Mr. Gilbert succeeds at covering more than just the battles of WWII. He covers economic, social, and political factors and does a good job of showing how the war affected those involved, both civilian and military. He is particularly effective at showing how Poland as a nation was affected.The book is slightly smaller than a standard 8.5" x 11" sheet of typing paper. This would normally bother me with an atlas but Gilbert's maps lend themselves to this format. It would have been nice to have some of the detailed maps in addition to the ones included but this would have assuredly raised the price and I don't believe that's what Gilbert was shooting for.All in all, this atlas is a must for the price. In combination with Keegan's atlas mentioned above, you get you everything you need from from the perfect WWII atlas.

Here are 257 well researched maps you wished were in the books you've read on the Second World War. That, to me, is a serious shortcoming of most of the books. Many have loads of pictures, but few maps with which to orient yourself to events or gain an appreciation of the magnitude of them.The book divides the maps into twelve sections: 1. From the German invasion of Poland to the fall of France (e.g. Soviet massacres of Polish prisoners - 1940) 2. Britain alone, and its Allies (e.g. German plan for the invasion of Britain) 3. The Soviet Union becomes an Allied Power (e.g. Soviet factories dismantled and sent Eastward for safety) 4. Japan and the United States enter the war (e.g Pacific Naval battles, May 1942 - July, 1945) 5. The unrelenting struggle, 1942 and beyond (e.g U-Boat sinkings in the Atlantic and Caribbean, January-May, 1942) 6. The unarmed and the civilians (e.g. The German concentration camp system) 7. Total War (e.g. The Anglo-American bombing of Germany, 1943-1945) 8. Year of decision, 1944 (e.g. Deceiving the Germans: The bogus Allied Army in Scotland, May, 1944) 9. The defeat of Germany (e.g Liberating the concentration camps, 4 April - 7 May, 1945) 10. The defeat of Japan (e.g. United States plans for the invasion of Japan, November 1945 - March, 1946) 11. Global War (e.g. Signals Intelligence: Enigma-Ultra-Purple at war, 1939-1945) 12. Aftermath (e.g. War crimes trials, 1945-1987)The book is rather expensive, but I find it very worthwhile.

This is a detailed book of maps of major battles and campaigns of WW II. It contains maps showing the annexations of Poland by Russia from the East and Germany from the West. It also has maps showing the air bases of Britain and Germany, and the last voyage of the German cruiser, Graf Spee.This book includes maps of the battles in the Pacific theatre and the defeat of Japan, including the war in China. It has maps showing the number and places where the Japanese merchant fleet, as well as the Russian invasion of Manchuria.This is a book for World War II enthusiasts. The author is a World War II historian from Merton College, Oxford.

The maps in this atlas can be rotated and viewed in landscape mode when zoomed in on a Kindle. The selection and information is decent but there is an issue with clarity of text in the maps themselves. As usual with Gilbert's work, a great deal of the value in his atlases is found in the boxes of text and labels within the maps themselves and in this version they are quite blurry even when zoomed in. In most cases, but not all, it is still legible making reading a chore even with good eyesight. A further caveat is that the work itself is covered in only 33% of the book the remainder being bibliography and index. With all of the above in mind it will be up to the individual to decide whether or not the rather stiff price is worth the money. Hopefully the publishers will issue an update to correct the legibility issue by using a tighter focus on the map scans.

The book presents very detailed information with maps, dates and commentaries to most important developments of WWII. It is a incredible tool for anyone interested in the history of WWII. It is an excellent book to read, consult or simply as a companion for reading other books such as "The Second World War: A complete history", by the same author.