Why the Allies Won
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Narrated by:
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Nelson Runger
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By:
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Richard Overy
About this listen
In this fascinating consideration of the Allied war effort, historian Richard Overy answers one of the great questions of the 20th century: What led to the unmistakable Allied victory when in the early stages of World War II, the balance of power so strongly favored the Axis?
Searching for a compelling explanation, the author explores decisive military campaigns: struggles along the Eastern front, the battles for the seas, the war in the air above, and the massive amphibious assault on Europe. He also considers key elements underlying victory, such as the quality of both political and military leadership, the pursuit of industrial strength, and the all-important determination to win.
A professor of modern history in London, Richard Overy clearly demonstrates that not one of these factors alone could make the outcome inevitable - only their compounded effect could bring victory. This multifaceted look at the war that shaped the modern world becomes accessible with Nelson Runger's thoughtful performance - and you'll realize how hard-won the Allied victory truly was.
©1995 Richard Overy (P)1999 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Antony Beevor has written a completely updated and revised account of one of the most bitter and hard-fought wars of the 20th century. With new material gleaned from Russian archives and numerous other sources, this brisk and accessible audiobook (Spain's number-one best seller for 12 weeks) provides a balanced and penetrating perspective, explaining the tensions that led to this terrible overture to World War II and affording new insights into the war - its causes, course, and consequences.
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Not an Accurate History Book
- By Jose on 10-16-19
By: Antony Beevor
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The End
- The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944-1945
- By: Ian Kershaw
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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From the preeminent Hitler biographer, a fascinating and original exploration of how the Third Reich was willing and able to fight to the bitter end of World War II. Countless books have been written about why Nazi Germany lost World War II, yet remarkably little attention has been paid to the equally vital question of how and why it was able to hold out as long as it did.
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Engrossing yet horrifying
- By Liz on 10-14-11
By: Ian Kershaw
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Retreat from Moscow
- A New History of Germany’s Winter Campaign, 1941-1942
- By: David Stahel
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Germany's winter campaign of 1941-1942 has commonly been seen as its "first defeat". In Retreat from Moscow, David Stahel argues that, in fact, it was its first strategic success in the east. Though the Red Army managed to push the Wehrmacht back from Moscow, the Germans lost far fewer men (one to six), frustrated their enemy's strategic plan, and emerged in the spring unbroken and poised to recapture the initiative.
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Nothing new on the Eastern front basically!
- By philippe jacob on 03-28-20
By: David Stahel
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The Cold War
- A New History
- By: John Lewis Gaddis
- Narrated by: Jay Gregory, Alan Sklar
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Drawing on new and often startling information from newly opened Soviet, Eastern European, and Chinese archives, this thrilling account explores the strategic dynamics that drove the Cold War, provides illuminating portraits of its major personalities, and offers much fresh insight into its most crucial events. Riveting, revelatory, and wise, it tells a story whose lessons it is vitally necessary to understand as America once more faces an implacable ideological enemy.
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WOW
- By Cordell eddings on 10-13-07
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The Quiet Warrior
- A Biography of Admiral Raymond A. Spruance
- By: Thomas B. Buell
- Narrated by: Chris Monteiro
- Length: 18 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Regarded as the standard biography of World War II naval hero Adm. Raymond A. Spruance. Spruance, victor of the battles of Midway and the Philippine Sea and commander of the Fifth Fleet in the invasions of the Gilberts, the Marshalls, the Marianas, and Okinawa, is one of the towering figures in American naval history. Yet his reserved, cerebral personality did not make "good copy" for correspondents, and until the publication of The Quiet Warrior he remained an elusive figure.
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Great admiral!
- By Wayne Thompson on 06-24-24
By: Thomas B. Buell
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The Coming Fury
- The Centennial History of the Civil War, Volume 1
- By: Bruce Catton
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 20 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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> The New York Times hailed this trilogy as “one of the greatest historical accomplishments of our time”. With stunning detail and insights, America’s foremost Civil War historian recreates the war from its opening months to its final, bloody end. Each volume delivers a complete listening experience. The Coming Fury (Volume 1) covers the split Democratic Convention in the spring of 1860 to the first battle of Bull Run.
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History As It Should Be
- By Bryan on 07-19-11
By: Bruce Catton
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Heart of Europe
- A History of the Holy Roman Empire
- By: Peter H. Wilson
- Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
- Length: 34 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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The Holy Roman Empire lasted 1,000 years, far longer than ancient Rome. Yet this formidable dominion never inspired the awe of its predecessor. Voltaire quipped that it was neither holy, Roman, nor an empire. Yet as Peter H. Wilson shows, the Holy Roman Empire tells a millennial story of Europe better than the histories of individual nation-states.
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Mixed feelings on this one.
- By Stuart Seymour on 09-19-17
By: Peter H. Wilson
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The Fall of Berlin 1945
- By: Antony Beevor
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 17 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The Red Army had much to avenge when it finally reached the frontiers of the Third Reich in January 1945. Frenzied by their terrible experiences with Wehrmacht and SS brutality, they wreaked havoc - tanks crushing refugee columns, mass rape, pillage, and unimaginable destruction. Hundreds of thousands of women and children froze to death or were massacred; more than seven million fled westward from the fury of the Red Army. It was the most terrifying example of fire and sword ever known.
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Engrossing
- By Salui on 09-06-16
By: Antony Beevor
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Stalin, Volume I
- Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
- By: Stephen Kotkin
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 38 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Volume One of Stalin begins and ends in January 1928 as Stalin boards a train bound for Siberia, about to embark upon the greatest gamble of his political life. He is now the ruler of the largest country in the world, but a poor and backward one, far behind the great capitalist countries in industrial and military power, encircled on all sides. In Siberia, Stalin conceives of the largest program of social reengineering ever attempted.
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Excellent Book But First Time Listener Beware
- By Nostromo on 03-23-15
By: Stephen Kotkin
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Rocket Men
- The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter, Robert Kurson
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the moon by President Kennedy's end-of-decade deadline and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the moon - in just four months.
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The Men Who Saved 1968
- By Gillian on 04-04-18
By: Robert Kurson
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Freedom's Forge
- How American Business Built the Arsenal of Democracy That Won World War II
- By: Arthur Herman
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 16 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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New York Times best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Arthur Herman pens this fascinating look at how two businessmen turned the U.S. into a military powerhouse during World War II. In 1940, FDR asked General Motors CEO William Knudsen to oversee the production of guns, tanks, and planes needed for the war. Meanwhile, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser presided over the building of “Liberty ships” - vessels that came to symbolize America’s great wartime output.
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Enlightening. Amazing, Great Narration
- By G. Sanders on 08-26-12
By: Arthur Herman
What listeners say about Why the Allies Won
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ted
- 10-18-22
Thorough, efficient and precise, if somewhat dry
Overy does here exactly what the title promises. When I say that the book is somewhat dry, I mean that it reads — and, in Runger’s careful, slightly pedantic narration, sounds — a bit like an academic lecture, the sort of thing one hears, say, in a Great Courses audiobook. I kept finding my mind wandering during Overy’s precise and thorough analysis, perhaps because it just isn’t as colorful, moving, and eloquent as Max Hastings’ four-hour survey of the war (“World War II: All You Need to Know”) and lacks that shorter book’s illustrative anecdotes.
When Hastings writes of Stalin, it's with an obvious loathing for the man's cruelty and tyranny, even when noting Stalin's military victories. He never allows you to forget what the Russian people sacrificed -- were forced at gunpoint to sacrifice -- and how Stalin was as much a monster as Hitler was. When Overy writes of him, it's practically emotionless; in fact, his tone is often genuinely admiring, because he focuses only on the military outcome, not on the government's crimes against its own citizens. I respect this book for the clarity of its analysis and for the information it conveys, but it lacks the moral dimension -- and the sheer human interest -- one finds in Hastings' book.
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-09-19
STRENGTHENED MY WWII HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE
Enjoyable read Good learning!
The detail and approach of this book was unique
Turns out the US did not win WWII as easily as I thought
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- From Boston
- 03-04-24
An Excellent Comprehensive Chronicle
I found this book to be well-written and extremely informative as it presented details of the war effort not usually covered in histories of the conflict. The chapters on the Soviet efforts to persevere in the factories and on the battlefields were well-done. The candid consideration of the difficulties of the Anglo-American alliance, the lengthy debate about the invasion of France, and the missteps in the Allied invasion at Anzio were excellent. The author provides well-prepared and well-researched work on many individual aspects of both theaters of the war, covering culture, economics, logistics and the various battlefields of the land, air and sea. Mr. Runger's narration was superb.
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-12-22
Wonderful
This is a wonderful reading with just the right content spoken in a sonorous tone to drift off to sleep. Highly recommended if you are both a fan of Richard Overy and delicious sleep.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Mark McLaughlin
- 07-16-21
A good read
The book was long but nonetheless a good read. Overy opening remarks about allied economic myths and truths was fascinating
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- Frank Hamilton
- 04-17-20
Why the Allies Won
This book solidified many of the factors attributed to by other historians. It’s true value is in dispelling certain myths and misconceptions about attaining victory and its analysis of contrasting leadership and management of the war.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Pianoplayer
- 01-31-24
The thoroughness of detail and an honest assessment
I appreciated the honest, through and introspective coverage of the events and circumstances treated throughout the book.
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- Margaret
- 05-14-24
A book to read and reread
The more you learn about the history of WWII and its characters and issues and places, the richer this book gets. It's really good.
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- 8541 USMC
- 03-19-19
Proof of Concept "we could have lost the war !"
History the way it could have been . The idea that the allies might have lost is not as farfetched as you that think. The author delves into the scenarios and conditions that made up the Second World War in Europe and the Pacific. Victory was not a forgone conclusion and the leadership on both sides made decisions that could have changed the outcome. A good study of the war.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Raphael PS
- 04-11-19
Absolutely phenomenal
One of the most comprehensive books on the outcome of World War I, broken up neatly into descriptions and analyses of various events of the war. Easy to listen to. Highly recommended to all interested in the war.
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1 person found this helpful