By Bob Tedder • In determining the efficacy of Bevin Alexander’s “How Hitler Could Have Won World War II: The Fatal Errors That Led to Nazi Defeat,” the potential reader must submit to a one-question, multiple-choice quiz. As the test is subjective, honesty is paramount. So let’s play “Jeopardy!” The category is “World War II – European Theater.” Would you: (a) ignore the category and hope time runs out, (b) attempt but start with the $100 question, (c) pray for a Daily Double! or (d) run the board and hope the Final Jeopardy! question also comes from that category. The book’s benefit is inversely proportional to your knowledge of the subject matter.
For those answering (a) or (b) and do not know the difference between Barbarossa and Overlord, or Eisenhower and Zhukov, this is an ideal introduction to World War II’s European Theater. Alexander patiently walks the neophyte through Hitler’s rise to power, his military rampages through Europe and the 12-year, four-month and eight-day existence of his self-proclaimed Thousand-Year Reich. Alexander compresses the war’s complexities and staggering numbers with a deft editorial touch, reducing the conflict to a manageable 303 pages. As is usual in this type book, illustrations are located sectionally and deal primarily with the chief personages. Alexander sprinkles the mandatory campaign maps throughout but due primarily to the vastness of the areas illustrated, the captions are best reserved for eyes far younger than mine. Nonetheless, successful completion of this book will enable one to face the Jeopardy! category with some confidence.
If, however, you answered (c) or (d), the book at best is a pedestrian refresher. As to the “How” of the title, if you guessed Malta, Russia and Hitler declaring war on the U.S., you sweep the category and become the returning champion. For this audience, when the the Final Jeopardy! answer is “Endnotes and select bibliography,” the correct question is “What are the most entertaining portions of Bevin Alexander’s ‘How Hitler Could Have Won World War II: The Fatal Errors That Led to Nazi Defeat’?”