Bennett, Gill (ed). The End of the War in Europe, 1945. London: HMSO, 1996.

251 pages
ISBN 0-11-702035-4

Preface; Notes on the contributors; Participants in the conference; Abbreviations; Introduction; index.

This modest but workmanlike volume contains the rather scholarly papers presented at the international conference held in 1995 at Oxford under auspices of the British section of the International Committee for the History of the Second World War. The topic of the conference serves as the title of the book.

Papers reproduced include:

Terminal Campaigns in 1945
The Terminal Campaign in Western Europe, 1945 - by Correlli Barnett

Poslednii Shturm:  The Soviet Drive to Berlin, 1945 - by John Erickson

The Defeat of the German Southern Armies - by Sir David Hunt

Yalta Decisions and their Implementation

The Yalta Conference - by Sir Frank Roberts

Yalta Decisions and Germany - by Klaus-Jurgen Muller

The Potsdam Conference and High Politics to December 1945

The Conference at Potsdam, 1945 - by David Dilks

Liberation of Western Europe and Restoration of Democratic Government

The Liberation of France and Restoration of Democratic Government - by M. R. D. Foot

Italy: From Fascism to Democracy - by Christopher Seton-Watson

The Liberation of Belgium, 1944-1945 - by Martin Conway

The Synthesis of the Political Order and the Resistance Movement in the Netherlands in 1945 - by Peter Romijn

The Liberation of Norway - by Olav Riste

Soviet Occupation of Eastern Europe
Soviet Policy in Eastern Europe 1944-45: Liberation or Occupation? Documents and Commentary - by Oleg Rzheshevsky

Two Armies, Two Occupations: Hungary 1944-1945 - by Peter Sipos

The Soviet Occupation of Poland, 1944-45 - by Norman Davies

The Soviet Takeover in Romania, 1944-48 - by Maurice Pearton and Dennis Deletant

Bulgaria at the End of the Second World War - by Malcolm Mackintosh

The Campaign on the Eastern Front 1944-45 and its Political Aftermath: A British Perspective - by Malcolm Mackintosh

In addition to the line-up of talented writers and academics who presented papers, the conference featured a variety of other noted guests -- such as Ralph Bennett, David Brown, Alistair Horne, Michael Howard, and others whose written works appear on our "Bibliography" pages -- who engaged in discussion sessions at the end of each presentation. Those discussions are synopsized here, and offer a further tantalizing glimpse into the proceedings. For example, in his paper on Italy, Christopher Seton-Watson raises the issue of "massive intervention" in the Italian elections by the US, "preparations for military intervention by the USA", and "a [planned] British naval demonstration [that] proved unnecessary." In the subsequent question and answer period, Sir Michael Howard poses a question about the magnitude of such activities and CIA participation, but the synopsized response is brief and unenlightening, and there is no recorded follow-up.

The format, then proves to be both a strength and a weakness of the book. On the positive side, the scholars are each allowed to delve into an area of specialization, making for a sequence of brief but detailed, fact-filled presentations. On the other hand, the transition from a live, interactive session to the printed page sometimes loses a little in the translation. On balance, this is a very good job of describing the "total chaos and confusion" that attended the war's end, and then carrying that description smoothly into post-war Europe.

Available from mail order booksellers and local bookstores for $50. If unable to locate it, in the UK contact HMSO; in the US, contact their exclusive agent, Seven Hills Book Distributors.

Thanks to Seven Hills Book Distributors for providing this review copy.