The Armchair General

By Professor John Buckley

The Armchair General ‘Can you defeat the Nazis?’ by Professor John Buckley is a thought-provoking book designed to not only to teach you history but also reflect and apply what you have learnt in the provided evidence, to make a decision that will affect the outcome of the wartime scenario.

Encompassing the majority of the Second World War and from both Allied and Soviet perspectives, it includes the pivotal decision points of the war ranging from Britain’s Darkest Hour in 1940 to the development and decision to use atomic weapons by the USA in 1945. Each scenario is isolated, allowing the reader flexibility to pick any part in history, and not feel compelled to read it chronologically.

Growing up on both history and ‘choose your own adventure’ books, I enjoyed The Armchair General as it meets both but in a more simplified yet mature way. Each decision point was an in-depth and considered choice based on factual evidence that shows how things may very well have changed in history, with an aftermath section for each approach taken.

For example, in the scenario based on the Manhattan Project and invasion of Japan, I chose to follow the counterfactual decision of not using atomic weapons. Instead, the invasion of Japan - Operation DOWNFALL – still brought a guaranteed victory for the Allied powers, but the suggested ramifications of casualties, the lack of nuclear testing and a shift in the balance of regional power by a Soviet planned invasion of Japan, showed a chaotic and harsher post-War Asia.

The Armchair General is as much for those familiar with the Second World War and by those who are newer to this period of history. Each scenario is not overcomplicated with unnecessary facts – it is an easy and enjoyable read, regardless of the amount of pre-knowledge. Whichever path the reader chooses to take, and the outcome it results in, at the end of each chapter there is a concise summary to the actual decisions taken, and why.

A written and interactive book, I suggest it to anyone wanting either a casual overview of war changing moments of history or those wishing to take the position of important past figures and find alternative ways to win the Second World War.

Lieutenant Peter Attrill

Published by Random House, 464 pages,

ISBN 978-1529195910