Zabecki,
D.T. (Ed.). (1999). World War II in
Europe: An encyclopedia. (Vols. 1-2). New York: Garland.
The scope of Zabecki’s World War II in Europe: An Encyclopedia
is limited by its topic, but provides a thorough treatise of all major aspects
of the European Theatre in the Second World War. The work is divided into two
volumes, six sections, and a variety of appendices that make navigation of the
information easy and intuitive. The encyclopedia is not designed to be an
exhaustive examination of the Second World War in Europe, but rather to
acquaint the reader with the major events, players, weapons, campaigns and
strategy of that conflict. Thus, the entries do not include some of the
lesser-known battles and figures, but it does include good information on all
major players. Furthermore, Zabecki purposefully extended the scope of the book
to include entries describing people or events that occurred before the war
started in 1939, and also entries that include information coming from after
the end of the war in 1945. He states that the reason for this is that the
events leading up to the war started long before the German invasion of Poland,
and the effects of the conflict have extended far past the annihilation of Nazi
Germany. For instance, it was not until October 3, 1990 that Germany was
finally reunited, and Berlin was released from control by occupying forces
(Zabecki 1999, pg. XI). Consequently, the encyclopedia does an excellent job
balancing the need for a broad scope of information, and a desire to keep the
information succinct and relevant. What this work lacks in specificity it makes
up for in convenience.
This encyclopedia is intended for
use by any individual. It includes specific historical information and
additional reading lists that make it an excellent starting point for the
professional historian. However, its entries are written in a manner and language
that make it easily accessible to the lay reader as well. It does not assume
that its audience has any but the most general prior knowledge of the European
Theater or World War II in general, and by reading several entries, even the
most uninitiated reader would be able to grasp the themes, significant events, and
major currents of the European conflict.
The timeliness of this work is
perhaps its greatest weakness. As Zabecki comments in his Preface, the history
of World War II is a dynamic and ever-changing subject (1999, pg. XI). There is
research being done today that is still turning up new information about the
war that would not be included in this resource written fifteen years ago.
Thus, in spite of its thorough treatment of the European Theatre, the
discerning historian or librarian would need to seek other, more modern
resources to fact-check and expand on the entries included in this
encyclopedia. On the other hand, the history contained in this work is
well-sourced and solid. So although some of it may be a bit dated, the vast
majority of the information provided is still timely and appropriate.
The head editor of this work, David
Zabecki, is a retired Major General of the U.S. Army. He holds a PhD in
military science from Britain’s Royal Military College of Science, served as a
Senior Security Advisor, and is the author of several historical works (U.S.
Naval Institute 2014). Consequently, he is uniquely qualified to serve as the
head editor for such a work as he has both a firsthand understanding of the military,
and also an extensive background in studying military science. As such, this
encyclopedia presents a significant amount of authority on the subject. The
entries were contributed by one hundred and fifty-five authors from eight
different countries, which further lends credence to the work as an
authoritative piece because it is not written from a purely British or American
perspective. Moreover, the resources included in the additional reading lists
at the end of every entry are significant secondary sources. This shows that
the information used to build this encyclopedia was carefully researched and synthesized,
providing highly authoritative information on the subject.
World
War II in Europe is also well documented. Every entry contains a list of
works that were either used to help construct the entry, or that are related to
it and can serve as additional reading. Moreover, there is a select
bibliography included in the second volume of the encyclopedia that provides an
impressive list of other resources used in the construction of this work.
Finally, this encyclopedia remains
fairly objective. The team of contributors from a variety of nations ensures
that the information contained within does not lean too heavily on any one national
viewpoint. Furthermore, this diversity provides entries written from
perspectives that readers may be unfamiliar with. Lastly, the entries present just the facts of
their subjects, and do not speculate. Consequently, the reader is left to draw
their own conclusions about the events and individuals described in the pages
of this magnificent resource.
Work Cited
U.S.
Naval Institute. 2014. David T. Zabecki.
Retrieved from http://www.usni.org/author/david-t-zabecki
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