I am a translator/writer for Japanese publishers and have been researching and studying the Japanese Forces in WW2 here in Japan for over 20 years. When I saw the book in a bookstore I naturally bought it but after reading only a few pages I immediately regretted the purchase. Here is why: In the introduction there is a photo with a caption that reads: The grave of a Japanese officer... The Japanese characters identify the soldier buried there as a Superior Private. On page 69 the author writes that the Japanese Army had no tank divisions where in fact they had 4. the 2nd tank division fought in the Philippines in 1945 and was wiped out there. There were also at least 7 tank brigades in the homeland waiting for the US invasion, a fact which is also not mentioned. There are several more mistakes which would make a person familiar with the topic cringe so the question is why authors and publishers do not make a more in-depth research.

I got this for my dad since he does a lot of research on WW2 for people. From what he has told me in using it, and from my own flipping of hte pages, it seems this book was not put together really well, and in fact contradicts itself on occassion. I would imagine the publisher would be to blame for those types of things.

Quite well done...better than A. J. Barker's work on the same subject. Takes dry info from wartime TM's, writes and illustrates it in an interesting, well flowing manner. Very good section on tactics. Information on weapons could have been better organized, but includes some things that I have not seen in any other source. If you are a WWII nut, you need this book.

This nifty account of the last 12 months of World War II in Western Europe is, at 192 pages, exactly as advertised: "A remarkable collection of over 275 photographs as a pictorial record of these tumultuous events." British historian and armor specialist George Forty has compiled and extensively captioned these photographs, some of them rare, and many are action shots. Along with the pictorial record is a concise history of the key events and battles.

"Road to Berlin" has a good map of the major advances by the Allies at the front of the book, but otherwise battle and campaign graphics are lacking. There is a bibliography, and throughout at the end of each chapter are explanatory notes.

The pictures and text cover Allied operations from the first toe hold on the Normandy beaches, through the build up, breakout, Operation Dragoon, offensives from the Seine to the Rhine, Arnhem (Operation Market Garden), clearing the Scheldt, the "lull" before Hitler's counter offensive in the Ardennes and the ensuing Ardennes battles, and the concluding offensives that crossed the Rhine and swept into Germany.

I found the historical discussion to be balanced overall, and not slanted toward a British point of view. Forty raises the controversy between Montgomery and Patton, but doesn't choose sides. "Road to Berlin" is an excellent survey of historical events, but don't expect a detailed recounting.

The beginning student of World War II in Europe will appreciate this volume, as will veterans who may want it to display on coffee tables. Unless, however, you happen to have served with the 82nd Airborne Division. The picture of Matthew B. Ridgway (commanding general of XVIII Airborne Corps) and James M. Gavin (commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division) has Gavin's name spelled "Jones H. Canin." This is certainly not a fault of Forty's, but of a member of the editorial and production staff.

I greatly enjoyed Forty's work on the Japanese and was quite disapointed with this one. It would appear that Forty merely re-worded the U.S. Army Technical Manual on the Japanese Army and did not have such a source for the US Army. Coverage is pretty good on weapons. Fair on organization. Laughable on tactics. He fails to point out the major flaws with the US effort...shipping- limited organization, faulty tank doctrine, failure to effeciently use the negro portion of the population. This book at least puts a lot of information in one volume, but is not as good as his work with more easily found source material.