Many great and wonderful books have been written about World War II. It was, after all, one of the worst moments in the history of mankind. Among these novels, the epic Winds of War and its 
The tale begins in 1939. The Nazis have taken Czechoslovakia and are now building up their forces and preparing for war. It is six months before Germany’s invasion of Poland
In the book we follow U.S. Naval Commander Victor “Pug” Henry and his family. Commander Henry has just been assigned to Germany as a Naval Attaché. He is joined in Berlin by his Rhoda. They have three grown children, Warren, Byron and Madeline. We follow them all, in their diverse roles and occupations, as they are each drawn into that horrendous whirlwind that was the Second World War, and which affected everyone in ways large and small.
Victor Henry has great analytical skills. On the basis of his observations in Berlin, Pug correctly predicted the alliance between Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Russia. That brought him to the attention of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and cleared the way for Pug to become President Roosevelt’s behind-the-scenes observer. And in the book, we follow him as he carries out observation missions on direct orders from President Roosevelt. His travels bring him to London, Moscow, Rome, Washington, and Pearl Harbor.
Mixed into the text are “excerpts” from a book written by one of the book’s characters, German general Armin von Roon, written while he was in prison for war crimes. Coming across the German version, a retired Victor Henry “translates” the volume in 1965.
Through the family, and especially Henry Pug James, we experience the war – both viewed from a strategic and executive perspective, and as it affected the lives of ordinary people in so many ways. For instance, we witness the major political plays and learn to understand the arguments underlying the various political moves and maneuvers preceding the American entry into the war. It is all here – all the behind-the-scenes diplomacy, the spying, and the analyses, from the point of view of Pug – which is a pretty well-informed point of view – and occationally that of a German general, Armin Von Roon.
The Winds of War has it all – the rumors, the uncertainties, the ambitions of the major players as well as betrayal, loyalty, tragedy, and love – all integrated into a masterful and truly brilliant novel. This novel has been hailed by critics as “grandiose,” “hypnotically readable,” “panoramic,” “kinetic” and “absorbing.” It is all of that. And more. It is almost 900 pages long, but it still felt as if ended much too soon. Herman Wouk makes history come alive. The Winds of War is simply one of the best historical fiction books written.
, 
, 
. See aslo 
