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Steven Mercatante

Another New Book Review Is Up

on Thu, 03/12/2020 - 22:05

Hello, just published my latest book review. This book offers a must read for enthusiasts of armored operations during the Second World War, and comes to us from historian Douglas E. Nash - in a work titled From the Realm of a Dying Sun.  This book offers readers a detailed look at the IV-SS Panzerkorps formation and subsequent combat operations in Poland from August to November of 1944. Check out the review here.

Three New Book Reviews to Kick Off the New Year

on Sun, 02/16/2020 - 17:42

Hi all. Obviously it's been awhile since I last posted in June. What can I say, work and a young family has been keeping me very busy. As has my progress on my second book examining Germany's defeat in the Second World War. Nevertheless, I have been able to do some reading of late, and have three books I think you will really enjoy. Each offers a unique look at often overlooked aspects of the Second World War and Vietnam War. If you are looking for something new, then I very much recommend you pick up any or all of these three books.

New Book Review Published

on Thu, 06/29/2017 - 14:37

The Michigan War Studies Review (MiWSR) has just published my latest book review. It is of Lawrence Paterson's Steel and Ice: The U-Boat Battle in the Arctic and Black Sea, 1941-1945. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you have any interest in undersea warfare or the war fought between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union then you will like it as well.

The F-35 May Never Be Ready for Combat - Testing Report Contradicts Air Force Leadership’s Rosy Pronouncements

on Wed, 09/14/2016 - 14:56

By Mandy Smithberger*

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is the most expensive procurement program in Pentagon history. It’s been plagued by schedule delays, gross cost overruns, and a slew of underwhelming performance reviews. Last month the Air Force declared its variant “ready for combat,” and most press reports lauded this as a signal that the program had turned a corner. But a memo issued from the Pentagon’s top testing official, based largely upon the Air Force’s own test data, showed that the Air Force’s declaration was wildly premature.

Dr.

New Book Review Published

on Mon, 02/29/2016 - 18:10

The Michigan War Studies Review (MiWSR) has just published my latest book review. It is of David Stahel's The Battle for Moscow, and unfortunately it is a work that I cannot recommend. This is only the second time I have had to publish a negative review with the MiWSR. Readers will quickly see why.

It is patently obvious that Stahel's latest work is more interested in pushing an agenda. It does not measure up to the findings of countless other military historians in regards to why Germany failed to take Moscow late in 1941.

New Book Review Published

on Tue, 09/22/2015 - 12:44

The Michigan War Studies Review has published my review of Rolf-Dieter Müller's Enemy in the East: Hitler's Secret Plans to Invade the Soviet Union. This book offers an intriguing look at the origins of German planning for an invasion of the Soviet Union, and the place of Poland in those plans. Anyone interested in this aspect of the war should find this book quite enjoyable.

New Book Review Published

on Thu, 09/03/2015 - 16:40

The Michigan War Studies Review has published my review of Peter Caddick-Adam's Snow and Steel: The Battle of the Bulge, 1944–45. This is quite possibly the best book I have read on the subject, and that is saying something (given the sheer number of studies I have read).

If you are interested in how and why Hitler's final great Western Front offensive was an abject failure then this is the book for you. Finally, if The Battle of the Bulge holds a special place of interest for you then please check out my query regarding one of it's remaining unsolved mysteries.

Why Germany Nearly Won Now 50% Off!

on Sat, 08/01/2015 - 19:48

Good news, I finally convinced my publisher to lower the price of my book for my readers! It's now on sale for $14.97 (plus S&H) which is 50% off the original softcover price of $29.95. This is a special offer for visitors to Globe at War and twitter followers only!

Why Germany Nearly Won has sold well in its various editions - doubtlessly thanks to the many positive reader reviews, professional reviews, and endorsements it has garnered. For that I am grateful. However, one very important group of buyers have been left out in the cold - average WWII fans.

New Book Review Published

on Sun, 06/28/2015 - 15:24

Stephen Barratt's two-volume set Zhitomir-Berdichev (sold separately) should go down as the definitive look from the German side of the hill at the critically important combat operations on Army Group South's left flank during the lead up to the far more famous Battle of the Korsun Pocket.

Another Positive Review of Why Germany Nearly Won

on Fri, 04/10/2015 - 17:08

I am happy to report Why Germany Nearly Won has landed another positive review. This time it comes from Historyofwar.org.

The website's well regarded Second World War historians (website editor Peter Antill has authored three World War II books with Osprey, and his co-editors also have solid credentials) endorsed my work as seen in the following excerpt from their full review:

"Mercatante's main argument is that quality was more important than quantity when attempting to explain the course of the Second World War....Overall I agree with the author's main argument. The Germans were being

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