Julian

The comments in the review by 'Mick' are somewhat limited in their perspective: as any true military historian will tell you, the Russians won the war on the Eastern Front - they lost the most men, they fought the cream of the German army and their contribution to the defeat of Hitler was crucial to victory. The Eastern Fornt, in the Second World War, was the equivalent of the Western Front in the First World War - the main enemy fought on the main front. You don't have to like the Russians, or be a Stalinist sympathiser to appreciate this, nor does this belittle the contribution of the Western allies, it's just a clear facing of facts. Andrew Marr's series are those of a journalist, rather than a historian, and should be seen for what they are: a good overview and an entertaining way to spend a few hours. Would I cite the programmes (or the books, which are even better) if I were writing a doctoral thesis? No, but as a layman's guide they are both accessible and fa ctually accurate. Let's keep it in perspective - he's hardly David Irving!