An overview of the World War II by two noted scholars, A War to be Won attempts to synthesize current scholarship on the war. They are generally successful, though the chapters dealing with pre-war diplomatic developments are unsatisfactory. For example, their assumption that the democracies would have won a war against Germany in 1938 over the Sudetenland is not generally accepted. Other flaws include a total failure to mention the Italian role in Rommel’s desert victories, and rather charitable view of Hirohito’s role in the war.