Rolf-Dieter Müller Der letzte deutsche Krieg. 1939-1945 (The Last German War) Verlag Klett-Cotta, March 2005. 400 pp plus illustrations and figures. ISBN 3-608-94133-9 Rolf-Dieter Müller's study of the German Reich and the Second World War is probably the best one-volume survey ever produced by a German historian. Müller works at the Research Institute for Military History (MGFA) in Potsdam and is the author of various acclaimed books on the Second World War, including a monograph published last year in the Gebhardt academic handbook series, which was the first to make extensive use of Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg, the MGFA’s monumental study of Germany and the Second World War, published in nine volumes so far and running to tens of thousands of pages. Now in his latest book, The Last German War, Müller builds on his previous work to produce a comprehensive overview that presents the latest international research in a compact and accessible format. At the core of the book is a clear and strong narrative of the war itself – whether at sea, in the air or on the ground. Concentrating primarily on the European war (there is also an excellent section on the ‘global war’), Müller examines every phase of the conflict, beginning with an analysis of the causes of the war. But where he really excels is in his discussion of the ideological framework within which military and strategic decisions were made, of economic issues and the war economy, and of German society during the war. The racial dimension of the German war effort and the link between the military conflict, large-scale ethnic cleansing and genocide are treated with clarity and sensitivity. This is a German account of the Second World War that is distinguished by its inclusiveness and balanced perspective. The text is further enhanced by the inclusion of forty-four admirably chosen illustrations (including many previously unpublished photographs), four statistical tables and nine maps, and by the helpful addition of a detailed chronology. It is difficult to think of an English-language work to compare with Müller’s study. Even in the vast and constantly growing literature on the Second World War his book will stand out as an authoritative guide.