The Forced War is Prof. David L. Hoggan's tour de force on the origins
and causes of World War II. This is not a polemic, but a well researched
and documented historical work that delves into the hidden diplomatic
background of the outbreak of the Germano-Polish War of 1939, which
Britain for its own purposes turned into World War II. Prof. Hoggan uses
official diplomatic correspondence and reports of the meetings of the
various participants, primarily Great Britain, France, Poland and
National Socialist Germany. He traces the roots of the conflict from
Versailles until the final declaration of War by Great Britain and
France upon Germany and their refusal to enter into peace negotiations
to stop the war which Lord Halifax and the Tories had skillfully
maneuvered Poland into starting with the worthless "Guarantee" given to
Poland to induce her leaders to pursue a hard line against Germany in
the hopes of conquering German territory and reestablishing a Great
Poland as had existed several centuries past. The book is meticulously
footnoted, and while a historical work of great depth and breadth is
both engaging and easy to read. Prof. Hoggan wrote the work in 1961 and
it was originally published in Germany under the title "Der Erzwungene
Krieg" (The Forced War) where it gained kudos from academics and laymen
alike. If the reader is a history buff of World War II, or simply wishes
to know how and why the war happened, this is a book that cannot be
missed.
