David Downing has written a history in which he argues that over the course of 22 days, beginning Nov. 17, 1941, events in North Africa, Russia and Japan established the foundation for the Allied victory in World War II.

On that day a heretofore invincible group of German armies unleashed a major offensive aimed at capturing Moscow, a scant 55 miles away. At the same time, German Gen. Erwin Rommel began his long-planned assault on Tobruk, the stubborn British enclave in North Africa.

In Tokyo, the last group of ships departed for remote Hitokappu Bay in northern Japan, the assembly point of the massive Japanese fleet that would attack Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7.

Each day of Downing's critical three weeks is represented by a chapter chronicling the events in these three theaters of operation, and where appropriate, the geopolitical, military and economic status of one or more of the combatants is included for clarification, background and justification for a country's reaction to a particular event.

The German army's grim logistical status was its Achilles' heel.

In Russia and North Africa, the lack of fuel, tanks, adequate air cover, plus sub-zero temperatures in the former portended a failure that was exacerbated by Hitler's daily interference. While not winning any battles, the British stopped Rommel's assault, causing him to lose so many troops and material that he never recovered. The unexpected Soviet counterattack on Dec. 8 put the Germans on the defensive for the remainder of the war.

The author maintains that the attack on Pearl Harbor was Japan's high-water mark, ignoring the fact that they were able to significantly extend their conquest for another six months. Their death spiral did not begin until they were defeated by the U.S. Navy at Midway in early June 1942.

However, Downing does emphasize that many Japanese high ranking military and political officials, including Yamamoto, the architect of the Pearl Harbor attack, knew that their cause was risky -- that their only hope was for a short war leading to an honorable peace and U.S. economic concessions.

The history is accurate, and the author's fine sense of prose makes this an enjoyable and interesting read, but it breaks no new ground. I recommend it because of its excellent presentation of three disparate but key historical events that constitute a portion of the totality of WWII's history.

Downing doesn't convince me that the events of these three weeks were the linchpin that sealed the Axis fate. Arguably, a case could also be made that the Royal Air Force accomplished this by defeating the Luftwaffe in September 1940, thereby forcing Hitler to cancel the invasion of Britain.

But I split hairs -- it's still a good book.

Tom Jones is a telephone company retiree who majored in European history at Randolph-Macon College.