Two Seconds Under the World Book

As a veteran of the Gulf War and a fan of Rick Atkinson's work, I was 24 years late in reading this book. I'm glad I finally did. There was much I learned that I had either forgotten or never knew about what was happening in other parts of the theater, including the two Navy ships that were severely damaged by mines. The accounts of all the friendly fire incidents--more than one quarter of Allied fatalities--were especially sobering. My only criticism is that there seemed to be some baffling omissions; for example, in spite of devoting several chapters to the plight of Col. David Eberly and other American POWs, Atkinson never once mentioned the occasions on which the Iraqis forced POWs to renounce the war on TV, for propaganda purposes. He also, incredibly, failed to mention the Battle of Kuwait International Airport and gave relatively little attention to the combat the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions experienced during their drive into Kuwait.

Still, overall this is a solid work of journalism and well worth reading for anyone wanting to learn more about the war.