Synopses & Reviews
Highly regarded for its concise clarification of the complexities of World War II, the book illuminates the origins, course, and long-range effects of the war and provides a balanced account that analyzes both the European and Pacific theaters of operations and the connections between them. The Fifth Edition incorporates new material from the latest scholarship, offering modified conclusions on key topics and expanding coverage throughout. The author examines the origins of World War II, the legacy of World War I, the rise of the dictators, the road to war, Germany's march of conquest, globalization of the war, the question of the second front and the invasion of North America, war in the Atlantic, the allied bombing offensive, the home fronts, and the triumph of the Allies. For World War II courses.
Synopsis
For courses on World War II, Military History, and 20th Century Europe.
Highly regarded for its concise clarification of the complexities of World War II, this book illuminates the origins, course, and long-range effects of the war. It provides a balanced account that analyzes both the European and Pacific theaters of operations and the connections between them. The Fifth Edition incorporates new material based on the latest scholarship, offering updated conclusions on key topics and expanded coverage throughout.
Table of Contents
Preface.
I. THE ORIGINS OF WORLD WAR II.
1. World War I: The Great Turning Point.
2. The Legacy of World War I.
3. The Rise of the Dictators.
4. The Road to War.
II. GERMANY'S MARCH OF CONQUEST.
5. Blitzkrieg in the East, Sitzkrieg in the West.
6. Complications in the North: Finland, Denmark, Norway.
7. The Fall of France.
8. Britain Is Still an Island.
9. The Plot Thickens: The Mediterranean and the Balkans.
III. THE WAR BECOMES GLOBAL.
10. Operation Barbarossa: Dream of Lebensraum.
11. Hitler's New Order in Europe.
12. America Enters the War.
13. Japan Triumphant, December 1941-May 1942.
IV. THE TIDE TURNS.
14. The Struggle for the Initiative in the Pacific.
15. America Gains the Initiative in the Pacific.
16. The Tide Turns in Russia: Stalingrad and Beyond.
17. The Tide Turns in North Africa: El Alamein to Tunisia
18. Probing the Underbelly: Sicily and Italy.
19. War in the Atlantic.
20. Target Germany: The Allied Bombing Offensive.
21. Total War and the Home Fronts.
V. THE TRIUMPH OF THE ALLIES.
22. Cross-Channel Invasion at Last: D Day to the German Border.
23. The End of the Thousand-Year Reich.
24. War on the Periphery: China, Burma, India.
25. The Collapse of Japan.
Aftermath.
Additional Reading.
Index.