Synopses & Reviews
In the first volume of his monumental trilogy about the liberation of Europe in WW II, Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson tells the riveting story of the war in North AfricaThe liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of courage and enduring triumph, of calamity and miscalculation. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern reader can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943. That first year of the Allied war was a pivotal point in American history, the moment when the United States began to act like a great power.
Beginning with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, An Army at Dawn follows the American and British armies as they fight the French in Morocco and Algeria, and then take on the Germans and Italians in Tunisia. Battle by battle, an inexperienced and sometimes poorly led army gradually becomes a superb fighting force. Central to the tale are the extraordinary but fallible commanders who come to dominate the battlefield: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, and Rommel.
Brilliantly researched, rich with new material and vivid insights, Atkinson's narrative provides the definitive history of the war in North Africa. Rick Atkinson was a staff writer and senior editor at The Washington Post for more than twenty years. He is the bestselling author of The Day of Battle, An Army at Dawn, In the Company of Soldiers, and Crusade. His many awards include the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing and Pulitzer Prizes for journalism and history. He lives in Washington, D.C. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
In the first volume of his monumental trilogy about the liberation of Europe in WWII, Pulitzer Prize-winner Rick Atkinson tells the story of the war in North Africa. Atkinson's narrative begins on the eve of Operation TORCH, the amphibious invasion of Morocco and Algeria. After three days of fighting against the French, American and British troops pushed deeper into North Africa. But the confidence gained after several early victories soon waned; once Allied forces engaged the Germans, it became apparent that they had more than met their match. Casualties mounted rapidly, battle plans proved ineffectual, and hope for a quick and decisive victory evaporated.
Most of the West's great battle captains emerged in North Africa, including men whose names remain familiar generations laterEisenhower, Patton, Bradley, and Montgomery. Atkinson brings these commanders and others vividly to life, along with enemy generals such as Rommel and Kesselring. He also takes us right to the front lines of every major battlefrom Oran to Kasserine to Tunisand his accounts of soldiers fighting and dying make the war horrifyingly real. Gradually, we come to understand the profound accomplishments of this bloody campaign. In North Africa, the Allied coalition came into its own, the enemy forever lost the initiative, and the United Statesfor the first timebegan to act like a great power. "Exceptional . . . A work strong in narrative flow and character portraits of the principle commanders . . . [A] highly pleasurable read."The New York Times Book Review
"A master of the telling profile . . . This vivid, personality-driven account of the campaign to drive Axis forces from North Africa shows the political side of waging war, even at the tactical level."Chicago Tribune
In his gripping An Army at Dawn, Rick Atkinson skilfully chronicles . . . the invasion of North Africa in World War II . . . [This is] the first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, in which Mr. Atkinson intends to tell the entire story of the U.S. armed forces in the European theatre. Based on this book, he is off to a rip-roaring start. An Army at Dawn may be the best World War II battle narrative since Cornelius Ryans classics, The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far.”Max Boot, The Wall Street Journal
"A book that stands shoulder to shoulder with the other major books about the war, such as the fine writing of Cornelius Ryan and John Keegan."Associated Press
Atkinsons book is eminently friendly and readable, but without compromising normal standards of accuracy and objectivity. More than a military history, it is a social and psychological inquiry as well. His account of the Kasserine Pass disaster is alone worth the price of the book and stands as an exciting preview of the rich volumes to come. I heartily recommend this human, sensitive, unpretentious work.”Paul Fussell, author of Doing Battle and Wartime
This is a wonderful bookpopular history at its best. It is impressively researched and superbly written, and it brings to life in full detail one of the vitally important but relatively forgotten campaigns of World War II. What Bruce Catton and Shelby Foote did for the Civil War in their trilogies, Rick Atkinson is doing for World War II in the European Theater.”Professor Mark A. Stoler, author of Allies and Adversaries
One of the most compelling pieces of military history I've ever read, An Army at Dawn will become a military history and strategy studies classic. Atkinson writes with incredible insight and mastery of the details, and he is always mindful of the larger picture. He goes from the highest political levels to the deepest foxhole without missing a beat. This is history at its finest.”Gen. Wesley K. Clark, U.S.A. (ret.), former NATO supreme commander
"Rick Atkinson has done a beautiful job of research and writing in An Army at Dawn. This is the North African campaignwarts, snafus, feuding allies, incompetenceunvarnished. It whets my appetite for the rest of the Liberation Trilogy Atkinson has promised us."Joseph L. Galloway, co-author of We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young
"A splendid book . . . The emphasis throughout is on the human drama of men at war."The Washington Post Book World
"A masterpiece. Rick Atkinson strikes the right balance between minor tactical engagements and high strategic direction, and he brings soldiers at every level to life, from private to general. An Army at Dawn is history with a soldier's face."General Gordon R. Sullivan, U.S.A. (ret.), former Army chief of staff
For sheer drama, the Tunisian campaign far overshadowed any other phase of the Second World War. Rick Atkinson has told the story with zest and brutal realism. His account will be a monument among accounts of World War II.”John S. D. Eisenhower, author of Allies and The Bitter Woods
An Army At Dawn is an absolute masterpiece. Atkinson conveys both the human drama and historical significance of this campaign with a power and intensity that is nothing short of electrifying. This book is storytellingand historyat its most riveting.”Andrew Carroll, editor of War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars
"Rick Atkinson combines meticulous research and attention to detail with an extraordinary ability to tell a story. It is a rich and powerful narrative which is certain to become a classic."Ronald Spector, author of At War At Sea and Eagle Against the Sun
"Atkinsons An Army at Dawn is a superb account of the Allied invasion of North Africa. From the foxhole to Eisenhowers supreme headquarters, Atkinson has captured the essence of war in one of the most neglected campaigns of World War II."Carlo D'Este, author of Patton and Eisenhower
"Atkinson's writing is lucid, vivid . . . Among the many pleasures of an Army at Dawn are the carefully placed detailsshells that whistle into the water with a smoky hiss; a colonel with 'slicked hair and a wolfish mustache'; a man dying before he can fire the pistols strapped in his holster."Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"What distinguishes his narrative is the way he fuses the generals' war . . . with the experiences of front-line combat soldiers."Raleigh News & Observer
"Brilliant . . . This is history and war in the hands of a gifted and unflinching writer."The Kansas City Star
"The most thorough and satisfying history yet of the campaigns in North Africa . . . Given his success with modern military history, the penetrating historical insights Atkinson brings to bear on America's 1942-43 invasion of the North African coast are not surprising."Kirkus Reviews
"Atkinson, author of the best-selling The Long Grey Line (1989), a chronicle of the West Point class of 1966, here debuts an ambitious three-volume saga about the North African and European theaters of World War II. This first volume covers the conception of Operation Torch through the German surrender in Tunisia in May 1943 and reveals the author's skill in balancing big-picture strategizing with unit-level tactical fighting . . . The ground of every battle is precisely assessed, with the author apprising readers of how often the experienced German army was superior to the green American army in exploiting hills and roads. Having personally tramped over the battlefields in Morocco and Tunisia, Atkinson incorporates their lookthe mud, the dust, and the cactus. An exemplary work that feeds anticipation of the succeeding volumes."Gilbert Taylor, Booklist
"Atkinson here offers the initial volume in a trilogy concerning the liberation of Europe during World War II. The invasion of North Africa was the first joint military operation conducted by the Allies, and it influenced many future decisions. Using battlefield reports and archival material, Atkinson tells a fascinating story of the North African campaign that is hard to stop reading, even though one knows the outcome. He includes the perfect combination of biographical information and tactical considerations, and eyewitness accounts give readers an idea of what the average soldier must have endured."Mark Ellis, Albany State University Library, Georgia, Library Journal
Review
"A splendid book... The emphasis throughout is on the human drama of men at war."—
The Washington Post Book World"Exceptional... A work strong in narrative flow and character portraits of the principle commanders... A highly pleasurable read."—The New York Times Book Review
"A master of the telling profile... This vivid, personality-driven account of the campaign to drive Axis forces from North Africa shows the political side of waging war, even at the tactical level."—Chicago Tribune
“In his gripping An Army at Dawn, Rick Atkinson skilfully chronicles... the invasion of North Africa in World War II... [This is] the first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, in which Mr. Atkinson intends to tell the entire story of the U.S. armed forces in the European theatre. Based on this book, he is off to a rip-roaring start. An Army at Dawn may be the best World War II battle narrative since Cornelius Ryans classics, The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far.”—Max Boot, The Wall Street Journal
"A book that stands shoulder to shoulder with the other major books about the war, such as the fine writing of Cornelius Ryan and John Keegan."—Associated Press
“Atkinsons book is eminently friendly and readable, but without compromising normal standards of accuracy and objectivity. More than a military history, it is a social and psychological inquiry as well. His account of the Kasserine Pass disaster is alone worth the price of the book and stands as an exciting preview of the rich volumes to come. I heartily recommend this human, sensitive, unpretentious work.”—Paul Fussell, author of Doing Battle and Wartime
“This is a wonderful book—popular history at its best. It is impressively researched and superbly written, and it brings to life in full detail one of the vitally important but relatively ‘forgotten campaigns of World War II. What Bruce Catton and Shelby Foote did for the Civil War in their trilogies, Rick Atkinson is doing for World War II in the European Theater.”—Professor Mark A. Stoler, author of Allies and Adversaries
“One of the most compelling pieces of military history I've ever read, An Army at Dawn will become a military history and strategy studies classic. Atkinson writes with incredible insight and mastery of the details, and he is always mindful of the larger picture. He goes from the highest political levels to the deepest foxhole without missing a beat. This is history at its finest.”—Gen. Wesley K. Clark, U.S.A. (ret.), former NATO supreme commander
"Rick Atkinson has done a beautiful job of research and writing in An Army at Dawn. This is the North African campaign—warts, snafus, feuding allies, incompetence—unvarnished. It whets my appetite for the rest of the Liberation Trilogy Atkinson has promised us."—Joseph L. Galloway, co-author of We Were Soldiers Once... and Young
"A masterpiece. Rick Atkinson strikes the right balance between minor tactical engagements and high strategic direction, and he brings soldiers at every level to life, from private to general. An Army at Dawn is history with a soldier's face."—General Gordon R. Sullivan, U.S.A. (ret.), former Army chief of staff
“For sheer drama, the Tunisian campaign far overshadowed any other phase of the Second World War. Rick Atkinson has told the story with zest and brutal realism. His account will be a monument among accounts of World War II.”—John S. D. Eisenhower, author of Allies and The Bitter Woods
“An Army At Dawn is an absolute masterpiece. Atkinson conveys both the human drama and historical significance of this campaign with a power and intensity that is nothing short of electrifying. This book is storytelling—and history—at its most riveting.”—Andrew Carroll, editor of War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars
"Rick Atkinson combines meticulous research and attention to detail with an extraordinary ability to tell a story. It is a rich and powerful narrative which is certain to become a classic."—Ronald Spector, author of At War At Sea and Eagle Against the Sun
"Atkinsons An Army at Dawn is a superb account of the Allied invasion of North Africa. From the foxhole to Eisenhowers supreme headquarters, Atkinson has captured the essence of war in one of the most neglected campaigns of World War II."—Carlo D'Este, author of Patton and Eisenhower
"Atkinson's writing is lucid, vivid... Among the many pleasures of an Army at Dawn are the carefully placed details—shells that whistle into the water with a smoky hiss; a colonel with 'slicked hair and a wolfish mustache'; a man dying before he can fire the pistols strapped in his holster."—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"What distinguishes his narrative is the way he fuses the generals' war... with the experiences of front-line combat soldiers."—Raleigh News & Observer
"Brilliant... This is history and war in the hands of a gifted and unflinching writer."—The Kansas City Star
"The most thorough and satisfying history yet of the campaigns in North Africa . . . Given his success with modern military history, the penetrating historical insights Atkinson brings to bear on America's 1942-43 invasion of the North African coast are not surprising."—Kirkus Reviews
"Atkinson, author of the best-selling The Long Grey Line (1989), a chronicle of the West Point class of 1966, here debuts an ambitious three-volume saga about the North African and European theaters of World War II. This first volume covers the conception of Operation Torch through the German surrender in Tunisia in May 1943 and reveals the author's skill in balancing big-picture strategizing with unit-level tactical fighting... The ground of every battle is precisely assessed, with the author apprising readers of how often the experienced German army was superior to the green American army in exploiting hills and roads. Having personally tramped over the battlefields in Morocco and Tunisia, Atkinson incorporates their look—the mud, the dust, and the cactus. An exemplary work that feeds anticipation of the succeeding volumes."—Gilbert Taylor, Booklist
"Atkinson here offers the initial volume in a trilogy concerning the liberation of Europe during World War II. The invasion of North Africa was the first joint military operation conducted by the Allies, and it influenced many future decisions. Using battlefield reports and archival material, Atkinson tells a fascinating story of the North African campaign that is hard to stop reading, even though one knows the outcome. He includes the perfect combination of biographical information and tactical considerations, and eyewitness accounts give readers an idea of what the average soldier must have endured."—Mark Ellis, Albany State University Library, Georgia, Library Journal
Review
"A splendid book... The emphasis throughout is on the human drama of men at war."—
The Washington Post Book World"Exceptional... A work strong in narrative flow and character portraits of the principle commanders... [A] highly pleasurable read."—The New York Times Book Review
"A master of the telling profile... This vivid, personality-driven account of the campaign to drive Axis forces from North Africa shows the political side of waging war, even at the tactical level."—Chicago Tribune
“In his gripping An Army at Dawn, Rick Atkinson skilfully chronicles... the invasion of North Africa in World War II... [This is] the first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, in which Mr. Atkinson intends to tell the entire story of the U.S. armed forces in the European theatre. Based on this book, he is off to a rip-roaring start. An Army at Dawn may be the best World War II battle narrative since Cornelius Ryans classics, The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far.”—Max Boot, The Wall Street Journal
"A book that stands shoulder to shoulder with the other major books about the war, such as the fine writing of Cornelius Ryan and John Keegan."—Associated Press
“Atkinsons book is eminently friendly and readable, but without compromising normal standards of accuracy and objectivity. More than a military history, it is a social and psychological inquiry as well. His account of the Kasserine Pass disaster is alone worth the price of the book and stands as an exciting preview of the rich volumes to come. I heartily recommend this human, sensitive, unpretentious work.”—Paul Fussell, author of Doing Battle and Wartime
“This is a wonderful book—popular history at its best. It is impressively researched and superbly written, and it brings to life in full detail one of the vitally important but relatively ‘forgotten campaigns of World War II. What Bruce Catton and Shelby Foote did for the Civil War in their trilogies, Rick Atkinson is doing for World War II in the European Theater.”—Professor Mark A. Stoler, author of Allies and Adversaries
“One of the most compelling pieces of military history I've ever read, An Army at Dawn will become a military history and strategy studies classic. Atkinson writes with incredible insight and mastery of the details, and he is always mindful of the larger picture. He goes from the highest political levels to the deepest foxhole without missing a beat. This is history at its finest.”—Gen. Wesley K. Clark, U.S.A. (ret.), former NATO supreme commander
"Rick Atkinson has done a beautiful job of research and writing in An Army at Dawn. This is the North African campaign—warts, snafus, feuding allies, incompetence—unvarnished. It whets my appetite for the rest of the Liberation Trilogy Atkinson has promised us."—Joseph L. Galloway, co-author of We Were Soldiers Once... and Young
"A masterpiece. Rick Atkinson strikes the right balance between minor tactical engagements and high strategic direction, and he brings soldiers at every level to life, from private to general. An Army at Dawn is history with a soldier's face."—General Gordon R. Sullivan, U.S.A. (ret.), former Army chief of staff
“For sheer drama, the Tunisian campaign far overshadowed any other phase of the Second World War. Rick Atkinson has told the story with zest and brutal realism. His account will be a monument among accounts of World War II.”—John S. D. Eisenhower, author of Allies and The Bitter Woods
“An Army At Dawn is an absolute masterpiece. Atkinson conveys both the human drama and historical significance of this campaign with a power and intensity that is nothing short of electrifying. This book is storytelling—and history—at its most riveting.”—Andrew Carroll, editor of War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars
"Rick Atkinson combines meticulous research and attention to detail with an extraordinary ability to tell a story. It is a rich and powerful narrative which is certain to become a classic."—Ronald Spector, author of At War At Sea and Eagle Against the Sun
"Atkinsons An Army at Dawn is a superb account of the Allied invasion of North Africa. From the foxhole to Eisenhowers supreme headquarters, Atkinson has captured the essence of war in one of the most neglected campaigns of World War II."—Carlo D'Este, author of Patton and Eisenhower
"Atkinson's writing is lucid, vivid... Among the many pleasures of an Army at Dawn are the carefully placed details—shells that whistle into the water with a smoky hiss; a colonel with 'slicked hair and a wolfish mustache'; a man dying before he can fire the pistols strapped in his holster."—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"What distinguishes his narrative is the way he fuses the generals' war... with the experiences of front-line combat soldiers."—Raleigh News & Observer
"Brilliant... This is history and war in the hands of a gifted and unflinching writer."—The Kansas City Star
"The most thorough and satisfying history yet of the campaigns in North Africa . . . Given his success with modern military history, the penetrating historical insights Atkinson brings to bear on America's 1942-43 invasion of the North African coast are not surprising."—Kirkus Reviews
"Atkinson, author of the best-selling The Long Grey Line (1989), a chronicle of the West Point class of 1966, here debuts an ambitious three-volume saga about the North African and European theaters of World War II. This first volume covers the conception of Operation Torch through the German surrender in Tunisia in May 1943 and reveals the author's skill in balancing big-picture strategizing with unit-level tactical fighting... The ground of every battle is precisely assessed, with the author apprising readers of how often the experienced German army was superior to the green American army in exploiting hills and roads. Having personally tramped over the battlefields in Morocco and Tunisia, Atkinson incorporates their look—the mud, the dust, and the cactus. An exemplary work that feeds anticipation of the succeeding volumes."—Gilbert Taylor, Booklist
"Atkinson here offers the initial volume in a trilogy concerning the liberation of Europe during World War II. The invasion of North Africa was the first joint military operation conducted by the Allies, and it influenced many future decisions. Using battlefield reports and archival material, Atkinson tells a fascinating story of the North African campaign that is hard to stop reading, even though one knows the outcome. He includes the perfect combination of biographical information and tactical considerations, and eyewitness accounts give readers an idea of what the average soldier must have endured."—Mark Ellis, Albany State University Library, Georgia, Library Journal
Review
"Rana Mitterand#8217;s brilliant new book, Forgotten Ally: Chinaand#8217;s War with Japan, 1937-1945, makes an important and moving contribution to the historical record by illuminating the largely forgotten war that took the lives of millions of Chinese, yet ultimately facilitated the rise of modern China." -- Dr. Henry A. Kissinger
and#160;
"Superb." and#8212; New York Times Book Review
and#160;
"Important and compelling . . . Closely examin[es] Beijing's role in the Allied war effort, the heavy and often thankless price paid by the Chinese in their fight against Japan, and the impact of China's wartime traumas on the country's postwar development. . . . Fascinating." and#8212; Wall Street Journal
and#160;
"Powerful . . . Mitter excels . . . in placing China's wartime experience in a robustly international framework. . . . General readers curious to learn more about Chinese history should welcome any new book by Mitter." and#8212; Daily Beast
and#160; "Rana Mitter's history of the Sino-Japanese War . . . is a major contribution to the one aspect of the Second World War of which we know far too little, and should know much more if we are to understand the new superpower today. It is a model of clarity and good writing." and#8212; Antony Beevor, Times (UK) and#160;
"Restor[es] a vital part of the wartime narrative to its rightful place. . . . A remarkable story, told with humanity and intelligence; all historians of the second world war will be in Mitterand#8217;s debt. . . . No one could ask for a better guide." - Richard Overy, Guardianand#160; (London)
and#160;
"The best narrative of that long-ago war, whose effects still linger in China today." - Jonathan Mirsky, The Spectatorand#160; (London)
and#160;
"Illuminating and meticulously researched. . . . It is the voice of the Chinese [. . .] that gives the distinctive tone to Mitterand#8217;s narrative. From the diaries of Chiang Kai-shek to those of national journalists and middle-class Chinese fleeing the conflict, these first-person observations are woven skillfully into his chronicle of the battles and struggles."and#160; -The Economist
and#160; "Forgotten Ally is a breathtaking chronicle of Chinaand#8217;s war with Japan from 1937 to 1945, a major theater of World War II whose story most Western readers have never heard in full -- certainly not as Mitter interprets it here. Authoritative and epic, pulsing with life, this is a grand vision of Chinaand#8217;s transformation through the cataclysm of war in the twentieth century." -- Stephen R. Platt, author of Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom and#160; "Gripping...He shows that...the east Asian conflict shaped both the outcomes of the second world war and the development of the postwar world." - The Observer and#160;
"An important, timely contribution to shedding light where there is currently much darkness... Mitter and#8217;s book demonstrates why to this day the Chinese view Japan with such animosity." -- The Financial Times
and#160;
"Mitter has done an important service both in pulling together the complex narrative threads of this period and in reminding readers of Chinaand#8217;s vital and largely neglected contribution to the Allied war effort... Mitterand#8217;s excellent history tells us why we need to remember it." -- The New Statesman
and#160; "Rana Mitter has written a masterly account of the war, which blends wide deep scholarship with an accessible narrative...Mitter's great achievement is to have encompassed a multi-faceted story in a readable, coherent and gripping manner" - Jonathan Fenby, The Times and#160; "This monumental new work by Oxford University professor Rana Mitter magisterially surveys this conflict, the broader repercussions of which still resonate across East Asia." -- South China Morning Post and#160; "For decades, argues Rana Mitter in his superb new book, western readers have known too little about China's suffering....Mitter offers a lucid and moving account of the conflict's staggering military tragedies. But it is also a first-rate political and social history if China's wartime years....Mitter's elegant, rigorous and balanced account is an ideal guide to traumas that continue to cast a long shadow over the region." -- TheTelegraph and#160; "This gripping political history not only provides a detailed scholarly account of the Sino-Japanese War but also, in a prologue, offers an admirably succinct introduction to the political history of China in the first half of the twentieth century . . . A story of heroic and determined resistance . . . enlivened by extracts from the writing of Chinese people who endured the war." -- Delia Davin, Observer (UK) and#160; "A masterly account . . . Blends wide, deep scholarship with an accessible narrative that includes an admirable focus on [the warand#8217;s] effects on ordinary people . . . Mitterand#8217;s great achievement is to have encompassed a multi-faceted story in a readable, coherent, and gripping manner that should rescue this horrific conflict from the neglect it has suffered in the West and explain why history lives on in East Asia." -- Jonathan Fenby, Times (UK) "Mitterand#8217;s narrative and#233;lan, in the manner of David McCullough, creates a complex history that is urgently alive. An important, well-told tale of China at war." -- Kirkus "An important and compelling history of China's World War II experience...Mr. Mitter's book gives China its historical due." -- The Wall Street Journal
"Mitter gathers a generation of research and debate to weave new insights into a sweeping panorama...This is cutting-edge history, and thereand#8217;s scarcely a dull page. Highly recommended." -- Library Journal, starred
and#8220;This is the best study of China's war with Japan (1937-1945) written in any language. It is comprehensive, thoroughly researched, and objective. For anyone interested in how China helped shape today's world, this is a must-read.and#8221; and#8212; Akira Iriye, Charles Warren Professor of History (emeritus), Harvard University
"Forgotten Ally...deserves to be read by anyone interested in China, World War II and the future of Chinaand#8217;s relations with the rest of the world...Mitter masterfully constructs these interlocking stories of battles, famines, massacres, diplomacy and intrigue...Excellent book."and#8212; Washington Post
and#160;
"[Mitter] writes with rare objectivity on subjects that remain controversial today, and his illustrations are both poignant and pertinent...Forgotten Ally is must reading for anyone seeking a full perspective on the Pacific war."-- The Washington Times
"Mitter applies historical empathy to yield fresh insights into the situations of all the actors in the horrific conflict that the Chinese call the War of Resistance Against Japan." -- Foreign Affairs
Synopsis
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "A splendid book... The emphasis throughout is on the human drama of men at war."—The Washington Post Book WorldThe liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is an epic story of courage and calamity, of miscalculation and enduring triumph. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern reader can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943.
Opening with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, An Army at Dawn follows the American and British armies as they fight the French in Morocco and Algiers, and then take on the Germans and Italians in Tunisia. Battle by battle, an inexperienced and sometimes poorly led army gradually becomes a superb fighting force. At the center of the tale are the extraordinary but flawed commanders who come to dominate the battlefield: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, and Rommel.
Brilliantly researched, rich with new material and vivid insights, Atkinson's vivid narrative tells the deeply human story of a monumental battle for the future of civilization.
Synopsis
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"A splendid book... The emphasis throughout is on the human drama of men at war." The Washington Post Book World
The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is an epic story of courage and calamity, of miscalculation and enduring triumph. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern reader can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943.
Opening with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, An Army at Dawn follows the American and British armies as they fight the French in Morocco and Algiers, and then take on the Germans and Italians in Tunisia. Battle by battle, an inexperienced and sometimes poorly led army gradually becomes a superb fighting force. At the center of the tale are the extraordinary but flawed commanders who come to dominate the battlefield: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, and Rommel.
Brilliantly researched, rich with new material and vivid insights, Atkinson's vivid narrative tells the deeply human story of a monumental battle for the future of civilization.
"
Synopsis
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
In the first volume of his monumental trilogy about the liberation of Europe in World War II, Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson tells the riveting story of the war in North Africa.
The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of courage and enduring triumph, of calamity and miscalculation. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern reader can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943. That first year of the Allied war was a pivotal point in American history, the moment when the United States began to act like a great power.
Beginning with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, An Army at Dawn follows the American and British armies as they fight the French in Morocco and Algeria, and then take on the Germans and Italians in Tunisia. Battle by battle, an inexperienced and sometimes poorly led army gradually becomes a superb fighting force. Central to the tale are the extraordinary but fallible commanders who come to dominate the battlefield: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, and Rommel.
Brilliantly researched, rich with new material and vivid insights, Atkinson's narrative provides the definitive history of the war in North Africa.
Synopsis
"A splendid book... The emphasis throughout is on the human drama of men at war."—The Washington Post Book WorldIn the first volume of his monumental trilogy about the liberation of Europe in WW II, Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson tells the riveting story of the war in North Africa
The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is an epic story of courage and calamity, of miscalculation and enduring triumph. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern reader can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943.
Opening with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, An Army at Dawn follows the American and British armies as they fight the French in Morocco and Algiers, and then take on the Germans and Italians in Tunisia. Battle by battle, an inexperienced and sometimes poorly led army gradually becomes a superb fighting force. At the center of the tale are the extraordinary but flawed commanders who come to dominate the battlefield: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, and Rommel.
Brilliantly researched, rich with new material and vivid insights, Atkinson's vivid narrative tells the deeply human story of a monumental battle for the future of civilization.
Synopsis
The epic, untold story of Chinaand#8217;s devastating eight-year war of resistance against Japan in World War II.
Synopsis
The epic, untold story of Chinaand#8217;s devastating eight-year war of resistance against JapanFor decades, a major piece of World War II history has gone virtually unwritten. The war began in China, two years before Hitler invaded Poland, and China eventually became the fourth great ally, partner to the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain. Yet its drama of invasion, resistance, slaughter, and political intrigue remains little known in the West.
Rana Mitter focuses his gripping narrative on three towering leaders: Chiang Kai-shek, the politically gifted but tragically flawed head of Chinaand#8217;s Nationalist government; Mao Zedong, the Communistsand#8217; fiery ideological stalwart, seen here at the beginning of his epochal career; and the lesser-known Wang Jingwei, who collaborated with the Japanese to form a puppet state in occupied China. Drawing on Chinese archives that have only been unsealed in the past ten years, he brings to vivid new life such characters as Chiangand#8217;s American chief of staff, the unforgettable and#8220;Vinegar Joeand#8221; Stilwell, and such horrific events as the Rape of Nanking and the bombing of Chinaand#8217;s wartime capital, Chongqing. Throughout, Forgotten Ally shows how the Chinese people played an essential role in the wider war effort, at great political and personal sacrifice.
Forgotten Ally rewrites the entire history of World War II. Yet it also offers surprising insights into contemporary China. No twentieth-century event was as crucial in shaping Chinaand#8217;s worldview, and no one can understand China, and its relationship with America today, without this definitive work.
About the Author
Rick Atkinson, recipient of the 2010 Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing, is the bestselling author of The Day Of Battle, The Long Gray Line, and In the Company of Soldiers. He was a staff writer and senior editor at The Washington Post for twenty years, and his many awards include Pulitzer Prizes for journalism and history. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Table of Contents
Contentsand#8194;ixDramatis Personaeand#8194;xi
Pronunciation Guideand#8194;xiii
Prologue: City on Fireand#8194;1
Part I: The Path to Warand#8194;25
and#160; 1.and#160;As Close as Lips and Teeth: Chinaand#8217;s Fall, Japanand#8217;s Riseand#8194;27
and#160; 2.and#160;A New Revolutionand#8194;43
and#160; 3.and#160;The Path to Confrontationand#8194;56
Part II: Disasterand#8194;77
and#160; 4.and#160;Thirty-seven Days in Summer: The Outbreak of Warand#8194;79
and#160; 5.and#160;The Battle for Shanghaiand#8194;98
and#160; 6.and#160;Refugees and Resistanceand#8194;109
and#160; 7.and#160;Massacre at Nanjingand#8194;124
and#160; 8.and#160;The Battle of Taierzhuangand#8194;145
and#160; 9.and#160;The Deadly Riverand#8194;157
Part III: Resisting Aloneand#8194;171
and#160; 10.and#160;and#8220;A sort of wartime normaland#8221;and#8194;173
and#160; 11.and#160;Flight into the Unknownand#8194;197
and#160; 12.and#160;The Road to Pearl Harborand#8194;211
Part IV: The Poisoned Allianceand#8194;237
and#160; 13.and#160;Destination Burmaand#8194;239
and#160; 14.and#160;Hunger in Henanand#8194;263
and#160; 15.and#160;States of Terrorand#8194;280
and#160; 16.and#160;Conference at Cairoand#8194;296
and#160; 17.and#160;One War, Two Frontsand#8194;315
and#160; 18.and#160;Showdown with Stilwelland#8194;335
and#160; 19.and#160;Unexpected Victoryand#8194;345
Epilogue: The Enduring Warand#8194;365
Notes and#8194;380
Further Readingand#8194;429
Acknowledgmentsand#8194;437
Photo Creditsand#8194;439
Indexand#8194;440