Understand the Second World War (Teach Yourself)

✍ Scribed by Alan Farmer

• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 305
• Edition: Reprint edition
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Full of fascinating details and anecdotes, this is an accessible introduction to one of the most important, tragic, and costly events in history Charting the main military campaigns, this book examines the path to Allied victory and its impact on the countries involved. It explores such questions as Why did Hitler declare war on the U.S.? Why did the Allied powers out-produce the Axis powers? Who was the most effective leader? Should American and British strategy have been different? and Should the U.S. have dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? This engaging alternative to traditional textbooks includes discussion of the contemporary significance of the war.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
......Page 1
Book title......Page 2
Contents......Page 4
Meet the author......Page 8
Only got a minute?......Page 9
Only got five minutes?......Page 11
1 The origins......Page 14
The Versailles settlement......Page 15
Troubled peace 1919–33......Page 18
The coming of war 1937–9......Page 24
Conclusion......Page 35
2 Blitzkrieg......Page 38
The conquest of Poland......Page 39
The phoney war......Page 42
The defeat of France......Page 47
Conclusion......Page 56
3 Britain alone......Page 59
The Battle of Britain......Page 60
The search for allies......Page 68
Italy at war......Page 70
The Balkans and the east Mediterranean......Page 74
Conclusion......Page 78
4 Operation Barbarossa......Page 81
Why did Hitler launch Operation Barbarossa?......Page 82
Operation Barbarossa June–July 1941......Page 90
Operation Barbarossa August 1941–January 1942......Page 93
Conclusion......Page 98
5 Pearl Harbor......Page 101
Japanese expansion 1931–9......Page 102
Japanese–American relations......Page 105
US policy 1940–1......Page 106
Pearl Harbor......Page 108
Conclusion......Page 113
Japanese expansion 1941–2......Page 116
The war in North Africa 1941–2......Page 125
The Eastern Front 1942–3......Page 130
Conclusion......Page 136
7 Axis retreat 1943–4......Page 138
North Africa 1943......Page 139
The invasions of Sicily and Italy......Page 142
Russia 1943–4......Page 148
The Pacific 1943–4......Page 154
Conclusion......Page 157
8 Resistance and collaboration......Page 159
Hitler’s ‘New Order’......Page 160
Barbarism in eastern Europe......Page 163
Resistance in Europe......Page 164
The ‘New Order’ in Asia......Page 170
Conclusion......Page 172
9 The Holocaust......Page 174
Nazi treatment of Jews 1933–41......Page 175
Genocide......Page 179
Who was to blame?......Page 186
Conclusion......Page 192
10 War at sea and in the air......Page 194
The Battle of the Atlantic 1939–42......Page 195
Allied victory in the Atlantic 1943–5......Page 199
The strategic bombing of Germany......Page 203
Strategic bombing 1939–42......Page 204
The combined bomber offensive 1943–5......Page 207
Conclusion......Page 211
11 German defeat 1944–5......Page 214
D-Day......Page 215
The Western Front September 1944–January 1945......Page 222
Operation Bagration......Page 225
The end of the Third Reich......Page 228
Conclusion......Page 232
12 The defeat of Japan 1944–5......Page 234
Burma and China 1944–5......Page 235
The Marianas and the Philippines 1944–5......Page 236
Iwo Jima and Okinawa......Page 242
Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Japanese surrender......Page 244
Conclusion......Page 247
13 Why did the Allies win?......Page 249
National morale......Page 250
Resources......Page 252
Technology......Page 258
Intelligence and deception......Page 261
Leadership......Page 263
Co-operation......Page 265
Conclusion......Page 269
14 Consequences......Page 271
The cost of the war......Page 272
Peace (and war)......Page 275
Some results of the war......Page 279
The Axis powers......Page 284
Conclusion......Page 285
Glossary......Page 287
Taking it further......Page 292
Index......Page 297

✦ Subjects

Исторические дисциплины;Всемирная история;История Новейшего времени;Вторая мировая война;