WWII began in 1939 as a European conflict between Germany and an Anglo-French coalition but eventually widened to include most of the nations of the world. It ended in 1945, leaving a new world order dominated by the United States and the USSR. This book features updated and expanded coverage of the fateful D-Day invasion, a critical timeline of major WW II events, and a WW II timeline highlighting the crucial and most important events of the war. It will include details about major battles on land, in the air, and on the sea - starting with Hitler's rise to power and his goal of European conquest; to Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbour; to the decisive battles such as D-Day and the Battle of Midway, which turned the tides of the war toward the Allies.

A guide to learning more about your relatives’ experience serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. In this fully revised edition of Finding Your Father’s War, military historian Jonathan Gawne has written an easily accessible handbook for anyone seeking greater knowledge of their relatives’ experience in World War II, or indeed anyone seeking a better understanding of the U.S. Army during World War II. With over 470 photographs, charts, and an engaging narrative with many rare insights into wartime service, this book is an invaluable tool for understanding our “citizen soldiers,” who once rose as a generation to fight the greatest war in American history. “Jonathan's Gawne’s book is a 5-star blueprint, well-written and beautifully illustrated, to deciphering a loved one’s WW2 U.S. Army service.” —The Commander’s Voice “A great read not only for genealogists wishing to research an ancestor, but also for those who simply have an interest in the United States Army during World War II . . . written so that anyone, even those with no military background, can understand, yet also includes more advanced information . . . detail is phenomenal . . . a must read reference book for any professional genealogist or military historian.” —APG Quarterly

The definitive visual history of the people, politics and events of the epic conflict that shaped the modern world, World War II From the build-up of hostility in the years leading up to the war, through to the reverberations still felt in the aftermath, this is a compelling, accessible and immediate history of perhaps the most complex, frightening and destructive event in global history, World War II. Discover how deep-seated local fears and hatreds escalated into one vast global conflict that was fought out to the bitter end. Find out about key battles, political and economic forces, individual leaders and technological advances that influenced the course of the war. Cross-referencing appears throughout and timelines and global maps establish an overview of each year of the conflict, from the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party to Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima and the D-Day landings. Packed with images, including rarely seen colour photographs and unforgettable first person accounts, World War II is a uniquely accessible account of history's most devastating conflict.

PMH Bell's famous book is a comprehensive study of the period and debates surrounding the European origins of the Second World War. He approaches the subject from three different angles: describing the various explanations that have been offered for the war and the historiographical debates that have arisen from them, analysing the ideological, economic and strategic forces at work in Europe during the 1930s, and tracing the course of events from peace in 1932, via the initial outbreak of hostilities in 1939, through to the climactic German attack on the Soviet Union in 1941 which marked the descent into general conflict. Written in a lucid, accessible style, this is an indispensable guide to the complex origins of the Second World War.

"First published in 1995 as The Oxford companion to the Second World War "--Verso.

Collecting & Preserving WWII History Since the end of World War II, veterans, collectors, and history buffs have bought, sold, and traded the "spoils of war." Souvenir collecting began as soon as troops set foot on foreign soil. Soldiers looked for wartime trinkets and keepsakes to remind them of their time in the service, validate their presence during the making of history, and generate income when they returned home. Today these items help us understand and define a time when almost the entire world was at war. Newly expanded and completely updated, Warman's World War II Collectibles, 3rd edition, is a comprehensive full-color resource on World War II militaria. Illustrated with 1,800 all-new color images, the book is loaded with information and current values for uniforms, footwear, headgear, medals, firearms, bayonets, knives, personal items, accoutrements, and groupings--a new category--from the United States, Germany, England, Japan, the former Soviet Union, and other countries from 1939-1945. • 1,800 all-new color images and thousands of values • History and collector tips • Pros and cons of each collecting area • Availability and price ratings, as well as reproduction alerts • First-person accounts of the war

In WW2 information leaflets and posters proliferated. Soldiers were bombarded with Field Regulations, airmen with the latest updates about airborne early warning, bomb sights and radio navigation and sailors with material that helped them identify enemy aircraft and submarines and told them how to operate the new ship board weapons to destroy them.??An abundance of familiar slogans exhorted the population to do the utmost: 'Go To IT!', 'Come Into The Factories', 'Keep Calm and Carry On', 'Dig For Victory', 'Lend A Hand on the Land', 'Walk When You Can'. Other messages warned of the consequences of irresponsible behaviour: 'Careless Talk Cost Lives', 'Loose Lips Sink Ships', 'Keep It Under Your Hat' and 'Be Like Dad, Keep Mum', the latter illustrating just how much social mores have, thankfully, changed in the last 75 years.??This book is concerned with the plethora of printed ephemera that was designed to educate, instruct, inform and entertain. Such original material can still be bought and is easy to store ‰ÛÒ the posters also often making attractive items for display ‰ÛÒ but as with all other authentic historical material supply is finite and examples of wartime publications in first class condition command a high price. This is the first time a single volume has been dedicated entirely to a long overlooked component of wartime collectables. It is designed to complement books which focus on traditional militaria such as uniforms, equipment and regalia and is intended to reveal just how much material was produced, across the board, by each of the warring nations. It will advise enthusiasts about what was produced, what is still available and where to find it and, importantly, how to conserve and store such vintage printed items.