Highlights the key decisions and events of World War II in Europe from Allied and Axis perspectives.

World War II was the greatest conflict of the 20th century. Fought on every continent except Antarctica and across every ocean, it was truly a “world war.” Like many other wars, over time it evolved. Modern technology and strategic advancements changed the rules of combat forever, allowing for widespread attacks from the air, the ground, and the sea. The war encompassed the feats of extraordinary heroes and the worst villains imaginable, with thrilling triumphs and heartrending tragedies. Starting with the end of World War I in 1918 and the rise of Hitler, EUROPE IN FLAMES documents the German invasion of Poland in 1939, of Western Europe in 1940, and of the Soviet Union in 1941.

'War,' wrote Cardinal Richelieu, 'is one of the scourges with which it has pleased God to afflict men'. Yet the prelate's mournful observation scarcely begins to encapsulate the full complexity and unspeakable horror of the greatest man-made calamity to befall Europe before the twentieth century. Claiming far more lives proportionately than either the First or Second World Wars, it was a contest involving all the major powers of Europe, in which vast mercenary armies extracted an incalculable toll upon helpless civilian populations as their commanders and the men who equipped them frequently grew rich on the profits. Swedish troops alone are said to have destroyed some 2,000 German castles, 18,000 villages and 1,500 towns, while other vast armies in the pay of Spain, France, the Holy Roman Emperor and a host of pettier princelings brought death to as many as 8 million souls. Rarely has such a perplexing tale been more in need of a new account that is both compelling and informed, and no less comprehensible than comprehensive.

Fall of the low countries and France; Britains's isolation; U.S. and the war; Battle of the Atlandice and Mediterainean; Africa.

Storm clouds gather over Europe. Mistrust and rivalries between nations threaten to break Europe apart from the inside out. As conflicts flood the land, the battlefields of Europe are stained with blood. For thousands of years, the Holy Roman Empire stood as the dominant power in Europe. However, a new threat is arising, a threat that would bring all of Europe to the brink of war. As the world descends into the midst of outright upheaval, civilization begins to crumble. Christians hiding behind walls and gates clamor to repent, stricken by the looming omens of a divine apocalypse. In this time of turmoil, the great city of Rome, remained a safe haven for all. The city had not been besieged for nearly 1,000 years. Until now.