Clear, concise yet comprehensive, World War II in Minutes is the quickest way to understand the greatest conflict in human history. From its causes to its aftermath, this book details in 200 mini-essays every key event of the war, including the rise of Hitler, the Dunkirk evacuation, The Battle of Britain, Pearl Harbor, Midway and Iwo Jima, the sieges of Leningrad and Stalingrad, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, D-Day and the fall of Berlin, and much much more. Covers all aspects of World War II: origins and politics; major battles; great leaders; weapons and technology; civilian life and atrocities; turning points and surrenders; and the reverberations of the war through history. Illustrated with 200 contemporary photographs, images and maps. Includes entries on: The Path to War; The Versailles Treaty; The Spanish Civil War; Mussolini and the rise of Fascism; Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, FDR and Joseph Stalin; The Sino-Japanese War; The Blitz; U-boat warfare and Enigma; The Desert War; Operation Barbarossa; The Battle of Moscow; Resistance and collaboration; The Final Solution; Colditz; Coral Sea and Guadalcanal; The Dambusters; The bombing of Dresden; Alamein; Kursk; Montgomery, Zhukov, Rommel and Eisenhower; Operation Overlord; The liberation of Paris; The battle of the Bulge; The Yalta Conference, The Berlin bunker; The battle for Okinawa; Kamikazes; The atomic bomb; Casualties of war; War crimes trials and The Cold War.

In this important and moving true story of reconciliation after war, beautifully illustrated in watercolor, a Japanese pilot bombs the continental U.S. during World War II and comes back 20 years later to apologize. Full color.

The cloud cover had finally begun to clear after 8 days and nights. It was time for action. Both the Allies and the German forces had prepared for what was coming. It was likely to be the turning point of the air battle over Europe. Like most other airmen on both sides of the war, we knew how important our mission was this day. It could very well be the beginning of the end for the Nazi air forces, or it could set back our surge into Germany many months. Such was the mindset of most every member of the air group as we set our sights on the beginning of the most ambitious air assault ever. We were all nervous and afraid yet anxious to take off and do what we had trained for so long. Our ship was brand new and had been tested over and over for any possibility of malfunction. We were ready and so was our ship. Then, the unthinkable happened... The events which followed, set the stage for one of the most mysterious happenings of that day. It was to haunt everyone in the crew for the rest of their lives and change the course of history for all on board.

A "breathtakingly magisterial" account of World War II by America's preeminent military historian (Wall Street Journal) World War II was the most lethal conflict in human history. Never before had a war been fought on so many diverse landscapes and in so many different ways, from rocket attacks in London to jungle fighting in Burma to armor strikes in Libya. The Second World Wars examines how combat unfolded in the air, at sea, and on land to show how distinct conflicts among disparate combatants coalesced into one interconnected global war. Drawing on 3,000 years of military history, bestselling author Victor Davis Hanson argues that despite its novel industrial barbarity, neither the war's origins nor its geography were unusual. Nor was its ultimate outcome surprising. The Axis powers were well prepared to win limited border conflicts, but once they blundered into global war, they had no hope of victory. An authoritative new history of astonishing breadth, The Second World Wars offers a stunning reinterpretation of history's deadliest conflict.

In an intergenerational keepsake volume, witnesses to World War II share their memories with young interviewers so that their experiences will never be forgotten. The Second World War was the most devastating war in history. Up to eighty million people died, and the map of the world was redrawn. More than seventy years after peace was declared, children interviewed family and community members to learn about the war from people who were there, to record their memories before they were lost forever. Now, in a unique collection, RAF pilots, evacuees, resistance fighters, Land Girls, U.S. Navy sailors, and survivors of the Holocaust and the Hiroshima bombing all tell their stories, passing on the lessons learned to a new generation. Featuring many vintage photographs, this moving volume also offers an index of contributors and a glossary.

A bold new history showing that the fear of Communism was a major factor in the outbreak of World War II The Spectre of War looks at a subject we thought we knew—the roots of the Second World War—and upends our assumptions with a masterful new interpretation. Looking beyond traditional explanations based on diplomatic failures or military might, Jonathan Haslam explores the neglected thread connecting them all: the fear of Communism prevalent across continents during the interwar period. Marshalling an array of archival sources, including records from the Communist International, Haslam transforms our understanding of the deep-seated origins of World War II, its conflicts, and its legacy. Haslam offers a panoramic view of Europe and northeast Asia during the 1920s and 1930s, connecting fascism’s emergence with the impact of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. World War I had economically destabilized many nations, and the threat of Communist revolt loomed large in the ensuing social unrest. As Moscow supported Communist efforts in France, Spain, China, and beyond, opponents such as the British feared for the stability of their global empire, and viewed fascism as the only force standing between them and the Communist overthrow of the existing order. The appeasement and political misreading of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy that followed held back the spectre of rebellion—only to usher in the later advent of war. Illuminating ideological differences in the decades before World War II, and the continuous role of pre- and postwar Communism, The Spectre of War provides unprecedented context for one of the most momentous calamities of the twentieth century.

YouTube sensation John D. Ruddy brings history to life with clarity and hilarity in videos that have amassed millions of views around the world. Here, his viral online hit, Manny Man, turns Ireland's tumultuous millennia of history into a fun and easy-to-understand story. Why did the Celts love stealing cows? What was the Norman Invasion, and were they all called Norman? From the Ice Age up to the present day, through the Vikings and Tudors, British rule and the fight for independence, he covers it all - with his tongue in his cheek, of course. The succinct, lively text is complemented by comic, colorful illustrations. So if you want a quick fix of Irish history with lots of fun along the way, then Manny Man is your only man.