The Second World War

A magisterial, single-volume history of the greatest conflict the world has ever known by our foremost military historian. The Second World War began in August 1939 on the edge of Manchuria and concluded six years later with the Soviet invasion of northern China. The war in Europe seemed disconnected from the Pacific and China, yet events on opposite sides of the globe profoundly influenced each other. Utilizing the latest scholarship and research, Beevor presents a gripping narrative that spans from the North Atlantic to the South Pacific, covering diverse terrains such as snowbound steppes, North African deserts, and Burmese jungles. He delves into the actions of SS Einsatzgruppen, Gulag prisoners in punishment battalions, and the horrific cruelties of the Sino-Japanese War. The moral choices faced by leaders and ordinary people during this period create a rich tapestry of human drama, revealing examples of tragedy, power corruption, ideological hypocrisy, and moments of both cruelty and kindness. While depicting the grand scale of the conflict, Beevor never loses sight of the ordinary soldiers and civilians whose lives were devastated by the immense forces unleashed in this, the most terrible war in history. The beautifully produced hardback edition includes an embossed jacket, 53 black-and-white photographs, and 25 maps.