The Complete Idiot's Guide to World War II

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ISBN: 9780028627359 | 0028627350
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 10/1/1998

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You're no idiot, of course. You know World War II was the "Good War," when America joined its allies to rid the world of evil. But when it comes to understanding the war and its impact, you feel like you're lost behind enemy lines. Don't surrender yet! From Hitler and Stalin to Roosevelt and Churchill, The Complete Idiot's Guide to World War II arms you with the facts on this vital piece of world history, In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get comprehensive information on:

Part 1: Dark Clouds Form Over Europe

(66)

1 Past Is Prologue Ignoring the lessons of World War I, the world will fight a new war more destructive than any before.

(10)

2 The War That Didn't End All Wars The Great War was not the end of all wars, but a stimulus to an even wider war, with Germany trying to avenge the humiliation of Versailles.

(16)

3 The Little Artist Seeks a Bigger Canvas All Adolf Hitler wanted was to be an artist, but instead he became the most demonic tyrant of this or perhaps any century.

(14)

4 The Bell Tolls for War Germany, Italy, and Japan all build war machines and look to build empires while Spain dissolves into civil war.

(10)

5 Peace in Whose Time? Hitler begins to threaten his neighbors, and the appeasement of Munich fails to satisfy his appetite for conquest. Germany "unites" with Austria and overruns Czechoslovakia while the Allies watch.

(14)

Part 2: Blitzkrieg

(62)

6 Goose-Stepping Across Europe The German blitzkrieg overwhelms Poland, forcing Britain and France to realize that war is the only way to stop Hitler.

(10)

7 The Not So Phony War German U-boats wreak havoc on shipping in the Atlantic while German land forces march through the Low Countries and take France. The Allied evacuation of Dunkirk saves their troops to fight another day.

(16)

8 Puttin' on the Brits Germany blitzes England in preparation for an invasion. The United States takes a step closer to joining the fight by providing massive amounts of aid to Britain.

(10)

9 America Inches Closer to the Spreading War The United States begins to re-arm and offers Lend-Lease to the besieged British. Hitler's troops, meanwhile, overrun much of the Mediterranean.

105

(10)

10 Adolf Turns on Joe Hitler invades Russia to create "living space" for Germany. The failure to subdue the British, however, means he will have to fight on more than one front.

115

(14)

Part 3: The Yanks Are Coming!

129

(62)

11 The Day of Infamy Arrives Japan decides to seize territories that can provide the resources it needs, attacking Pearl Harbor and provoking America's entrance into the war.

131

(12)

12 War in the Pacific The Japanese rapidly conquer most of the Pacific and parts of Asia, but U.S. troops begin to fight back, winning a decisive naval battle at Midway.

143

(14)

13 We're Coming for You, Adolf Roosevelt and Churchill coordinate the Allied strategy for winning the war in Europe. The United States begins to fight in North Africa while Britain bombs Germany. The Russians hold fast and blunt the German offensive in the East.

157

(14)

14 America at War The United States mobilizes all of its resources for war, especially women. Journalists' reports are censored, but still capture the essence of the war, while Hollywood glorifies it.

171

(20)

Part 4: Allies Kick Axis

191

(48)

15 The Axis Goes in Reverse The Allies demand unconditional surrender and win the Battle of the Atlantic. American and British bombers raid Germany. U.S. forces begin to recapture Pacific islands, but the cost is high.

193

(12)

16 Taking the War to Hitler Allied troops drive the Germans and Italians out of Africa and then invade Sicily and Italy.

205

(12)

17 The Eastern Front Falls Back Hitler's allies urge him to make peace with Russia, but he refuses. The "Big Three" meet for the first time to discuss a common strategy to defeat Germany and Japan.

217

(10)

18 Pacific Island-Hopping China becomes a major battleground while U.S. forces continue their march toward Japan. The Japanese introduce a terrifying new weapon, the kamikaze.

227

(12)

Part 5: Let Freedom Ring

239

(78)

19 Invasion! As preparations are made for a cross-Channel invasion, Hitler launches the first of his rockets on London as bombs rain on Berlin. The largest amphibious assault takes place at Normandy on D day.

241

(16)

20 For You the War Is Over Thousands of soldiers are taken prisoner. Most survive captivity in German prison camps, but some are killed or sent to concentration camps and executed. In the Pacific, Japanese atrocities are common.

257

(16)

21 Hitler Cheats Death The Allies break through toward the German frontier. Hitler survives an assassination attempt and launches one last great offensive in the Battle of the Bulge.

273

(14)

22 Victory in Europe The Allies defeat Germany after firebombing Dresden and laying siege to Berlin. Hitler commits suicide, and Mussolini is murdered. At Yalta, the "Big Three" discuss the postwar world and finishing off Japan.

287

(12)

23 The Red Sun Sets Japanese soldiers fight to the last in increasingly bloody battles for key Pacific islands. Roosevelt okays the Manhattan Project to build an atomic bomb, which Truman decides to use to end the war. World War II ends.

299

(18)

Part 6: The Smoke Clears, and the Reckoning Begins

317

(48)

24 Night and Fog Hitler's systematic campaign to exterminate the Jewish people, the "Final Solution," murders 6 million Jews. As part of his monstrous policies, 6 million other people are also murdered.

319

(16)

25 Liberators, Rescuers, and Avengers The horrors of the concentration camps become public knowledge as they are overrun by Allied troops. The perpetrators are tried as war criminals, and a handful of righteous persons are recognized for their heroism.

335

(16)

26 Freedom's Heavy Price The human, economic, and psychological cost of the war is staggering; the United States provides aid to fuel the recovery of Japan and Western Europe. The Soviet Union erects the Iron Curtain, and the Cold War and nuclear arms race begin. The United Nations is created to resolve disputes without bloodshed.

351

(14)

Appendices

365

(14)

A Roll Call Statistics on the number of civilian and military deaths for each of the combatants in the war.

365

(2)

B Victims of the Holocaust The number of Jews from each country killed by the Germans.

367

(2)

C GI Jargon A World War II glossary.

369

(4)

D Recommended Reading A select list of books on World War II.

373

(6)

Index

379

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The Complete Idiot's Guide to World War II

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials