The period from 1939 to 1945 saw some of the most devastating and
remarkable events in living memory. Laboring beneath a daily burden of
fear, sacrifice, deprivation and uncertainty, soldiers and civilians of
all nationalities were driven to extremes of selfless loyalty, dogged
determination or bitter cruelty by the demands of a world at war.
This book tells the stories of the men and women who lived and died
during the Second World War, from politicians to factory workers, and
from High Command to the conscripted men on the front lines. The
experience of war is brought to life through a wealth of contemporary
documentation, private writings and historical research, whilst the
political, military, and historical significance of the war is assessed
and examined. From Europe's Western and Eastern Fronts to the war at
sea, and from the Pacific to the Mediterranean and North Africa, every
fighting front of the Second World War is covered in this truly
comprehensive volume.