Synopsis:
World War II was a war that affected the entire world and reached into every aspect of existence. It touched all nations, penetrated all aspects of people's lives, and helped shape the world today. When Oxford first published this comprehensive guider, The Economist wrote "it will immediately take its place as the indispensable reference book for students of the Second World War." Now Oxford University marks the twentieth anniversary of the end of the war with a new paperback edition of one of our most popular references.
With over 1,750 A to Z entries written by more than 140 specialists from both Axis and Allied nations, the Companion provides uniquely worldwide coverage of the war. Every aspect is covered: in-depth surveys of the countries involved in the conflict; politics and strategy; domestic and economic issues; resistance and intelligence; campaigns and battles; warfare and weapons; wartime leaders and influential people; slogans and slang. Hundreds of easy-to-read maps, charts, and diagrams, plus a full chronology, support the Companion's comprehensive coverage. This is an essential reference for history buffs, students, scholars, or anyone seeking to learn more about the most tragic, momentous, and influential event in recent history.
Review:
The definitive single-volume reference work for students of World War II, I. C. B. Dear's 1,400-page compendium provides a wealth of detail on matters that standard histories often gloss over or pass over altogether. For example, Dear covers the Night and Fog Decree, which called for the execution of any civilians committing crimes against German forces in occupied territories, as well as the Battle of the Courland Peninsula, in which Red Army soldiers overwhelmed the last German forces in the Baltic and seized Latvia and Lithuania for the Soviet Union. This is a fine book to browse through while watching Bataan or The Longest Day, or to have on hand to provide background material for other World War II-related reading.
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