About this item
Highlights
- On the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, two acclaimed historians chronicle the remarkable stories behind the surrenders that ended the world's most catastrophic global conflictIn May 1945 and then again in August and early September, the seemingly endless World War II finally came to a close in six dramatic surrender ceremonies, four in Europe and the last two in Japan.
- About the Author: One of WWII's finest historians, JAMES HOLLAND is the author of Cassino '44, The Savage Storm, Brothers in Arms, Sicily '43, Normandy '44, Big Week, The Rise of Germany and The Allies Strike Back in the War in the West trilogy, Burma '44, and Dam Busters.
- 288 Pages
- History, Military
Description
Book Synopsis
On the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, two acclaimed historians chronicle the remarkable stories behind the surrenders that ended the world's most catastrophic global conflict
In May 1945 and then again in August and early September, the seemingly endless World War II finally came to a close in six dramatic surrender ceremonies, four in Europe and the last two in Japan. On the 80th anniversary of those historic events, celebrated historians James Holland and Al Murray chronicle them in turn, focusing especially on the human dramas behind each surrender and relating stories and perspectives on the end of the war that have not previously been told.
Germany's armies submitted to the Allies in four ceremonies between May 2 and June 7, the latter after considerable delays by the Germans and threats from General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander. Japan then finally conceded only after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, initially on August 15th and then in a formal ceremony aboard the USS Missouri on September 2. Holland and Murray focus on specific characters participating in each of these world-changing events--from ordinary servicemen and women and civilians to generals and political leaders. The saga of the first German surrender, in Italy, revolves around senior SS general Karl Wolff's personal battle to save his own neck and involves VIP prisoners locked up in a resort in South Tyrol, art theft, money laundering, and the resistance of other German commanders to give up. The German surrender to the Americans on May 5 follows the fortunes of private Alan Moskin from New Jersey, whose 6th Infantry Regiment found themselves liberating Gunskirchen, one of Mauthausen's sub-concentration camps, the terrible reality of which affected the rest of his life.
The stories surrounding the war's end are in their own way as dramatic as the strategy and battles themselves. As Holland and Murray make clear, they add greatly to our understanding and appreciation of World War II and its legacy.
Review Quotes
Praise for James Holland:
"Detail and scope are the twin strengths of Normandy '44 . . . Mr. Holland effectively balances human drama with the science of war as the Allies knew it."--Jonathan W. Jordan, Wall Street Journal
"Academic histories are all very well, but at times it is a pleasure to sit back and wallow in an old-school military tale of flinty-eyed men doing battle. That is what James Holland, a seasoned craftsman, offers in Sicily '43."--Thomas E. Ricks, New York Times Book Review
"This hefty, scrupulously balanced history of the Allied invasion of northern France goes beyond some of the well-known events of D-Day, thanks to Holland's meticulous research and clear-eyed view of the big picture . . . An excellent and engrossing new look at the Normandy invasion."--Publishers Weekly (starred review), on Normandy '44
"Holland's great skill lies in bringing these warriors back to life with vivid prose. He's an enormously prolific historian of the war, but each book he produces is constructed with great care and emotional commitment . . . Holland is obsessed with war, but fortunately does not seem to love it. He recognizes its beauty, but also its vileness."--Gerard DeGroot, Times (UK) on Sicily '43
"Highly detailed . . . The interplay of personal stories with the broader strategic picture makes this book especially illuminating . . . A fascinating must-read for World War II aficionados."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review), on Big Week
"James Holland's The War in the West is set fair to become one of the truly great multivolume histories of the Second World War."--Andrew Roberts, New York Times-bestselling author of The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War and Napoleon: A Life
"A fascinating story of how the fortunes of war changed in obvious--and particularly not so obvious--ways."--Col. Eric M. Walters, Military Review on The Allies Strike Back
"Holland puts the case for Allied technological and military skills as a vital factor in turning the war's tide . . . Ranks as a towering work of historical research and writing."--BBC History Magazine on The Allies Strike Back
"This is narrative history as intimate, intricate tapestry . . . Mr. Holland's success is built in part on an engaging writing style and in part on a genuinely fresh approach to events that have been so often--and apparently definitively--recounted . . . Exceptional . . . Epic."--Wall Street Journal on The Rise of Germany
"Impeccably researched and superbly written . . . Holland's fascinating saga offers a mixture of captivating new research and well-considered revisionism."--Guardian on The Rise of Germany
About the Author
One of WWII's finest historians, JAMES HOLLAND is the author of Cassino '44, The Savage Storm, Brothers in Arms, Sicily '43, Normandy '44, Big Week, The Rise of Germany and The Allies Strike Back in the War in the West trilogy, Burma '44, and Dam Busters. He has written and presented the BAFTA shortlisted documentaries Battle of Britain and Dam Busters for the BBC.
AL MURRAY is the author of Arnhem: Black Tuesday and Command: How the Allies Learned to Win the Second World War. He is the co-host, with James Holland, of the popular World War II history podcast, We Have Ways of Making You Talk.