Examines the momentous turning points of 1941-1943: Hitler's invasion of Russia; America's entry into the conflict; the devastating Thousand Bomber Raids over Germany; the long struggle in the deserts of North Africa; and the defeat of the U-boats in the crucial Battle of the Atlantic.
Are you ready for the truth about World War Two? The Second World War is the most cataclysmic and violent sequence of events in recent times. But for the past seven decades, our understanding of it has relied upon conventional wisdom, propaganda and an interpretation skewed by the information available. James Holland has spent over twelve years conducting new research, interviewing survivors, visiting battlefields and archives that have never before been so accessible and challenging too-long-held assumptions about the war that shaped our world. In Germany Ascendant, the first part of this ground-breaking new history, James Holland introduces the war, beginning with the lead-up to its outbreak in 1939 and taking us up to mid-1941 as the Nazis prepared to unleash Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia. To tell the real story, he weaves together the experiences of dozens of individuals, from civilians and soldiers, to sailors, pilots, leading military strategists, industrialists and heads of state, and uncovers the strategy, tactics and events that informed not only the military aspects of the war but also the economic, political, and social aspects too. The War in the West is a truly monumental history of the war on land, in the air, and at sea. In it, James Holland has created a captivating and epic narrative which redefines and enhances our understanding of one of the most significant conflicts in history.
D-Day and the 76 days of bitter fighting in Normandy that followed have come to be seen as a defining episode in the Second World War. Its story has been endlessly retold, and yet it remains a narrative burdened by both myth and assumed knowledge. In this reexamined history, James Holland presents a broader overview, one that challenges much of what we think we know about D-Day and the Normandy campaign. The sheer size and scale of the Allies' war machine ultimately dominates the strategic, operational and tactical limitations of the German forces. This was a brutal campaign. In terms of daily casualties, the numbers were worse than for any one battle during the First World War. Drawing on unseen archives and testimonies from around the world Introducing a cast of eye-witnesses that includes foot soldiers, tank men, fighter pilots and bomber crews, sailors, civilians, resistance fighters and those directing the action An epic telling that will profoundly recalibrate our understanding of its true place in the tide of human history
The book offers a fresh perspective on the Normandy campaign, marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Award-winning historian James Holland delves into new insights and analyses, providing a comprehensive understanding of this pivotal moment in history. Through meticulous research, he uncovers lesser-known aspects of the campaign, enriching the narrative of bravery and strategy that shaped the outcome of World War II.
Set against the backdrop of 1941, the narrative explores the precarious situation of the Nazi war effort, revealing that despite early victories in Poland and France, Germany faced significant challenges. The book highlights the unfulfilled victories in the Battle of Britain and the Battle of the Atlantic, as well as the resource drain from campaigns in Greece and Crete. As Germany invades Russia, the story unfolds with the pivotal moment of America's formal entry into the war, reshaping the conflict's dynamics.
* PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW * - Why did the Allies decide to invade Southern Italy?- How did the weather and Italian terrain complicate the fighting?- How did General Mark Clark's Allied Armies win the final battle? Discover the mounting conflict and complex campaigns of the war in Italy. From Operation HUSKY to Clark's final offensive, the Allied campaign tightened the noose around Nazi Germany and saw the end of Italian Fascism, though it was at a cost of high civilian casualty and destruction. AN EPIC OF GRIT, DETERMINATION AND SACRIFICE Written by historian, author and broadcaster James Holland and with immersive illustrations by Keith Burns, THE WAR IN ITALY 1943-1945 is an accessible and enthralling introduction to these critical battles and their impact on the outcome of World War II
PRE-ORDER BOOK 12 OF THE LADYBIRD EXPERT HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR, FROM AWARD-WINNING HISTORIAN JAMES HOLLAND Why did Japan decide to attack at Pearl Harbour? What was the Japanese vision of a Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere? How did the American strategy turn the tide against Japanese offensives? Uncover the complexities of the brutal war against Japan. From the surprise attack on Pearl Harbour, Oahu, to the Phillipines Campaign, the Allies were finally able to turn the tide against the onslaught of Japanese forces. Ending in Japanese surrender after the devastating atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the war in Japan was eventually won, but at the cost of civilian lives. THE WAR THAT LED TO TWO ATOMIC BOMBINGS Written by historian, author and broadcaster James Holland, Victory Against Japan is an essential introduction to the tactics that finally brought an end to the Second World War. Discover more titles in the Ladybird Expert series: D-Day The Desert War Genetics The Battle of the Nile
PRE-ORDER BOOK 11 OF THE LADYBIRD EXPERT HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR, FROM AWARD-WINNING HISTORIAN JAMES HOLLANDDiscover more titles in the Ladybird Expert series:D-DayThe Desert WarGeneticsThe Battle of the Nile
From the bestselling author of Normandy '44 and Sicily '43 comes the untold story of the Sherwood Rangers It took a certain type of courage to serve in a tank in World War Two. Encased in steel, surrounded by highly explosive shells, a big and slow-moving target, every crew member was utterly vulnerable to enemy attack from all sides. Living - and dying - in a tank was a brutal way to fight a war. The Sherwood Rangers were one of the great tank regiments. They had learned their trade the hard way, under the burning sun of North Africa, on the battlefields of El Alamein and Alam el Halfa. By the time they landed on Gold Beach on D-Day, they were toughened by experience and ready for combat. From that moment on, the Sherwood Rangers were in the thick of the action til the war's end. They and their Sherman tanks covered thousands of miles and endured some of the fiercest fighting in Western Europe. The first British unit to cross into Germany, their engagements stretch from the Normandy beaches, to the bridges at Eindhoven, and the grinding crossing of the Siegfried Line and on into the Nazi heartland. Through compelling eye-witness testimony and James Holland's expert analysis of the war in the West, Brothers In Arms brings to vivid life the final bloody scramble across Europe and gives the most powerful account to date of what it was really like to fight in the dying days of World War Two.