The West Point Word War II series is one of the best sources of history on the Second World War. The Atlases associated with each volume are a must because the text refers to them frequently. The writing style is not overly technical and explains the foundations of military doctrine followed by the respective combatants in prosecuting the conflict. The authors are able to point out the fundamental errors made by each side, the results of those miscalculations and what adjustments (if any) were made. The correct deductions are also put on display for the reader. And the authors manage to make the conflict dramatic in a professional way. For example, at the battle of Midway the Americans had put all their critical assets at risk. If all the US carriers were lost the situation in the Pacific would have been ruinous. The authors clearly point out that the Japanese fleet was overwhelming, and properly used could not have lost that battle. The American command was counting on Japanese mistakes, and the Japanese made them. Thus, the West Point historians have injected the true drama of the situation in June of 1942. A lot was on the line and the history of WWII would have been far different if the US admirals had made the mistakes instead of the Japanese. The entire series is filled with this kind of drama. The background sections which cover the road to WWII is thought provoking and shows how the outcome of the war, in many respects, was determined prior to the start of hostilities. The books cover the mental attitudes that contributed to the start of the war and the course of the conflict. The series isn't perfect. The US Army writers find a little time to subtly criticize some actions of the US Navy and US Marines. They seem to like implying the Marines were getting a lot of publicity for doing the same thing the Army was doing. This is a very minor criticism and such minor diversions do not detract at all from the superlative standards set by this very complete history. Anyone interested in WWII, its causes, conduct and outcomes, must read this set (one book covers the Pacific war and the other the European war - and there is an atlas for each of these volumes for a total of 4 books).

Hardbound Size(inches) 11¾ x 14¾

This book has information on tons of things related to World War II. It is really good for looking up random things with out having to keep changing books. The only drawback is that there is not enough information on some topics, which can be disappointing.

Chronicled in WORLD WAR II EXTRA are the original newspapers from around the world that tell the story of this global conflict. Reporting begins with the announcement of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, which ironically, Germany was the first to sign. Events leading up to, during, and in the aftermath of the war are covered in detail. The headlines and news photographs herein reveal, with shocking immediacy, the horror that is war. The newspapers were our main link to the events of the war, they also encouraged the war efforts at home to save scrap and ration materials. As the entire war lived the nightmare that was World War II, much of the news was only what the powers that be wanted us to hear. Propaganda proliferated on all fronts to demoralize and trick opponents. Full disclosure would have been a breach of security and a risk to each side's military operations. The "loose lips sink ships" mentality was seriously respected by both journalists and the citizenry. Papers reporting the world events are presented from Alaska to Berlin and from Tokyo to the French Algiers, creating a volume that acts as a time machine, transporting us back to the victories and atrocities of the war that saved the world's freedom.

World War II was the most intensively photographed conflict in history. Military and press photographers, propagandists, camera-wielding soldiers and civilians - all took the opportunity to record the tumultuous events of 1939-45. The scenes they captured of mass suffering and individual heroism, of atrocious cruelty and humanitarianism against the odds, of hate and comraderie, misery and hope, remain undiminished in their intensity and constitute a vital record of an extraordinary period. World War II in Photographs features 900 clearly captioned images selected from a wide variety of sources. Every major theatre of conflict is covered, from icy seas of the Arctic Circle to the jungles of the South Pacific, from the deserts of North Africa to the steppes of Russia. Throughout, proper historical grounding is given by an informative, indexed commentary summarizing the many complex events of the period. With its wealth of memorable images, this book provides an unrivalled overview of a time when three-quarter of the globe went to war.