Author: John Gooch Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1136288813 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 209
Book Description
Success or defeat in the Second World War turned less on winning or losing battles than on winning or losing campaigns. This volume reassesses the importance of seven major campaigns for the outcome of the war. The authors examine a wide range of factors which influence success or failure including strategic planning, logistics, combat performance, command and military intelligence. This book represents a novel contribution to the study of the Second World War.
Author: Brian Bond Publisher: Clarendon Press ISBN: 9780198207351 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 274
Book Description
In Western Europe and North America the idea that war can deliberately be used as an `instrument of policy' has become unfashionable, not least because of the carnage of two World Wars and the Americans' humiliating experience in Vietnam. But wars are still fought. Those who start wars clearly believe they are worthwhile. Why? In this original and provocative study, Brian Bond discusses the successes and failures of military and political leaders in their pursuit of victory over the last two centuries. Professor Bond argues that in order to be counted victorious, a leader has to progress beyond military triumph to preserve the political control needed to secure an advantageous and enduring peace settlement. Napoleon was a brilliant general, but failed as a statesman. Bismarck, on the other hand, was a success in skilfully exploiting Moltke's victories on the battlefield to create a unified Germany. In the First World War, Germany and her allies were defeated but at such great cost that confidence in the idea that war could be controlled, and the pursuit of victory made rational, received a terrible shock. Germany and Japan exploited their military opportunites between 1939 and 1942, but lack of political control and moderation brought them catastrophic defeat. After 1945, nuclear weapons and the increased complexity of international relations blurred the identity of `victors' and `losers' and seemed to make the idea of a `decisive' victory almost unthinkable. But this study warns against the assumption that war as an instrument of policy has now been completely discarded. The Falklands and Gulf conflicts show that aggressors are still prepared to risk war for tangible goals, and that their opponents are quite capable of responding successfully to such challenges.
Author: Paul Kennedy Publisher: Random House ISBN: 158836898X Category : History Languages : en Pages : 531
Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Paul Kennedy, award-winning author of The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers and one of today’s most renowned historians, now provides a new and unique look at how World War II was won. Engineers of Victory is a fascinating nuts-and-bolts account of the strategic factors that led to Allied victory. Kennedy reveals how the leaders’ grand strategy was carried out by the ordinary soldiers, scientists, engineers, and businessmen responsible for realizing their commanders’ visions of success. In January 1943, FDR and Churchill convened in Casablanca and established the Allied objectives for the war: to defeat the Nazi blitzkrieg; to control the Atlantic sea lanes and the air over western and central Europe; to take the fight to the European mainland; and to end Japan’s imperialism. Astonishingly, a little over a year later, these ambitious goals had nearly all been accomplished. With riveting, tactical detail, Engineers of Victory reveals how. Kennedy recounts the inside stories of the invention of the cavity magnetron, a miniature radar “as small as a soup plate,” and the Hedgehog, a multi-headed grenade launcher that allowed the Allies to overcome the threat to their convoys crossing the Atlantic; the critical decision by engineers to install a super-charged Rolls-Royce engine in the P-51 Mustang, creating a fighter plane more powerful than the Luftwaffe’s; and the innovative use of pontoon bridges (made from rafts strung together) to help Russian troops cross rivers and elude the Nazi blitzkrieg. He takes readers behind the scenes, unveiling exactly how thousands of individual Allied planes and fighting ships were choreographed to collectively pull off the invasion of Normandy, and illuminating how crew chiefs perfected the high-flying and inaccessible B-29 Superfortress that would drop the atomic bombs on Japan. The story of World War II is often told as a grand narrative, as if it were fought by supermen or decided by fate. Here Kennedy uncovers the real heroes of the war, highlighting for the first time the creative strategies, tactics, and organizational decisions that made the lofty Allied objectives into a successful reality. In an even more significant way, Engineers of Victory has another claim to our attention, for it restores “the middle level of war” to its rightful place in history. Praise for Engineers of Victory “Superbly written and carefully documented . . . indispensable reading for anyone who seeks to understand how and why the Allies won.”—The Christian Science Monitor “An important contribution to our understanding of World War II . . . Like an engineer who pries open a pocket watch to reveal its inner mechanics, [Paul] Kennedy tells how little-known men and women at lower levels helped win the war.”—Michael Beschloss, The New York Times Book Review “Histories of World War II tend to concentrate on the leaders and generals at the top who make the big strategic decisions and on the lowly grunts at the bottom. . . . [Engineers of Victory] seeks to fill this gap in the historiography of World War II and does so triumphantly. . . . This book is a fine tribute.”—The Wall Street Journal “[Kennedy] colorfully and convincingly illustrates the ingenuity and persistence of a few men who made all the difference.”—The Washington Post “This superb book is Kennedy’s best.”—Foreign Affairs
Author: Paul Hayes Publisher: Psychology Press ISBN: 0415079055 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 324
Book Description
Fixes the important developments of the period not only in the political framework of the time, but also in their social and cultural context. These essays throw new light on the European situation between 1890 and the Second World War.Themes in European History treats in thematic fashion a period of great change and upheaval in Europe. A collection of twelve essays by five leading historians, this textbook:* highlights important developments and changes that occurred* sets these changes in their social and cultural context as well as in the political framework* concentrates on the most important powers in Europe* vompletes each essay with suggestions for further reading to guide your students into continuing their research.Whereas other textbooks of this period focus on the political events, Themes in Modern European History uses a comparative history of institutions and societies, with emphasis on the cultural changes as well.Students are provided with the whole picture of events and are made aware of the wider consequences of the changes taking place - enabling them to understand all aspects of the dramatic transformation of Europe from 1890-1945.
Author: Loyd Lee Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA ISBN: 0313033145 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 546
Book Description
A broadly interdisciplinary work, this handbook discusses the best and most enduring literature related to the major topics and themes of World War II. Military historiography is treated in essays on the major theaters of military operations and the related themes of logistics and intelligence, while political and diplomatic history is covered in chapters on international relations, resistance movements, and collaboration. The volume analyzes themes of domestic history in essays on economic mobilization, the home fronts, and women in the military and civilian life. The book also covers the Holocaust. This handbook approaches each topic from a global viewpoint rather than focusing on individual national communities. Except for nonprint material, the literature, research, and sources surveyed are primarily those available in English. The volume is aimed at both experts on the war and the general academic community and will also be useful to students and serious laymen interested in the war.
Author: Peter Lerangis Publisher: ibooks ISBN: 1596876360 Category : Young Adult Fiction Languages : en Pages : 221
Book Description
During World War II, both sides communicated extensively through telegraph messages. If it weren't for a brilliant team of U.S. codebreakers, the allies might not have won the war. Your mission is to join this top-notch team and crack top-secret codes of the Germans and Japanese. It is the year 1941. You have traveled back in time to world War II. You are standing on the deck of an American battle ship in Pearl Harbor, when you suddenly hear the drone of attacking Japanese bombers. You watch helplessly as the planes swoop down and a terrifying black torpedo comes whistling towards you. You need to discover if anyone could have known about the attack in advance. Was there any way the devastation could have been prevented? In this book your mission is to discover how the breaking of enemy codes helped the Allies win. You'll travel all over the globe, braving battles and facing constant peril of a world at war. Are you ready to face the danger? The Time Machine series challenges young readers to use their imagination and decision-making skills to write their own story. Options in the text allow readers to choose any path they like within the plot. Readers must draw on background information about the period to make the right choices. This makes the series a great educational device for youngsters to learn about history and all the different cultures, events, and periods that shaped it.
Author: Saki Dockrill Publisher: Springer ISBN: 1349231290 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 247
Book Description
'The most significant issue that Dockrill addresses is that of how Japan views the war in retrospect, a question which not only tells us a lot about how events were seen in Japan in 1941 but is also, a matter still of importance in contemporary East Asian politics.' Antony Best, London School of Economics This multi-authored work, edited by Saki Dockrill, is an original, unique, and controversial interpretation of the Second World War in Asia and the Pacific. Dr Dockrill, the author of Britain's Policy for West German Rearmament, has skilfully converted the proceedings of an international conference held in London into a stimulating and readable account of the Pacific War. This is a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the subject.
Author: Eugene L. Rasor Publisher: Greenwood ISBN: Category : History Languages : en Pages : 312
Book Description
Providing comprehensive coverage of the literature on the Southwest Pacific Campaign of World War II, this book includes both a historiographical narrative and an annotated bibliography of over 1500 entries. Part I, the historiographical narrative, includes a general survey and review of the works listed in Part II, the annotated bibliography. The historiographical survey features critical analysis and an evaluation of the literature, makes an effort to place each work in context, and also points to gaps in the literature. The bibliography section includes descriptive and evaluative annotations. Works cited in Part I are cross-referenced to Part II. The book reviews, evaluates, and integrates a comprehensive collection of popular and scholarly literature on the Southwest Pacific Campaign. Coverage includes operations in all dimensions—land, sea, air, underwater, and combinations of these. The work covers personnel and their experiences, and includes memoirs, diaries, autobiographies, biographies, and oral histories. It also covers intelligence matters, diplomacy, logistics and supply, and cultural aspects, such as journalism, fiction, film, and art. Available archival, research, and library facilities and materials are also described. There is an introductory historical essay, a chronology, and comprehensive indexes.
Author: Michael F. Palo Publisher: BRILL ISBN: 9004395857 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 598
Book Description
In this book, Michael F. Palo explains how a historical and theoretical examination of Belgian neutrality, 1839-1940, can help readers understand the behaviour of small/weak democracies in the international system.
Author: John Gooch
Author: Brian Bond
Author: Paul Kennedy
Author: Martin S. Alexander
Author: Paul Hayes
Author: Loyd Lee
Author: Peter Lerangis
Author: Saki Dockrill
Author: Eugene L. Rasor
Author: Michael F. Palo