A World At Arms - A Global History Of World War II

Widely hailed as a masterpiece, this is the first history of World War II to provide a truly global account of the war that encompassed six continents. Starting with the changes that restructured Europe and her colonies following the First World War, Gerhard Weinberg sheds new light on every facet of World War II. Actions of the Axis, the Allies, and the Neutrals are covered in every theater of the war. More importantly, the global nature of the war is examined, with new insight into how events in one corner of the world helped affect events in other distant parts. A World at Arms is a fascinating account of the Second World War and the world that the war reshaped. Gerhard L. Weinberg was born in Germany and spent the first year of World War II in England. After serving in the U.S. army of occupation in Japan, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Professor Weinberg worked on Columbia University's War Documentation project and directed the American Historical Association's program for the microfilming of captured German documents. He is the author of numerous books and articles on the origins and the course of the war, including the prize-winning two-volume study The Foreign Policy of Hitler's Germany. The 1st General History Of World War Two To Be Based On Existing Literature And On Extensive Work In British, American & German Archives. From One War To Another -- From The German And Soviet Invasions Of Poland To The German Attack In The West, September 1, 1939 To May 10, 1940 -- The World Turned Upside Down -- The Expanding Conflict, 1940-1941 -- The Eastern Front And A Changing War, June To December, 1941 -- Halting The Japanese Advance, Halting The German Advance; Keeping Them Apart And Shifting The Balance: December 1941 To November 1942 -- The War At Sea, 1942-1944, And The Blockade -- The War In Europe And North Africa 1942-1943: To And From Stalingrad; To And From Tunis -- The Home Front -- Means Of Warfare: Old And New -- From The Spring Of 1943 To Summer 1944 -- The Assault On Germany From All Sides -- Tensions In Both Alliances -- The Halt On The European Fronts -- The Final Assault On Germany -- The War In The Pacific: From Leyte To The Missouri -- Conclusions: The Cost And Impact Of War. Gerhard L. Weinberg. Maps On Lining Papers. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [945]-1125) And Index. A World at Arms......Page 1 Contents......Page 9 List of Maps......Page 11 Preface......Page 12 Abbreviations......Page 16 Introduction......Page 19 From One War to Another......Page 24 The War Against Poland......Page 66 The World Turned Upside Down......Page 140 The Expanding Conflict, 1940-1941......Page 205 The Eastern Front and a Changing War......Page 282 Halting the Japanese and the Germans......Page 328 The war at Sea, 1942-1944......Page 382 The war in Europe and North Africa 1942-1943......Page 426 The home front......Page 489 Means of warfare:old and new......Page 554 From the spring of 1943 to summer 1944......Page 605 The assault on Germany from all sides......Page 685 Tensions in both alliances......Page 740 The halt on the European fronts......Page 768 The final assault on Germany......Page 798 The war in the Pacific:from Leyte to the Missouri......Page 860 Bibliographic essay......Page 939 Notes......Page 963 Index......Page 1173 "Widely hailed as a masterpiece, this is the first history of World War II to provide a truly global account of the war that encompassed six continents. Starting with the changes that restructured Europe and her colonies following the First World War, Gerhard Weinberg sheds new light on every aspect of World War II. Actions of the Axis, the Allies, and the Neutrals are covered in every theater of the war. More importantly, the global nature of the war is examined, with new insight into how events in one corner of the world helped affect events in other distant parts"--Page 4 of cover When a German warship opened fire on the Polish garrison in the special area reserved for them within the Free City of Gdansk (Danzig)-and German troops and airplanes attacked Poland-a terrible conflict began that was quickly called "The Second World War." An acclaimed, exhaustively researched, one-volume history covers every theater of battle and emphasizes the global nature of the war, showing how events in one corner of the world affected events elsewhere. Reprint.