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This third volume sees Hitler experiencing problems reminiscent of
a previous invader of Russia, Napoleon Bonaparte: extreme winter
conditions that first drenched then froze the vast Nazi war
machine, immobilizing tanks, guns, support vehicles and grounding
the Luftwaffe. Unlike Napoleon, Hitler failed to capture Moscow. In
North Africa, the British were sent reeling back towards Egypt when
Rommel launched an attack at the end of January. Much to the
amazement of all and the disappointment of Churchill - the Axis
troops took Tobruk in a single day. Churchill dismissed the
commander and appointed Montgomery, who made a stand at El Alamein.
Great Britain's stand-alone postion ended abruptly on when Tojo
launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Both Hitler and
Mussolini declared war on the United States and the war became
global. With the attack on Pearl Harbor the Japanese flooded
through the South Pacific, the Philippines, Dutch East Indies,
Malaya, Burma all fell to the Japanese. Once more Great Britain was
humiliated when Singapore surrendered and thousands of Allied
troops went into captivity. An attempt by the Japanese to deliver a
knock-out blow to the Americans by an attack on Midway failed
catastrophically and the Americans scored a momentous victory in
the Pacific. Air Marshal Sir Arthur Harris became leader of the RAF
and the thousand bomber raids and carpet bombing of German cities
began. The third year of the war ended with the disastrous Dieppe
Raid, carried out by Canadians, in August 1942.
THE FOURTH YEAR began with intensified fighting on Guadalcanal in
the southern Solomon Islands in September 1942. The United States
had launched their fight back in the Pacific when they landed there
the previous month. In the Western hemisphere the USA threw its
almighty weight into the fight against Hitler's Germany with the
Operation Torch' landings in North Africa. The Americans had boots
on the ground. Hitherto in the war the Axis had largely been the
controllers of events; now as often as not, they had to react to
occurrences under a continuous rain of blows. Montgomery had
masterminded a tactical success at El Alamein in November 1942;
Rommel had retreated to face an Allied invasion of Tunisia and
defeat of all Axis forces on that continent. This was followed in
Russia by Hitler losing an entire army at Stalingrad when the
starving survivors surrendered in January 1943. Then the Allies
invaded Sicily triggering the ousting of Italy's dictator,
Mussolini, from power. Further concern for the German Fuhrer came
with the first daylight bombing raid by the USAAF at the end of
January 1943. It was followed by the RAF successfully breaching two
dams in the Ruhr valley in a precision night raid. Those events
heralded round the clock bombing of Germany by day and night. On
the Eastern Front in the summer Hitler gambled one final strategic
offensive at Kursk and suffered a decisive defeat, never again to
regain the initiative or launch a major offensive in Russia. By the
end of the fourth year of the war the Allies dominated the vital
Atlantic seaways upon which future Allied strategy was entirely
dependent - although the German submarine menace still existed.
The second in a series of five titles, which will cover each year
of the war graphically. Countless thousands of pictures were taken
by photographers on all sides during the First World War. These
pictures appeared in the magazines, journals and newspapers of the
time. Some illustrations went on to become part of post-war
archives and have appeared, and continue to appear, in present-day
publications and TV documentary programmes many did not. The Great
War Illustrated series includes in its pages many rarely seen
images with individual numbers allocated and subsequently they will
be lodged with the Taylor Library Archive for use by editors and
authors. The Great War Illustrated 1915 covers the 1915 Gallipoli
campaign and the battles that commenced on the Western Front that
year. Some images will be familiar many will be seen for the first
time by a new generation interested in the war that changed the
world forever. With over 1,000 painstakingly restored images, this
will be a definitive picture reference book on 1915 and will appeal
to enthusiasts, collectors and student of the period alike.
The Second World War Illustrated: 1944 follows the author's visual
tour of the war by means of painstakingly researched and digitally
restored pictures from the period of the key battlefields and
events of the period from September 1943 to the late summer of
1944\. This year marked a defining change in the balance of the
war; by its end the Axis powers were in serious trouble on all
their fronts. The book begins with a visual history of the Allied
invasion of Italy at Salerno and the subsequent slow progress made
in Italy, including the battle for Monte Cassino, the landings at
Anzio and the liberation of Rome. The focus then shifts to the
planning for the Normandy landings: we are reminded of the
magnitude of the task facing the Allies, with an analysis of the
formidable defences of Hitler's Atlantic Wall and the beach
defences along the French coast. There are fascinating pictures of
preparations by the Allies during Operation Tiger and detailed maps
that explain the build-up and execution of the invasion beaches.
There is detailed coverage of the D Day landings and the fierce
fighting involved in the breakthrough of the German defences in
Normandy to the liberation of Paris, as well as the often neglected
Allied landings in the south of France. The author provides a
fascinating photographic history of Operation Valkyrie, the plot to
kill Hitler on 20 July 1944, including key players, the planning
and the aftermath of the failed attempt on the F hrer's life. There
is a chapter on Hitler's new terror weapon - the V2 rocket,
including the men and women who designed them and the Allied
attempts to disrupt their development with the Peenem nde raid; a
separate chapter looks at the growing air offensive against
Germany. Although overshadowed by events in the west, there is
chapter on the increasingly evident collapse of the German army on
the Eastern Front, which included the loss of his Army Group
Centre. Latter chapters turn our attention to the war in the east.
The American advance continued in the South Pacific, involving
bloody battles to take what appear to be insignificant islands and
island groups, bringing the Allies ever closer to the Japanese
mainland. The British and Indian armies continued to be threatened
by the Japanese army's push to India via Burma, which was finally
halted at Kohima and Imphal. With over 1,000 original photographs,
this is a true labour of love and an ideal purchase for anyone
interested in the history of the Second World War in a more
accessible form.
With conscription introduced, Zeppelins carrying out bombing raids
on key towns and cities across England, the Battle of Jutland
seeing fourteen British ships sunk and the Battle of the Somme
claiming 20,000 British dead on the first day alone, the resolve of
the British and allied troops in 1916 was being sorely tested. The
Great War Illustrated 1916 is the third picture volume in this
series that deals exclusively with actions fought throughout the
year on the Western Front. Split into five chapters, the authors
begin with the British defeat at Kut, showing photographs from
British and Turkish perspectives throughout the four-month
campaign. The second chapter explores the new technological
advances made by both sides throughout the year including new
tanks, aircraft and guns. Photographs show the new equipment in
action on the battlefield as well as being manufactured on
production lines in the factories back home. We then turn to the
Battle of Verdun, one of the largest battles of the First World
War, before exploring the Battle of Jutland. Being the only
full-scale naval clash of the entire First World War, the two-day
battle saw twenty-five ships sunk and over 8,000 men killed on both
sides and the authors analyse the battle in full detail,
illustrating the ships that were involved and the men who sailed
upon them. The concluding chapter explores the infamous Battle of
the Somme, from the horrendous losses suffered on 1 July to the
arduous battle of attrition that followed thereafter. Split into
sub-sections, detailed analysis of the Australians, Canadians and
British troops are featured along with a final section showing
winter conditions in the area at the end of the year. With over
1,300 painstakingly enhanced and restored photographs and a
thirty-two page full colour section, the work within these pages
represents a real labour of love and offers the reader an
exceptional picture library of rare and unseen pictures that is
easily accessible for the general reader and military enthusiast
alike.
This second volume begins with the account of Mussolini attempting
to mirror Hitler in acts of aggression by thrusting towards Egypt
and capturing the important artery of the British Empire; the Suex
Canal. The Italian initiative failed and when its army was driven
back with heavy losses, Mussolini asked for help and Hitler sent
Rommel. Beginning in the spring of 1941, Axis forces, under a
dynamic General Rommel, pushed the British back to Egypt. In the
meantime, Mussolini decided on another easy target to spread his
new 'Roman Empire' and invaded Greece. Once again, his superior
numbers were repelled and the Greeks sent his army back to its
starting point in Albania. Hitler came to the aid of his Axis ally
and Churchill sent the British to help Greece, but in doing so,
depleted his forces in North Africa. During the Battle of Greece,
Greek and British forces in the north of the country were
overwhelmed by a rapid German advance. The British embarked for
Crete and the Germans promptly captured the island with their
much-vaunted Fallschirmjager. Matters were disheartening for the
British people following these defeats in North Africa and Greece.
However, a morale boost came with the sinking of the Bismarck and
the defection of Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy, in an amazing flight
to Scotland. Then it came: in June, the German F hrer took on his
greatest military challenge; the invasion of Soviet Russia. By the
end of the second year of the war, the Axis forces were deep into
Stalin's territory. Britain now had a major ally at last.
The first volume covers contributory factors leading up to the
outbreak of hostilities. Hitler's amazing success in correcting the
real and perceived insults to the German nation resulting from the
Great War and the Treaty of Versailles is acknowledged. There
followed a military operation - Blitzkrieg - which rocked the world
as two super powers, France and Great Britain, were soundly
thrashed on the battlefield of Europe by Nazi Germany. With the
skin of their teeth the British Expeditionary Force fled across the
Channel from Dunkirk, leaving most of their equipment behind. The
invasion of Kent in the south of England by a triumphant enemy
equipped with a cruel and oppressive regime replete with Gestapo,
concentration camps and policies of racial and political
persecution presented a spine-tingling threat to the British
people. With Winston Churchill at the helm disparaging peace
treaties with the Nazi regime, the fight back began. A few thousand
fighter pilots of the RAF defeated the Luftwaffe by a very narrow
margin and Hitler looked to the east for his further bullying of
national groups. The first year of the war ended, in September
1940, with Mussolini threatening Egypt and the Suez Canal.
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