The Second World War: A World in Flames

The period from 1939 to 1945 saw some of the most devastating events in living memory. Existing in the shadows of fear, sacrifice, deprivation and uncertainty, soldiers and civilians of all nationalities were driven to extremes of selfless loyalty, dogged determination or bitter cruelty by the demands of a world at war. Bringing the experience of war to life through a wealth of contemporary documentation, private writings and historical research, this book tells the stories of the men and women who lived and died during the Second World War. Also assessing the political, military and historical significance of the war this truly comprehensive volume covers every fighting front of this horrific war.

First published thus in 2004.

Previously published separately as:
– Essential Histories 18: The Second World War (1) The Pacific by David Horner
– Essential Histories 24: The Second World War (2) Europe 1939–1943 by Robin Havers
– Essential Histories 30: The Second World War (3) The War at Sea by Alastair Finlan, Mark J. Grove and Philip D. Grove
– Essential Histories 32: The Second World War (4) The Mediterranean 1940–1945 by Paul Collier
– Essential Histories 35: The Second World War (5) The Eastern Front 1941–1945 by Geoffrey Jukes
– Essential Histories 48: The Second World War (6) Northwest Europe 1944–1945 by Russell Hart and Stephen A. Hart