The Second World War Campaign Atlas To The Second World War

Features all the major battles and campaigns of World War II, from the invasion of Poland in 1939 to the defeat of Japan in 1945. Specially commissioned maps are accompanied by action photographs and detailed annotation.

"The Routledge Atlas of the Second World War vividly charts the war's political, military and social history through 247 new and illuminating maps. It provides unique visual representation of the war and its aftermath, covering all the major events from the German invasion of Poland, Stalingrad, and the concentration camps, to the bombing of Dresden, and D-Day."--BOOK JACKET.

Two hundred fifteen maps that cover every aspect of military operations by land, sea, and air from 1939 to 1945--plus diagrams, photographs, and cogent accompanying explanations--trace the history of WW II. The atlas breaks down all the major theaters in the war, from Germany's first strikes to the Japanese offensive, and within those larger campaigns you can follow the many smaller, individual battles. Charts illustrate key factors such the balance of forces.

The Atlas of World War II traces the course of the conflict chronologically by showing each major campaign as a full-color map, further illustrated by archive action pictures. Skillfully bringing to life the human experience of war with eyewitness accounts of the struggle, this book presents the political and strategic conditions that led to the war, offering a unique insight into military operations and tactics. World War II remains a topic of fascination and study, and this book is an ideal addition to the shelves of all interested readers.

"This atlas has been conceived as a means of conveying to its users both the totality and complexity of the Second World War. It does not seek to portray ... inevitable triumph of the anti-Axis alliance. It does not accord predominance to any one theater: the campaigns in Russia and in the Pacific are treated as of equal importance with those in Western Europe. Its coverage is not exclusively military. Economic and political factors are recognized as having the importance they did, as are the enormous material and human costs of the conflict"--P. 11.

In June 1944 the Allies opened the long-awaited second front against Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, and this was to be the start of a long struggle throughout Western Europe for the Allied forces in the face of stiff German resistance. The European Theatre was where the bulk of the Allied forces were committed in the struggle against Nazi Germany. It saw some of the most famous battles and operations of the war – Normandy, Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge – as the Allies sought to liberate Western Europe in the face of bitter and hard-fought German resistance. From the beaches of D-Day through to the final battles in war-ravaged Germany, the war across the breadth and depth of Western Europe is brought to life through scores of carefully researched and intricately detailed maps.