This authoritative and comprehensive survey features over 2,400 entries. Subjects range from battles, soldiers, and military activities to politics, culture, and the Holocaust. Enlivened by 85 illustrations, its panoramic perspective encompasses WWII's enduring influences on the American way of life. "A unique and valuable look at the war."—General James Doolittle

This dictionary covers the complex and costly conflict that began when Germany, ruled by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, invaded neighboring Poland on 1 September 1939; and concluded when Germany surrendered on 7–9 May 1945, leaving much of the European continent in ruins and its population devastated. The war against Germany, Italy, and the other European Axis members was fought primarily in Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, East and North Africa, and the Atlantic Ocean. The Axis powers were defeated by the Allies, led by the “Grand Alliance” of Great Britain, the United States, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Historical Dictionary of World War II: The War against Germany and Italy relates the history of this war through a chronology, an introductory essay, maps and photos, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 300 cross-referenced entries on the countries and geographical areas involved in the war, as well as the nations remaining neutral; wartime alliances and conferences; significant civilian and military leaders; and major ground, naval, and air operations. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about World War II.

Did you know that neither Hitler nor Stalin graduated from high school? Or that the Allies often employed teenage girls as spies? In The History Buff's Guide to World War II, Thomas R. Flagel leaves no stone unturned as he presents dozens of top ten lists that examine the politics, leaders, and battles of the Second World War. From Hitler to Stalin, battleground to home front, Flagel's compelling analysis and attention to often-overlooked information ensures a surprise on every page for even the most dedicated World War II buff. This fresh, impossible-to-put-down book puts a new perspective on one of the most heavily researched wars of all time and is sue to enthrall expert and amateur historians alike. Do You Think You Know World War II? Top Ten Speeches Top Ten Causes of Military Deaths Top Ten Most Popular Myths and Misconceptions Top Ten Forms of Resistance Top Ten Military Blunders

The Decades of Modern American Drama series provides a comprehensive survey and study of the theatre produced in each decade from the 1930s to 2009 in eight volumes. Each volume equips readers with a detailed understanding of the context from which work emerged: an introduction considers life in the decade with a focus on domestic life and conditions, social changes, culture, media, technology, industry and political events; while a chapter on the theatre of the decade offers a wide-ranging and thorough survey of theatres, companies, dramatists, new movements and developments in response to the economic and political conditions of the day. The work of the four most prominent playwrights from the decade receives in-depth analysis and re-evaluation by a team of experts, together with commentary on their subsequent work and legacy. A final section brings together original documents such as interviews with the playwrights and with directors, drafts of play scenes, and other previously unpublished material. The major playwrights and their works to receive in-depth coverage in this volume include: * Eugene O'Neill: The Iceman Cometh (1946), A Moon for the Misbegotten (1947), Long Day's Journey Into Night (written 1941, produced 1956), and A Touch of the Poet (written 1942, produced 1958); * Tennessee Williams: The Glass Menagerie (1944), A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Summer and Smoke (1948); * Arthur Miller: All My Sons (1947), Death of a Salesman (1949), and The Crucible (1953); * Thornton Wilder: Our Town (1938), The Skin of Our Teeth (1942), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), and The Alcestiad (written 1940s).

Defeat and Triumph tells the story of the still controversial, important, dramatic but little known Allied invasion of the French Riviera on August 15, 1944. This was known as Operation Anvil and later renamed Operation Dragoon. Notwithstanding the massive opposition of Winston Churchill, his military advisors, and many notable American generals, Dragoon happened. After suffering four years of humiliating and devastating defeat, French men and women were assisted by their American and British Allies and this invasion ensured World War II victory in Europe. Defeat and Triumph: The Story of a Controversial Allied Invasion and French Rebirth thoroughly analyzes the pros and cons of Dragoon. The book provides a panoramic history of Operation Dragoon and related events in France, Germany, Great Britain, the United States, and the Mediterranean from 1940-1945. The author is in the unique position of having served on Day of Dragoon as Helmsman of LST 1012 (Landing Ship Tank).The LST 1012 participated in the most dangerous and tragic event of the invasion. He has gathered and analyzed a treasure trove of previously unpublished American, British, French and German archival materials, diaries, letters, periodical articles, maps and interviews.

This 2001 book shows the intersection of chemical warfare and pest control in the twentieth century.

During World War II, the National Football League faced a crisis unimaginable today: a shortage of players. By 1943, so many players were in the armed forces that the league was forced to fold one team and merge two others: the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles—the Steagles. Its roster that included military draft rejects, aging stars lured out of retirement, and even a couple of active servicemen who managed to get leave for the games. The team's center was deaf in one ear, its wide receiver was blind in one eye, and its halfback had bleeding ulcers. One player was so old he'd never played football with a helmet. Yet, somehow, this motley bunch managed to post a winning record—the first for the Eagles and just the second for the Steelers. But Last Team Standing isn't just about football. It's also about life in the United States during World War II, a time of fear and hope, of sacrifice and momentous change. It's about rationing, racism, and Rosie the Riveter. It's about draft boards, bond drives, and movie stars. Above all, it's about the men and women of the Greatest Generation who couldn't fight, but helped win the war in immeasurable ways.

Describes the life and career of Erwin Rommel, field marshal under Hitler during World War II, who is particularly remembered for his role in the campaign in northern Africa.

Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were the greatest leaders of the 'Greatest Generation'. In Franklin and Winston, Jon Meacham explores the fascinating relationship between the two men who piloted the free world to victory in the Second World War. It was a crucial and unique friendship: a president and a prime minister spending an enormous amount of time together and exchanging nearly two thousand messages. Amid cocktails and cigars, they met, often secretly, in places as far-flung as Washington, Hyde Park and Casablanca, talking to each other of war, the burden of command, their health, their wives and their children. Meacham's new sources, including unpublished letters of Roosevelt's great secret love, Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd, the papers of Pamela Churchill Harriman and interviews with the few survivors who were in Roosevelt's and Churchill's joint company, shed fresh light on the characters of both men as he engagingly chronicles the hours in which they decided the course of the struggle. Meacham has written the definitive account of the most remarkable friendship of the modern age.

The only available historical dictionary devoted exclusively to the 1940s, this book offers readers a ready-reference portrait of one of the twentieth century's most tumultuous decades. In nearly 600 concise entries, the volume quickly defines a historical figure, institution, or event, and then points readers to three sources that treat the subject in depth. In selecting topics for inclusion, the editors and authors offer a representative slice of life as contemporaneous Americans saw it - with coverage of people; movements; court cases; and economic, social, cultural, political, military, and technological changes. The book focuses chiefly on the United States, but places American lives and events firmly within a global context.