The Library of Congress World War II CompanionDavid M. Kennedy An indispensable reference on World War II produced by the Library of Congress and edited by Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David M. Kennedy. With hundreds of illustrations and quotations from contemporary documents, this will be the most authoritative popular reference on World War II. The noted historian John Keegan called World War II "the largest single event in human history." More than sixty years after it ended, that war continues to shape our world. Going far beyond accounts of the major battles, The Library of Congress World War II Companion examines, in a unique and engaging manner, this devastating conflict, its causes, conduct, and aftermath. It considers the politics that shaped the involvement of the major combatants; military leadership and the characteristics of major Allied and Axis armed services; the weaponry that resulted in the war's unprecedented destruction, as well as debates over the use of these weapons; the roles of resistance groups and underground fighters; war crimes; daily life during wartime; the uses of propaganda; and much more. Drawn from the unparalleled collections of the institution that has been called "America's Memory," The Library of Congress World War II Companion includes excerpts from contemporary letters, journals, pamphlets, and other documents, as well as first-person accounts recorded by the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The text is complemented by more than 150 illustrations. Organized into topical chapters (such as "The Media War," "War Crimes and the Holocaust," and two chapters on "Military Operations" that cover the important battles), the book also include readers to navigate through the rich store of information in these pages. Filled with facts and figures, information about unusual aspects of the war, and moving personal accounts, this remarkable volume will be indispensable to anyone who wishes to understand the World War II era and its continuing reverberations. |
Contents
WARTIME POLITICS | 55 |
THE RIFLE THE WRENCH AND THE RATIONING BOOK | 139 |
MILITARY LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATION | 219 |
INSTRUMENTS OF WAR | 327 |
MILITARY OPERATIONS 19371941 | 413 |
MILITARY OPERATIONS 19421945 | 497 |
WAR CRIMEs and the Holocaust | 629 |
THE MEDIA WAR | 783 |
WAR ON THE HOME FRONT | 845 |
THE AFTERMATH | 909 |
INFORMATION ABOUT IMAGES | 943 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abwehr Admiral Adolf Hitler Air Force aircraft Allied American April armed forces armored artillery attack August Axis battle battleships began bombers bombing Britain British campaign camps carriers Chapter chief China Chinese Churchill civilians combat command communist Corps countries cruisers December defense divisions East enemy Europe Fascist fighters fighting fleet France French front German Germany's groups guns Hermann Göring Hitler industrial intelligence invasion island Italian Italy January Japan Japanese Jewish Jews July June killed labor land later leaders Lend-Lease Luftwaffe major March Marines Marshal Mediterranean military million Minister Mussolini Nationalist nations naval navy Nazi North Africa October Office operations organizations Pacific Pearl Harbor percent planes Poland political President prisoners propaganda radio raid Red Army resistance Roosevelt September ships soldiers Soviet Union Stalin submarines supplies surrender tanks Theater tion troops U-boats U.S. Army U.S. Navy United Vichy victory wartime weapons Wehrmacht women World World War II
Popular passages
Page iii - The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies.
Page 14 - DECLARATION BY UNITED NATIONS:* A Joint Declaration by the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, China, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Poland, South Africa, Yugoslavia.
Page 36 - Democracy has disappeared in several other great nations, not because the people of those nations disliked democracy, but because they had grown tired of unemployment and insecurity, of seeing their children hungry while they sat helpless in the face of government confusion and government weakness through lack of leadership in government.