People thought World War I was the war to end all wars; they were wrong. World War II (1939-1945), starting just 20 years after, reached new heights of death, suffering, and destruction, as the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan, and their allies) sought domination in Europe and Asia against the Allies (USA, Britain, Russia, and their allies). Fighting would happen on land, air, and sea, across desert, forest, jungle, mountain- few places were safe. Eventually repulsed, the Axis killed millions of civilians in horrific concentration camps- largely Jews- as they sought to re-mold the world to their vision. This, in addition to the standard horrors of war (military deaths, civilian casualties, food shortages, displaced populations, etc.). An estimated 70-80 million people died overall. A horrible time, indeed, looked at holistically in DK's Definitive Visual History.
This book is in the same style as DK's WWI volume- two pages per topic (which could be a battle, personality, technology, event, or related item of interest), chronologically presented and full of maps, pictures, and other visual aids. And as with the first book, this is well done and an excellent overview of the conflict. Highly recommended.
Rating: A
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