"Acclaimed WWII historian James Holland both narrates and reframes the controversial first months of the Italian Campaign and sets a new standard in the chronicling of war. Following victory in Sicily, while the central command planned the spring 1944 invasion of France, Allied troops crossed into southern Italy in September 1943, expecting to drive Axis forces north and liberate Rome by Christmas. Italy quickly surrendered but German divisions fiercely...

During the third week of February 1944, the combined Allied air forces based in Britain and Italy launched their first round-the-clock bomber offensive against Germany. Their goal: to smash the main factories and production centers of the Luftwaffe while also drawing German planes into an aerial battle of attrition to neutralize the Luftwaffe as a fighting force prior to the cross-channel invasion, planned for a few months later. Officially called...

"James Holland's The Rise of Germany, the first volume in his War in the West trilogy, was widely praised for Holland's impeccable research and narrative skills. With a wealth of characters from across the western theatre of WWII, Holland told a captivating story and used new research to challenge our assumptions and reframe our understanding of this momentous conflict. As The Rise of Germany ended, the Nazi war machine looked to be unstoppable. Germany...

" In The Rise of Germany, the first of a major new three-part history of World War II in the West, he weaves together the experiences of dozens of individuals, from civilians and infantrymen, to line officers, military strategists, diplomats, and heads of state, as well as war strategy, tactics, and the economic, political, and social aspects of the war to create a captivating book that redefines and enhances our understanding of one of the most significant...

Private Johnny Hawke, aged sixteen, lies about his age so that he can join the army. In 1940 he faces artillery fire at Dunkirk Johnny's platoon must help hold the town of Cassel for as long as possible to allow the British Expeditionary Force to reach Dunkirk where boats are waiting to take them to safety in Britain. Suggested level: intermediate, secondary.