Keith D. Dickson, PhD, is a Professor of Military Studies at the Joint Forces Staff College, National Defense University. He is a retired Colonel, U.S. Army Special Forces.

Introduction: The Most Destructive War 1

About This Book 2

Conventions Used in This Book 3

How This Book Is Organized 4

Part 1: Origins and Causes of the War, 1919-1939 4

Part 2: Starting the War: The Axis Invades and Conquers, 1939-1942 4

Part 3: Behind Enemy Lines: Nations at War 5

Part 4: Planning and Launching the Allied Counterattack, 1942-1943 5

Part 5: The Long Haul, 1944 6

Part 6: Starting Over: The War's Aftereffects, 1945 6

Part 7: The Part of Tens 7

Icons Used in This Book 7

Where to Go from Here 8

Beyond the Book 8

Part 1: Origins and Causes of The War, 1919-1939 9

Chapter 1: World War II: Why It Matters and What You Need to Know 11

The War's Beginnings 12

The World War I peace agreement 12

The global economy 12

The rise of totalitarianism 13

The birth of Fascism and Nazism 13

The rise of Hitler 14

The British and French fear of another war 14

The isolationism of the United States 14

The empire building of Japan 14

Who's Who of Combatants 15

The Allies 15

The Axis 15

The Course of the War 16

Where in the World Was the World War Fought? 17

The battles in Europe 17

The battles in the Soviet Union 18

The battles in North Africa 18

The battles in the Pacific and in Southeast Asia 18

The battle in the Atlantic 18

The Effect of World War II 19

Chapter 2: The Great War and the Uneasy Peace: How World War II Happened 21

The End of One War and the Roots of Another 22

The victors and the spoils: The Treaty of Versailles 23

Woodrow Wilson's last card: The League of Nations 25

The world in the 1920s 26

Collapsing Economies: The Great Depression 32

The effect on countries' economies 32

The threat to democracy 32

Fascism and Nazism: Whose Bright Idea Was This? 33

Fascism in a nutshell - if only 33

Fascism in Italy 35

Nazism: Fascism with a twist 36

The Rise of Hitler 38

The putsch that failed 38

Mein Kampf 39

Hitler consolidates power 39

Creating the regime: The alpha wolf takes over 40

Nazi top brass: The rest of the pack 42

Japan and the Militarists: The Army Calls the Shots 47

The military acts 48

The fall of Japanese democracy 48

Japan takes control of China 49

Chapter 3: Hoping for Peace: The Rise of the Dictators, 1933-1939 51

The Steps to War: Taking Advantage of Circumstances 52

Rebuilding the army 52

Buying time 53

Forging an agreement with Poland 53

Reclaiming the Saar 54

Breaking treaties 54

Advancing into the Rhineland 54

Getting Aggressive: Italy Makes a War 55

Forging a Pact: The Axis Is Born 56

The Spanish Civil War: Fascism and Communism Clash 57

Germany: Using Diplomacy and Smoke Screens for War 58

Britain: Seeking Mediation and Appeasement 59

Austria and Czechoslovakia Catch Hitler's Eye 60

The Anschluss in Austria 60

Onward to Czechoslovakia 61

May I have more, please? 64

The diplomats - Did they do their job? 65

Part 2: Starting The War: The Axis Invades And Conquers, 1939-1942 67

Chapter 4: Invading Eastern Europe: Hitler's Power Grows, 1939 69

Czechoslovakia Disappears: Divvying Land and German Occupation 70

Chamberlain and Daladier wise up 71

Why wasn't I informed?! - Mussolini in the dark 71

Playing Both Sides of the Fence: Negotiations with the Soviets 72

Talks with Britain and France 72

Talks with Germany: The Nazi-Soviet pact 73

Talking Peace and Planning War: Hitler Finds an Excuse 76

Hitler's plans for Poland 76

On the brink - and beyond 76

Chapter 5: Blitzkrieg in Europe: World War II Begins, 1939-1941 79

The Invasion of Poland 80

The German onslaught 80

The Soviets enter the fray 81

A new style of warfare: The blitzkrieg 82

After Poland's defeat 82

Drawing the Line: Britain and France Declare War on Germany 83

British action - such that it was 84

French action: Patrolling the border 85

Fighting His Own War: Stalin Goes after Finland 85

Wave 1: Stalin faces the fighting Finns 86

Wave 2: Let's try this again 86

Anyone paying attention? The message of the Soviet-Finnish War 87

He's B-a-a-ck: Hitler Strikes Norway and Denmark 88

The plan 88

The attack and the resistance 88

Fighting with the hearts of lions: The Allies respond 89

Winners and losers 90

The Phony War: Using France to Get at Britain 91

The Germans: Making the most of unexpected delays 91

The Allies: You'd think that they would have been prepared 92

The first phase: Attacking the Low Countries 95

The second phase: The attack through the Ardennes Forest 95

The Allies: Stuck in Flanders 96

The Royal Navy to the rescue: Salvation at Dunkirk 96

France falls to Germany 97

Improving their position: The other dictators act 99

A British Epic: The Battle of Britain 100

Standing alone 100

Taking to the air: New considerations for aerial warfare 101

The not-so-friendly skies 102

Descending on London: The Luftwaffe Blitz 102

The Balkans: Mussolini's Mess and Hitler's New Target 103

Mussolini invades 103

Britain appears on the scene 103

Hitler jumps on the bandwagon 104

Greece falls to Germany 105

Capturing Crete from the air 106

The Italians Take Their Lumps All Over Africa 106

Running them out on a rail: The Italians surrender 107

Helping the Italians: Enter Rommel 108

Chapter 6: The Ultimate Battle: Hitler versus Stalin 109

If at First You Don't Succeed, Find Another Target 110

Why the Soviet Union? 110

Working the dream: Inside the Führer's mind 111

Laying the groundwork: Operation BARBAROSSA 112

Appeasing Germany: Stalin Is Clueless 112

Information Stalin ignored 113

Mistakes Stalin made 113

The Germans hit hard and fast 114

Forgetting What's Important: Hitler's Fatal Decision 116

Stalin rallies the Soviet people 118

The road to Moscow 118

New fire for the Soviets: Zhukov takes command 120

Corporal Hitler Takes Charge of the Eastern Front 120

Chapter 7: America on the Sidelines: 1933-1941 121

Looking Inward: A New President and a Neutral Stance 122

The Neutrality Act of 1935 and its extension 124

The Neutrality Act of 1937 124

The effect of the Neutrality Acts 124

Message from Japan 125

Bad Signs in Europe 126

Roosevelt Plays the Neutrality Game 126

France's Fall: America's Wake-up Call 127

Wheeling and dealing with Britain: Talkin' belligerent 127

Help thy neighbor: The Lend-Lease Act 128

American ships go out 129

Enough is enough: A neutral starts shooting 130

Chapter 8: Collision in Asia: Japan and America, 1937-1941 131

A Brief History of Politics in Japan 131

Building the Perfect Machine: Japan Thinks War 132

Choking China into surrender 132

Diplomatic chess: Japan's big plans 133

Oops! Miscalculations in diplomacy: Japan joins the Axis 134

A new guy takes over 134

Japan's gamble: How the war would go 135

Dancing diplomats: Japan and America do the two-step 136

War Comes to America: Pearl Harbor 137

The attack 138

The aftermath 138

Japanese gains 139

The U.S declares war on Japan 139

The Japanese Wage War 140

Malaya: The worst defeat in British history 140

The Dutch East Indies 141

"A hell of a beating" in Burma 142

Wake, Guam, and the Philippines 142

Ignoring the Writing on the Wall: MacArthur Fights 144

Giving the Allies hope: "I shall return" 145

Defeat and the Death March 146

Hitler Declares War on the Mongrel Race 146

Now It's a World War 147

Part 3: Behind Enemy Lines: Nations At War 149

Chapter 9: Maintaining Resources: The Axis 151

Nazi Germany 151

A well-fed German is a happy German 152

Spearheading the production process 152

Slave labor and other workers 153

Under the illusion: Morale 153

Resisting Hitler inside Germany 154

Unready and Unwilling: Fascist Italy 155

Wartime production 156

Struggling for labor 156

Wondering what to do: Morale 156

Believing in Victory: Imperial Japan 157

Taking control: Production 157

The Japanese labor force 158

The Emperor's new clothes: Morale 158

Chapter 10: Working Together: The Allies 159

Staying United: The United Kingdom 160

The Yanks are comin' again 160

Mobilizing manpower: Labor and the war effort 160

Keeping a stiff upper lip: British morale 161

Working Hard: The United States 161

Building the arsenal: The America triumph 162

Back home on the range: Morale 164

The dark side of American zeal: The internment camps 164

The Soviet Union 165

Staying alive: Production 166

Worked to death: Soviet labor 167

Becoming a world power: Morale 168

Chapter 11: The War against the Jews 169

The Rationale: Nazi Thinking 169

The Persecution Begins: Jews in Germany 170

Mobile Killing Units: The Einsatzgruppen 171

Deportation to Ghettos, Concentration Camps, and Death Camps 172

Life in the ghetto 173

Life in the...