In the course of the 20th century, no war looms as profoundly transformative or as destructive as World War II. Its global scope and human toil reveal the true face of modern, industrialised warfare. Now, for the first time, we have a comprehensive, single-volume account of how and why this global conflict evolved as it did. This book is a history of the Second World War that tells the full story of battle on land, on sea, and in the air. The authors analyse the operations and tactics that defined the conduct of the war in both the European and Pacific theatres. Moving between the war room and the battlefield, we see how strategies were crafted and revised, and how the multitudes of combat troops struggled to discharge their orders. The authors present incisive portraits of the military leaders, on both sibs of the struggle, demonstrating the ambiguities they faced, the opportunities they took, and those they missed. Throughout, we see the relationship between the actual operations of the war and their political and moral implications. This book is the result of decades of research by two of America's premier military historians. It avoids a celebratory view of the war but preserves a profound respect for the problems the allies faced and overcame as well as a realistic assessment of the axis accomplishments and failures. This history of World War II - from the Sino-Japanese War in 1937 to the surrender of Japan in 1945, should be of interest to students, scholars, and general readers alike.