Poland 1939: The Outbreak of World War II

Poland 1939: The Outbreak of World War II

$15.00 AUD

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Author: Roger Moorhouse

Format: Paperback

Number of Pages: 432


An "exemplary" (Timothy Snyder, New York Times) history of the onset of World War II For Americans, World War II began in December 1941, with the bombing of Pearl Harbor; but for Europe, the war began on September 1, 1939, when Hitler's soldiers invaded Poland, followed later that month by Stalin's Red Army. The conflict that ensued saw the debut of many of the features that would come to define the later war--blitzkrieg, the targeting of civilians, ethnic cleansing, and indiscriminate aerial bombing--yet it is routinely overlooked by historians. In Poland 1939, Roger Moorhouse reexamines the least understood campaign of World War II, using original archival sources to provide a harrowing and very human account of the events that set the bloody tone for the conflict to come. Winner of the Polish Foreign Ministry History Prize Shortlisted for the 2020 Wellington Military History Medal



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Cliff Sweeting
Poland 1939: The Outbreak Of World War II

Not your stock-standard military history text. The author sets the scene by giving historical context to Germany's military activities on 1st September 1939. The manufactured Polish cross-border incidents and rather clumsy, amateurish efforts by the Nazis to portray Poland as a military threat, culminated in Hitler's order to invade. But the popular narrative of the brutally effective Blitzkrieg simply sweeping the inadequate Polish opposition to one side, is belied by Roger Moorhouse's account of the conflict. He includes eyewitness reports from Polish civilians, and soldiers from both sides. Particularly disturbing, is his description of how quickly the rules of warfare, and in particular the Geneva Accords, were ignored as the German occupation forces 'pacified' the conquered territory. A useful addition to the library for the student or amateur historian who seeks to look beyond the basic military details of an already well-documented campaign.

Description
Author: Roger Moorhouse

Format: Paperback

Number of Pages: 432


An "exemplary" (Timothy Snyder, New York Times) history of the onset of World War II For Americans, World War II began in December 1941, with the bombing of Pearl Harbor; but for Europe, the war began on September 1, 1939, when Hitler's soldiers invaded Poland, followed later that month by Stalin's Red Army. The conflict that ensued saw the debut of many of the features that would come to define the later war--blitzkrieg, the targeting of civilians, ethnic cleansing, and indiscriminate aerial bombing--yet it is routinely overlooked by historians. In Poland 1939, Roger Moorhouse reexamines the least understood campaign of World War II, using original archival sources to provide a harrowing and very human account of the events that set the bloody tone for the conflict to come. Winner of the Polish Foreign Ministry History Prize Shortlisted for the 2020 Wellington Military History Medal