The Second World War

LIST OF MAPS xvii

TABLES xviii

PREFACE xix

INTRODUCTION 1

I The Antagonists their Human and Economic Potential 1

II The Navies 2

III The Land Forces 7

IV The Air Forces 8

V Causes of the Democratic Countries Shortcomings 11

VI Moral Forces 13

VII Strategic Plans 17

VIII Italian Non Belligerence 19

IX The Insoluble Problem of Belgium 20

Book One The War in Europe September 1939 June 1941

PART I THE PRELUDE IN POLAND AND SCANDINAVIA

Chapter 1 The Obliteration of Poland from the Map of Europe

I Hitlers Total War 29

II The Deployment of the German and Polish Forces 31

III Blitzkrieg in Poland 33

IV French Inaction The Saar Offensive 35

V The Partition of Poland 37

VI Polands Martyrdom Begins 38

Chapter 2 The Phoney War

I Hitler and Peace 41

II Relations between Germany and the USSR 43

III The Finnish Soviet Conflict 45

IV Mussolinis Hesitation 49

V Franco British Determination 51

VI Allied Relations with Belgium and Holland 53

VII Allied Plans in the Balkans 58

VIII The Proposal to Attack Oil Sources in the Caucasus 60

IX Allied Plans in Scandinavia 62

X The War at Sea The Blockade 64

XI The Phoney War 66

XII The Neutrals 68

Chapter 3 The War in Norway

I The Opponents Plans 70

II The Occupation of Denmark 72

III The Operations in Norway 73

IV The Struggle for Narvik 76

V The Norwegian Resistance 77

VI Consequences of the German Victory in Norway 79

PART II THE DEFEAT OF FRANCE

Chapter 1 Plans and Forces of the Antagonists in May 1940

I Hitlers Views 83

II The German Plans 84

III The Allied Plans 87

IV The German Forces 88

V The Allied Forces 89

VI Armoured Vehicles 92

VII The Air Forces 94

Chapter 2 The Breakthrough at Sedan

I The Invasion of Holland 96

II The Belgian Forces and Plans 97

III The Chasseurs Ardennais 99

IV The Fighting in Belgium 100

V The Crossing of the Ardennes 101

VI The Battle of Sedan 103

VII The Allied Counter Attacks 105

VIII The Wehrmachts Progress towards the Sea 108

Chapter 3 The French Collapse

I The Changes in the French Command 111

II Weygands Plan 113

III The Ypres Conference 115

IV The Execution of Weygands Plan 117

V The Halt of the German Armoured Units 118

VI The Belgian Capitulation 120

VII The Dunkirk Evacuation 121

VIII The Battles on the Somme and the Aisne 124

Chapter 4 The Armistice

I The Exodus 129

II The Rout 130

III The French Governments Deliberations 132

IV Was the Armistice Unavoidable 136

V Petains Ideas 137

VI Request for Germanys Terms 138

VII Hitlers Ideas on the Armistice 139

VIII The Signing of the Convention at Rethondes 141

PART III BRITAIN STANDS ALONE

Chapter 1 The Battle of Britain

I Hitler after his Victory 147

II British Determination Winston Churchill 148

III Mers El Kebir 149

IV Operation Sea Lion 151

V The Battle of Britain 152

VI The Mobilisation of the Commonwealth 154

VII The Exiled Governments Free France 156

VIII The Involvement of the United States 157

Chapter 2 The Birth of Hitlers Europe

I Hitlers Ideas 162

II Central Europe 164

III Western Europe 167

IV The Vichy Government 169

V The Application of the Armistice Convention 171

VI The Exploitation of France 172

VII The Policy of Collaboration 173

VIII The National Revolution 174

IX Spain 175

Chapter 3 The Fighting in Africa and the Balkans

I The Battle of the Atlantic 177

II Naval Warfare in the Mediterranean The Antagonists 179

III The Problem of Malta 181

IV The Naval Battles in the Mediterranean 182

V The War in East Africa 183

VI Italian Setbacks in Libya 184

VII Italian Setbacks in Greece 186

VIII German and British Intervention in Greece 188

IX The Crushing of Yugoslavia 189

X Greece Crushed 190

XI The Battle of Crete 192

XII The Successes of Rommel and the Africa Korps 194

XIII The War in Syria 195

XIV The State of the War in June 1941 196

Book Two The World War June 1941 January 1943

PART I THE GREATER REICH

Chapter 1 The Break Between Germany and Russia

I Hitlers Decision 203

II German Soviet Relations 205

III Hitlers Reasons 206

IV Was Stalin Caught Unawares 207

V Hitlers Objectives 209

VI The Wehrmachts Forces and Plans 211

VII Hitler as War Leader 212

VIII The USSRs Forces and Plans 214

Chapter 2 The Wehrmachts Victories in the USSR

I The Surprise Attack 216

II The German Blitzkrieg 217

III The Battles of Leningrad and Moscow 219

IV Winter 1941 2 223

V The German Offensive of Spring 1942 Objectives and Disposition of Forces 225

VI The German Offensive and its Victories 227

VII The Caucasus and Stalingrad 229

VIII The German Occupation in the USSR Principles and Organisations 230

IX The Administration of the Conquered Areas 232

X Economic Exploitation 234

XI Terror as a System of Government 236

Chapter 3 The Domination of Europe

I Consequences of the War in the USSR 239

II Political Domination 243

III The Status of Nazi Europe 245

IV The Greater Reichs Finances 247

V Economic Exploitation 249

VI The Security of the Reich 252

VII Polands Martyrdom 255

Chapter 4 Concentration Camps and Genocide

I Nazi Anti Semitism 258

II The SS 260

III The Concentration Camps 262

IV The Fate of the Jews 266

V The Madagascar Scheme 267

VI The Ghettoes 268

VII The Final Solution to the Jewish Problem 269

VIII Did the Jews Allow themselves to be Massacred 271

IX The Silence of the Vatican 273

Chapter 5 Collaboration

I The Volksdeutsche 276

II Goebbels Propaganda 277

III The Collaborators in Occupied Europe 279

IV The Satellites 283

V Collaboration in the Soviet Union 284

VI The Vichy Regime and Collaboration 287

VII The Friendship of Spain 290

VIII Swedish Supplies 291

Chapter 6 Resistance Movements Begin

I The Methods of the Resistance Fighters 293

II The Allies and the Resistance 295

III Resistance in Western Europe 297

IV The French Resistance 299

V Resistance in Central Europe 301

VI The Resistance in the Balkans 304

PART II JAPANS GREATER ASIA

Chapter 1 The Break Between Japan and the United States

I Japanese Imperialism 309

II The China War 310

III Developments in Japanese Policy 312

IV The Development of American Policy 315

V The Japanese American Negotiations 317

VI The Attack on Pearl Harbour 321

Chapter 2 Japans Lightning War

I The Japanese Forces 326

II Conduct of the War in Japan 328

III The Allied Forces 329

IV American Strategy and High Command 331

V Nature of the War in the Pacific 332

VI The Japanese Plans 334

VII The Early Japanese Successes 336

VIII The Conquest of the Philippines 337

IX The Conquest of the Dutch East Indies 338

X The Conquest of Malaya and Singapore 339

XI The Burma Campaign 340

XII Japans Defensive Perimeter Extended 341

Chapter 3 The Sphere of Co prosperity

I The Japanese Empire 345

II Local Nationalist Movements 348

III Indonesia 349

IV China under the Chungking Government 352

V Communist China 354

PART III THE WATERSHED OF THE WAR

Chapter 1 A Balance of Forces in the War at Sea

I The Organisation of the American Command in the Pacific 359

II The Coral Sea and Midway 360

III Guadalcanal 362

IV American Submarine Operations in the Pacific 363

V German Submarine Successes in the Atlantic 364

VI Alarming Outlook for the Allies 366

VII Convoy Protection 367

VIII Towards a Balance of Forces in the Battle of the Atlantic 369

Chapter 2 The Germans Halted in Africa

I Italian Weakness 371

II Rommels Recovery 372

III The Afrika Korps Offensive towards Egypt 374

IV The Pause at El Alamein The British Preparations 376

V The Battle of El Alamein 378

VI Operation Torch the Allied Decision 381

VII The Preparations in North Africa 384

VIII The Landing 387

IX Results of Operation Torch 393

Chapter 3 The Battle of Stalingrad

I The German Offensive 394

II Preparations for a Soviet Counter Offensive 396

III The Encirclement of the German Sixth Army 399

IV Von Mansteins Counter Offensive 401

V The Causes of the German Defeat 402

VI The Death Throes of Paulus Army 404

VII The Soviet Winter Offensive 1942 3 406

VIII The Importance of the Victory of Stalingrad 407

Book Three The Defeat of Italy

PART I THE ALLIED WAR MACHINE

Chapter 1 The Anglo American War

I The British Conduct of the War 415

II The American Conduct of the War 416

III Anglo American Co operation 418

IV The Atlantic Charter 420

V The Adoption of a Combined Strategy 421

VI Unconditional Surrender 424

VII Italy the Next Allied Objective 425

Chapter 2 The American Arsenal

I Choices and Programmes 428

II Economic Mobilisation 430

III Economic Stability 433

IV Manpower 435

V Americas Might 436

VI Lend Lease 439

VII Latin America 440

VIII British War Production 443

IX The Commonwealth 446

Chapter 3 The Soviet War

I The Conduct of the War 451

II Stalins Role 453

III Russian Neo Nationalism 455

IV The Dissolution of the Comintern 456

V The Soviet Union and the Communist Parties 458

VI Soviet Economic Losses through the Occupation 460

VII The Evacuation of Factories Eastwards 461

VIII The Human Effort 463

IX War Production in the USSR 467

Chapter 4 The Strange Alliance

I The Relationship between Churchill Roosevelt and Stalin 470

II The Anglo Russian Alliance 472

III Lend Lease and the USSR 474

IV The Problem of the Second Front 477

V The Polish Problem before Stalingrad 479

VI The Polish Problem after Stalingrad 481

VII Secret Negotiations 483

PART II THE ITALIAN SURRENDER

Chapter 1 The End of the War in Africa

I French Indecision in Tunisia 487

II The Tunisian Campaign 490

III Darlans Reign 493

IV General Girauds Government 494

V The French National Liberation Committee 496

VI The Rebirth of the French Army 499

VII Towards a French Recovery 501

VIII The Empire its Development 502

Chapter 2 Italy Surrenders

I The Sicilian Campaign 507

II The Collapse of Fascist Italy 509

III The Italian Resistance 513

IV The Plot against Mussolini 516

V The Fall of Mussolini 518

VI The Italian Surrender 520

VII The War in the Italian Peninsula 524

VIII The Liberation of Corsica 525

IX The Division of Italy 527

Book Four The Defeat of Germany

PART I THE ALLIED OFFENSIVE

Chapter 1 The Bombing of Germany

I The Financing of the Nazi War 535

II The Organisation of the German War Economy 537

III The Manpower Problems 538

IV Speers Priorities 540

V German Aircraft Production 542

VI The British and the Bombing of Germany 545

VII The Americans and Carpet Bombing 546

VIII The Effectiveness of the Bombing 548

Chapter 2 The Soviet Offensive The Teheran Conference July 1943 May 1944

I Hitler and the War in the USSR 554

II Soviet Warfare 556

III Operation Citadel 559

IV The Affray at Prokhorovka 561

V The Soviet Summer and Autumn Offensive 1943 562

VI The Big Three at Teheran 563

VII The Decisions Taken at Teheran The Second Front 565

VIII The Polish Problem 566

IX The German Problem 568

X The Soviet Winter and Spring Offensive 1944 569

XI Partisan Warfare 571

XII Soviet Espionage 574

Chapter 3 Soviet Victories The Desatellisation of Greater Germany June December 1944

I Alarm amongst the Satellites 576

II The Committee for Free Germany 578

III The Red Army Summer Offensive of 1944 Finland 580

IV Poland 581

V The Warsaw Uprising 583

VI Czechoslovakia 586

VII Romania 588

VIII Bulgaria 590

IX Yugoslavia 590

X Hungary 592

XI The Agreement of October 1944 between Churchill and Stalin 594

XII Greece 596

Chapter 4 The War in Italy September 1943 December 1944

I The Military Operations 599

II The Allies and Italy 601

III The Salo Republic 603

IV The Liberation Committees 605

V The Partisans 607

VI The dispute between British and Americans over Strategy 609

Chapter 5 The Liberation of France

I The Allied Victory in the Atlantic 612

II The Command of Overlord 614

III The Preparation of Overlord 616

IV The Disparity between the Forces Involved 618

V Preparations for D Day 620

VI D Day 621

VII The Battle of Normandy 624

VIII The Battle of France 626

IX The Action of the Resistance 628

X The Advance to the Seine Falaise 632

XI The Allies and the Provisional Government 635

XII The Liberation of Paris 637

XIII The Decision to Land in the Mediterranean 638

XIV French Participation 640

XV The Landing of August 15 641

XVI The Rhone Campaign 643

XVII Liberated France 645

XVIII The French Revival 647

XIX The Fighting of Autumn 1944 649

PART II THE CAPITULATION OF GERMANY

Chapter 1 The Final Convulsions of the Nazi Reich

I German Opposition to Hitler 655

II The Putsch of July 20 1944 657

III Nazi Fanaticism 659

IV Germanys Secret Weapons 660

V Hitlers Last Throw 664

Chapter 2 The Yalta Conference

I The Circumstances and Atmosphere of the Conference 668

II The Fate of Defeated Germany 670

III The Polish Problem 672

IV The War Against Japan 674

V The United Nations Organisation 675

VI Conclusions on the Yalta Conference 677

Chapter 3 The Death Throes of Nazi Germany

I The Soviet Offensive of January February 1945 680

II The Anglo American Discussions the Malta Conference 683

III The Colmar Pocket the Battle of the Rhineland 684

IV The Crossing of the Rhine the Battle of the Ruhr 690

V The Battle of Budapest the USSR and South east Europe 691

VI Churchills Anxieties and Proposals 693

VII The Battle of Berlin 697

VIII The End of the Fighting in Italy 698

IX The End of the Fighting in Germany 699

X The German Surrender 701