World War II Almanac

World War II Almanac

“The Victory achieved in World War II is one of America’s proudest memories and a touchstone of national identity,” writes Keith D. Dickson, author of the World War II Almanac. Of course, the story of the great clash of Allied and Axis powers has been told many times. Here, though, the author tries to tell the story in a new way, as a “chronicle of the daily events that represented the collective experience” of the more than 16 million Americans who served in the war worldwide.

As Dickson notes, the danger of this approach is that “a chronology can create an impression of detachment from the reality of warfare.” It can make the war seem monotonous. Yet between the great battles like Pearl Harbor and D-Day were the “dangerous daily tasks” of the war. The author points out that these missions were never routine, and there were casualties associated with even the smallest of them.

Organizationally, the Almanac contains two main sets of entries, entitled Atlantic and Pacific, which deal with strategic decisions in the battle against fascism in Europe and Japanese imperialism in Asia. After each strategic entry are entries for the subordinate theaters of operations, dealing with the activities of fleets, army corps, and the like. These are followed by entries for subordinate geographical regions, addressing specific deployments and combat actions of ships, aircraft, divisions, regiments, battalions, companies and occasionally reaching down to the activity of an individual soldier, sailor, or marine, in stories drawn from the citations for the highest American medal for valor, the Medal of Honor.

And so the Almanac offers a complete day-by-day chronology, from the first entry for October 28, 1922, the Italian Fascist Party’s “March on Rome” under the leadership of Benito Mussolini, which led to his appointment as premier two days later, to the last entry, for November 19, 1945, when Eisenhower replaced Marshall as chief of staff of the army. This last entry ends tellingly: “The JCS [Joint Chiefs of Staff] initiates contingency planning for nuclear war with the Soviet Union.”

The Almanac also includes biographies of key American leaders, specifications for all of the weapons employed in the war, extensive maps, and of course a list of the losses, in material and lives. It also includes a complete list of all 464 American servicemen who received the Medal of Honor during the war.

Ultimately, the World War II Almanac not only helps the reader gain an appreciation for the enormous scope and complexity of the war, but as Dickson notes, the entries in this chronicle “represent men both collectively and individually facing fears, gathering their courage, and doing what was required of them. More often than not, they did the impossible.” Additional 99¢ shipping charge.

Hardcover: 1344 pages

Publisher: Facts On File Inc. ( May 01, 2008 )

Item #: 23-4857

ISBN: 9780816079131

Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 9.25 x 0.0 inches

Product Weight: 82.0 ounces