The World Turns to War weaves stories of combat veterans into an event-by-event history of the war. Includes the words of veterans of all forces — in all theaters of operation. Illustrated by high-quality photographs, full-color images and detailed maps,

War Stories: World War II Firsthand™ is the only multi-volume history of the war to include hundreds of first-person interviews and oral history recollections of the soldiers on the ground, the sailors on the high seas and the airmen in the sky. Their words, augmented by quotes from military and political leaders and modern historical thought, give a complete picture of the war from those who fought it. This volume features firsthand recollections and perspectives from those who witnessed the Rise of Fascism in Europe, the invasion of Poland, and the 1940 German Blitzkrieg across Europe.

• Cover
• Title
• Dedication
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Introduction
• CHAPTER 1 Two Decades of Violence and Diplomacy
  • The Great War
  • Communism and Fascism
  • The Rise of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich
  • Warm-up for a World War – Ethiopia and Spain
  • Life in the Expanding Third Reich
  • Last Chance for Peace in Europe
• CHAPTER 2 The 1936 Olympic Games
  • The Controversial Site Selection for the 1936 Games
  • The Winter Games in Bavaria
  • Preparations for the Summer Games
  • The Summer Games in Berlin
• CHAPTER 3 The War Begins
  • The Invasion of Poland
  • War Comes to the Subarctic – The Winter War
  • The Phony War
  • The Invasion of Denmark and Norway
• CHAPTER 4 The Early Sea War in Europe
  • State of the Navies
  • Combat and Commerce Raiding on the High Seas
• CHAPTER 5 Blitzkrieg in Western Europe
  • Case Yellow/Operation Sickle Cut – The First Day
  • Sickle Cut– The Trap is Set
  • Cutting the Allied Armies in Two
  • The Dunkirk Evacuation
  • Defeat, Armistice and Control of France
• CHAPTER 6 Living Under Third Reich Occupation
  • A Selection of Eyewitness Accounts
• Credits and Acknowledgements
• Suggested Readings
• Image Credits