Battlefields of the Second World War by Richard Holmes

Battlefields of the Second World War by Richard Holmes

This study of war skillfully clarifies the complexities of four major World War II military campaigns: El Alamein, Monte Cassino (Italy), Operation Market Garden (of which Arnhem formed a crucial part), and the Battle of Britain (the RAF's bomber offensive against Germany). The book originates in Holmes's conviction that the sacrifices made by British service personnel are not properly understood. It uses eye-witness accounts to illuminate the horror, confusion and sheer enormity of war, and puts this in the wider context of the conflict's broader strategy. As the 20th century, so deeply marked by war, slips away, this is the time to recognize the price that so many of its men and women paid for freedom.

Richard Holmes is everyone's favourite television battlefield guideHaving already taken us on two TV tours of Europe's most famous battlefields, he now embarks on a third tour of duty in a four-part series called Battle Honours to be broadcast on BBC2. This time, he looks at four major areas of combat in the Second World War, namely Alamein where the jetsam of war still lies in the desert, the attrition of Cassino in Italy where the monastery has been lovingly restored, Arnhem with those bridges, and the horrific impact of the RAF bombing offensive against Germany, both in loss of aircrew and ruination on the ground. In the programmes and the accompanying book, Holmes recreates the experience of what it was like to be involved in this combat through letters, diaries and interviews with veterans awarded campaign medals for their heroism. The previous two books of his TV series have gone on to become bestsellers, so no doubt we can expect the same from this title.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780563537823
ISBN 10	0563537825
Title	Battlefields of the Second World War
Author	Richard Holmes
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Ebury Publishing
Year published	2001-05-03
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.