All Hell Let Loose: The World At War, 1939-1945

Hardcover. Pub Date: 2011-09-29. 768 pages. English. HarperPress. A magisterial history of the greatest and most terrible event in history. from one of the finest historians of the Second World War. Showcasing the impact of war upon hundreds of millions of people around the world—soldiers, sailors, airmen, housewives, farm workers, and children. Reflecting Max Hastings's thirty-five years of research on World War II, All Hell Let Loose describes the course of events but focuses chiefly upon the human experience, which varied immensely from campaign to campaign and continent to continent. The author emphasizes the Russian front, where more than 90% of all German soldiers who perished met their fate. He argues that, while Hitler's army often fought its battles brilliantly, the Nazis conducted their war effort with stunning incompetence.