1942: Crux of War

At the beginning of 1942, the Axis powers appeared to be ascendant across the globe as Axis victories pushed the Allies to the brink of defeat in World War II. Japan achieved a stunning attack on the Americans at Pearl Harbor, the German Wehrmacht occupied large portions of the Soviet Union, and Italian and German forces steadily advanced across North Africa. However, military historian Parshall (Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway) argues that 1942 was the war’s turning point toward Allied victory. Instead of identifying one decisive moment, Parshall posits that multiple smaller victories taken together turned the war in the Allies’ favor. By the end of 1942, Axis forces had been defeated at El Alamein, Guadalcanal, and Stalingrad. Allied leaders displayed notable resilience and the ability to adapt to the demands of total war. This remarkable synthesis is organized by month for the entire year and covers the main theaters: the air war, Battle of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, Eastern Front, and the Pacific. An introductory chapter sets the stage for the state of the war in December 1941.