Sealing Their Fate: 22 Days That Decided the Second World War - Hardcover

Downing, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847371310 ISBN 13: 9781847371317

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK, 2009

Synopsis

It took the Japanese fleet twenty-two days to sail from Japan to Pearl Harbor, the same twenty-two days that witnessed the German assault on Moscow and the Crusader battles in North Africa. The Germans failed to knock the Soviets out; the Japanese succeeded in bringing the Americans in. These twenty-two days sealed their mutual fate. With each chapter structured around one of the twenty-two days leading up to Pearl Harbor, SEALING THEIR FATE narrates the battles, the preparations for battle, the diplomatic manoeuvres and the intelligence wars. The story shifts from snowbound Russian villages to the stormy northern Pacific, from the North African desert to Europe's warring capitals, and from Tokyo to Washington. The book features a host of ordinary soldiers, sailors and airmen, and those political and military figures who played a key role in the war. Taking the momentum of the Japanese fleet, SEALING THEIR FATE works as an exciting countdown. Other countdowns -- the gradual halting of the German advance in Russia, the erosion of Rommel's resources in North Africa, the institutionalization of the Holocaust -- is worked into this basic structure. As Winston Churchill memorably remarked 'Hitler's fate was sealed. Mussolini's fate was sealed. As for the Japanese, they would be ground to powder. All the rest was merely the proper application of overwhelming force.'

About this title

About the Author

David Downing is the author of numerous books, including military histories, alternate histories, biographies, and political thrillers. He divides his time between the United States and England.

Review

Kirkus Reviews, 4/15/09
“Downing offers a dark, captivating hindsight analysis with plenty of action...The densely plotted narrative is sure to please military aficionados.”

Publishers Weekly, 4/6/09
“Mak[es] a provocative case...The originality of Downing’s argument is the strength of his indictment.”

Library Journal, 5/1/09
“Entwining the various stories gives a sense of the vastness of the theater....For dedicated World War II afficionados.”

Associated Press, 6/8/09
“Shows how World War II history can be sliced and diced endlessly—and still seem fresh and interesting. Downing manages this with skillful selection of source material and a brisk narrative that all comes together.”

Naval District Waterline, dcmilitary.com, 6/18/09
“Downing does a marvelous job...Readers will be immersed...This book is a delight.”

Booklist Online, 7/6/09
“[Downing] presents a cogent argument worthy of consideration.”

America in WWII, October 2009
“Downing’s account of the diplomatic chess game waged between Japan and the United States is very instructional...The goal of Downing’s book is to tie together various operations in motion in the marble halls of the US State Department, on the frozen ground outside Moscow, in the waters of the Pacific, and on the sand in Cyrenaica. He does this with a quick-paced writing style that holds the reader’s attention. Relying almost exclusively on secondary sources, he provides an engaging overview of events that will serve many readers as a good introduction to World War II.”

Roanoke Times, 8/16/09
“The history is accurate, and the author's fine sense of prose makes this an enjoyable and interesting read...Excellent presentation of three disparate but key historical events that constitute a portion of the totality of WWII's history...A good book.”

WNTI radio (NJ) website, 8/17/09
“Gives us a fresh and unique perspective on three crucial weeks...[A] fine book.”

Charleston Post and Courier, 8/9/09
“Packed with details of the ongoing battlefronts in Russia, the North African desert, U-boats in the Atlantic and the fruitless diplomatic discussions between the U.S. and Japan...An empathic narrative of the human waste of war.”

Magill Book Reviews
“Engaging...Downing’s account moves quickly, more like a fast-paced novel than a traditional, ponderous history...His method is effective and ultimately engrossing.”

Military Officer, May issue
“[A] dramatic World War II History.”

Reference & Research Book News, November 2010
“Offers a day-to-day narrative of those crucial three weeks.”

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1847371310
• ISBN 13: 9781847371317
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384