World War II Before the Outcome (Paperback)

Paperback. The outcome is known. The decisions were not.Why did Britain reject mediation in 1940? Why did Japan choose a war it could begin but could not control? When did an escape from Stalingrad cease to be a real option? And how should responsibility be judged when policy becomes routine?World War II Before the Outcome reconstructs twelve pivotal choices as they appeared to the people who had to make them-before victory, defeat, and hindsight simplified the evidence.Each chapter separates: what was known from what was merely believed, real alternatives from plans that existed only on paper, strategic value from operational feasibility, and responsibility from the machinery through which orders were carried out.From Mers-el-Kebir, Pearl Harbor, Midway, and Stalingrad to D-Day, Warsaw, Luzon, and the atomic bombings, Thomas Norwick examines how intelligence, logistics, coalition politics, timing, and moral responsibility shaped what was genuinely possible.This is not a general history of the war. It is a concise study of judgment under uncertainty-for readers of military history and strategy who want to understand not only what happened, but why intelligent people sometimes made catastrophic choices. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…