ENDGAME, 1945: The Missing Final Chapter Of World War II.

black & grey hardbound 8vo. 8º (octavo). dustwrapper in protective plastic book jacket cover. vg cond. covers clean. couple of faint edge spots. couple of tiny corner creases. contents free of markings. dustwrapper in fine cond. not worn or torn or price clipped. nice clean copy. no library markings or store stamps, no stickers or bookplates, no names, no inking , no underlining, no remainder markings etc ~. first edition. first printing ( # 1 in # line). xx+581p. 2 b&w maps. glossy b&w photo illustrations. notes. bibliography. index. world history. world war ii. history of germany. third reich. ~ To conclude a history of World War II in Europe at VE Day~as most do~is to leave the story only partially told. A war does not end when the last of its pitched battles stops raging. Soldiers of the defeated forces face long stays as POWs, the wounded continue to die, parents search doggedly for their missing children, the victors embark on epic missions to hunt down enemy leaders, enduring peace must be made. In Endgame, 1945 acclaimed historian David Stafford fills the gaping hole in our knowledge of World War II, revealing how, for most people, VE Day was merely a brief pause in the action, and that horror and hardship lasted long after the Allies accepted Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender. Drawing upon diaries, letters, personal testimonies, and memoirs, Stafford brilliantly interweaves the lives of ordinary people with the machinations of military and political leaders to trace the elaborate web of events that led to the war's real resolution: the deaths of Hitler and Mussolini, the liberations of Buchenwald and Dachau, and the Allies' race against the Red Army to establish a victor's foothold in Europe. Along the way, we meet remarkable men and women such as Robert Ellis, a young American soldier fighting in Italy who attempts to keep his soul intact amid the brutality of battle; Robert Reid, a middle~aged war correspondent traveling with General George Patton's army; Reginald Roy, a Canadian soldier bravely fighting Nazi holdouts on the Dutch coast; and Francesca Wilson, a relief worker who tries desperately to assuage the suffering that warfare has brought upon the continent. Already hailed by critics as a masterpiece, Endgame, 1945 is narrative history at its most compelling~the riveting story of three turbulent months that shaped the modern world.…