In the annals of World War II, certain groups of soldiers stand out, and among the most notable were the Sherwood Rangers. Originally a cavalry unit in the last days of horses in combat, whose officers were landed gentry leading men who largely worked for them, they were switched to the “mechanized cavalry” of tanks in 1942. Winning acclaim in the North African campaign, the Sherwood Rangers then spearheaded one of the D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944, led the way across France, were the first British troops to cross into Germany, and contributed mightily to Germany’s surrender in May 1945. Acclaimed WWII historian James Holland memorably profiles an extraordinary group of citizen soldiers constantly in harm’s way.

On July 10, 1943, the largest amphibious invasion ever mounted took place, larger even than the Normandy invasion 11 months later: 160,000 American, British and Canadian troops came ashore or were parachuted onto Sicily, signaling the start of the campaign to defeat Nazi Germany on European soil. Operation HUSKY, as it was known, was enormously complex, involving dramatic battles on land, in the air and at sea. Yet, despite its paramount importance to ultimate Allied victory, very little has been written about the 38-day Battle for Sicily. James Holland’s SICILY ’43 offers a vital new perspective on a major turning point in World War II and a chronicle of a multi-pronged campaign in a uniquely diverse and contained geographical location.

Drawing freshly on widespread archives and on the testimonies of eyewitnesses, James Holland relates the extraordinary planning that made Allied victory in France possible during World War II. The brutal landings on the five beaches and subsequent battles across the plains and through the lanes and hedgerows of Normandy come vividly to life in conferences where the strategic decisions of Eisenhower, Rommel, Montgomery and other commanders were made, and through the memories of paratrooper Lieutenant Dick Winters of Easy Company, British corporal and tanker Reg Spittles, Thunderbolt pilot Archie Maltbie, German ordnance officer Hans Heinze, French resistance leader Robert Leblanc, and many others.

During the third week of February 1944, the combined Allied air forces based in Britain and Italy launched their first round-the-clock bomber offensive against Germany. Their goal: to smash the main factories and production centers of the Luftwaffe while also drawing German planes into an aerial battle of attrition to neutralize the Luftwaffe as a fighting force prior to the cross-channel invasion, planned for a few months later. Officially called Operation ARGUMENT, this aerial offensive quickly became known as “Big Week,” and it was one of the turning-point engagements of World War II. In BIG WEEK, acclaimed World War II historian James Holland chronicles the massive air battle through the experiences of those who lived and died during it.

By June 1941, Germany’s war machine looked unstoppable. The Nazi blitzkrieg had taken Poland, France and the Netherlands with shocking speed. The Luftwaffe had bombed London, while German U-boats wrought havoc on Allied shipping on the Atlantic. And yet, as James Holland shows in THE ALLIES STRIKE BACK, cracks were already appearing in Germany’s apparent invincibility. When the Americans entered the war in the west, Hitler was bogged down with a savage war of attrition as he attempted to invade the Soviet Union. The Allies soon stormed to victory in North Africa and escalated the bombing of Germany, fatefully turning the tides of the war and threatening the morale of the Third Reich.

In THE RISE OF GERMANY, the first of a major new three-part history of World War II in the West, James Holland weaves together the experiences of dozens of individuals --- from civilians and infantrymen, to line officers, military strategists, diplomats and heads of state --- as well as war strategy, tactics, and the economic, political and social aspects of the war to create a captivating book that redefines and enhances our understanding of one of the most significant conflicts in history.