1941: The Year Germany Lost the War

"By 1941, Nazi armies were ruling Europe, bombing London, and sinking British and American ships. The U.S. was undeclared and Britain was alone. But Nagorski shows that Hitler's grave miscalculations had already assigned Germany to ruin. By the end of that year Hitler had taken almost every wrong decision possible and though the fighting went on until 1945, Germany was already vanquished. As Nagorski demonstrated in The Greatest Battle, the Germans lost their first major battle in 1940 because Hitler meddled with and overruled his generals. Throughout 1941, Hitler continued to indulge his ego and make disastrous decisions. By invading the USSR he brought the Soviets to the Eastern Front. By declaring war on the U.S. he added the power of the U.S. to the Western Front. England was no longer alone. The Americans launched their attacks from its shores. The German's brutal treatment of the Russia and Polish POWs and citizens energized their will to fight back. The Year that Germany Lost the War is a stunning portrait of leadership. Churchill elegantly holding a battered Britain together; FDR biding his time until American forces can come aide the allies; Stalin fighting brutally, but enslaving Eastern Europe and planning a Cold War. And Hitler dragging his nation to physical and moral ruin before he took his life in ignominy."--Provided by publisher.

Andrew Nagorski