Armageddon

In Armageddon, one of Britain's most highly regarded historians tells the epic story of the bloody last eight months of the war in Europe. 'Hastings triumphs . . . he conveys brilliantly what fighting was like for those who had to do it' - David Stafford, The Times 'Masterly' - Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday In 1944 German forces suffered catastrophic defeats during the battles for Holland and the German border. Yet in the following weeks the ailing Wehrmacht was able to achieve one of the greatest military feats of the Second World War. The Germans regrouped and found the strength to halt the seemingly inexorable Allied advance, prolonging the war into 1945. Drawing on original research and fascinating individual experiences, Max Hastings's definitive account provides a fresh and gripping insight into the final twists and turns of the war, revealing how Europe's fate hung in the balance until the bitter end. 'Magisterial . . . Armageddon is a magnificent achievement' - Christopher Silvester, Financial Times

Max Hastings is a Sunday Times bestselling author who, between 1986 and 2002, served as editor-in-chief of The Daily Telegraph, then editor of the Evening Standard. In his youth he was a foreign correspondent for newspapers and BBC television and he has won many awards for his journalism and books. His books include Editor and Going to the Wars, covering his journalistic experiences, and Overlord, Das Reich, Bomber Command, Operation Biting, Abyss, All Hell Let Loose and Catastrophe. He was knighted in 2002 for services to journalism.

Introduction - i: Introduction Section - ii: The Principal Commanders and their Forces Chapter - 1: Time of Hope Chapter - 2: The Bridges to Arnhem Chapter - 3: The Frontiers of Germany Chapter - 4: The Russians at the Vistula Chapter - 5: Winter Quarters Chapter - 6: Germany Beseiged Chapter - 7: Hell in the Hurtgen Chapter - 8: The Bulge: An American Epic Chapter - 9: Stalin's Offensive Chapter - 10: Blood and Ice: East Prussia Chapter - 11: Firestorms: War in the Sky Chapter - 12: Marching on the Rhine Chapter - 13: Prisoners of the Reich Chapter - 14: Collapse in the West Chapter - 15: 'The Earth Will Shake As We Leave The Scene' Chapter - 16: The Bitter End Acknowledgements - iii: Acknowledgements Section - iv: Sources and References Index - v: Index