World War II Art History Series. Volume 8. The Great Counterattack

Author: Compiled by the editorial team of "War Illustrated" magazine in the UK, translated by Wang Zhiwen et al.
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: This exquisite series, which compiles all current World War II materials for re-publication, has become the most comprehensive and vivid publication in history to document World War II. Volume 8 of "The Illustrated History of World War II" includes issues 181 to 205, covering the period from May 1944 to April 1945. As mentioned in the previous volume, the focus of this volume is the successful cooperation and a series of far-reaching, unprecedented victories achieved by the Allies. France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece, most of Italy, as well as parts of the Netherlands and Yugoslavia were liberated. The Siegfried Line was completely shattered, and the Saar and Ruhr regions became vulnerable under Allied artillery fire. From the D-Day landings to crossing the Rhine nine months later, from the final liberation of the Soviet homeland to the heroic Soviet army's siege of Berlin and Vienna, the Allies advanced victoriously. In Burma, the distinguished Fourteenth Army overcame numerous difficulties and pushed southward, recapturing Mandalay and driving the Japanese invaders into a hasty retreat. On the densely populated Pacific front, General MacArthur captured the Philippines and returned in triumph. With nowhere left to hide, the enemy watched in despair as their once-proud navy was utterly defeated, Allied warships entered their waters, and Allied forces landed on Japanese territory and the Japanese capital, Tokyo, engulfed in flames from aerial bombardments. Politically, the focus of this period was the Yalta Conference held in February 1945. At this conference, it was unanimously agreed upon a plan for Western victory and peace, drafted by Mr. Churchill, President Roosevelt, and Marshal Stalin, and the decision to hold the United Nations Conference in April was announced. In March, our Prime Minister announced to the British forces in Germany: "Anyone can see that a well-executed full-scale offensive could end the war in Europe, defeat authoritarianism, and open the door to peace, allowing us to return to our homeland." At the end of this volume, we describe the Allied forces on the Western Front crossing the Rhine and advancing into the heart of Hitler's ever-shrinking Third Reich.