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The Historical Atlas of World War II: 170 Maps that Chart the Most Cataclysmic Event in Human History (Historical Atlas Series) Paperback – March 3, 2020

by Alexander Swanston (Author), Malcolm Swanston (Author)

4.6 155 ratings

Historical Atlas of World War II examines all the key events of the six-year conflict, with thoroughly researched text accompanied by 170 highly detailed maps. Incredible multimedia profiles of World War II's most significant battles make Historical Atlas of World War II the next best thing to a time machine.

With realistic maps, detailed accounts, and vibrant illustrations, the book transports the reader to famous World War II battles. Using state-of-the-art technology, special microchips translated the contours of two-dimensional maps of battlefields into realistic renderings of actual landscapes. Illustrators then overlaid these maps with all of the information at their fingertips—troop movement, weapon deployment, terrain conditions, and weather. The book brings to bear all the other available details of each battle, including battle plans, troop formations, strikes and counter strikes, and troop strength. From this bird's-eye vantage point, the reader is able to piece together the big picture of the six-year war and analyze the tactics and strategies at play. Historical Atlas of World War II also includes profiles of the commanders, outlining their abilities and backgrounds.

Coupled with hundreds of colorful illustrations, the book's detailed maps and wealth of information put the reader in the shoes of a soldier at the D-Day assault on Omaha beach, the Battle of the Bulge, and the US dive-bomber attack on Japanese aircraft carriers. Prepare to see one of the most significant wars of the twentieth century as you've never seen it before.

Take a journey through history with the Historical Atlas Series. Perfect for any history buff, these beautifully illustrated collections explore the vast histories of different civilizations and historical events. Packed to the brim with incredible maps and charts based on the latest research, anyone can find themselves an expert on the topics covered.
Other titles in this series include: Historical atlas of Judaism, Historical Atlas of Knights and Castles, Historical Atlas of Native Americans, Historical Atlas of North American Railroads, Historical Atlas of The Bible, Historical Atlas of The Celtic World, Historical Atlas of the Civil War, Historical Atlas of World War II, Historical Atlas of Prehistoric Life, Historical Atlas of Religion, Historical Atlas of The Civil War, Historical Atlas of the World at War, and Historical Atlas of Weaponry.

Print length

400 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Chartwell Books
Publication date

March 3, 2020
Dimensions

8.4 x 1.15 x 10.65 inches
ISBN-10

0785836497
ISBN-13

978-0785836490
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From the Publisher

DUNKIRK 1940

After the German attacks on 10 May 1940, the rapid advance, particularly of the Panzer divisions, made a nonsense of the Allied defense plan. By 15 May the British and the Belgians were being outflanked in the north by German advances in the Netherlands. Appearing out of the Ardennes Forest, German Army Group A crossed the River Meuse at Sedan and Dinant, French Resistance collapsed at these weakly-held points, allowing the Germans to advance into northern France. Trying to realign his armies, Gamelin, the French commander agreed to the withdrawal of the French First Army Group and the British Expeditionary Force from the line of the Dyle to the River Scheldt on 16 May. French armored attacks on the 17–19 May and British on 21 May gave the Germans a scare and a few temporary problems, their advance continued reaching Abbeville by 20 May and then the Channel coast on 22 May.

THE BOMBING OF GERMANY 1940–41

The British Royal Air Force, the world’s first air force independent of army or navy, had been formed around the proposition of taking the war to the enemy by bombing its industrial centers. The R.A.F. had done this in 1918, operating from bases in northern France. Its fleet of strategic bombers was just coming into meaningful service when the World War I ended. Through to the 1920s and 30s, the R.A.F.’s main role had become a colonial one—bombing rebellious tribes with a fleet of light biplane bombers. Its strategic role relegated to theory and discussion in training schools. By the mid-30s rearmament was underway, which included new aircraft for R.A.F. Bomber Command. In September 1939 this Command was ready to operate from bases in eastern England, following its “Western Air Plans” (originated by the Combined Services Planning Section in 1936). These plans assumed immediate military operations by German forces in the west.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Malcolm and Alexander Swanston have been writing and mapping history for over thirty years, working on subjects ranging from Ancient Rome to Vietnam and beyond. They have created maps detailing key events in warfare for a wide range of publications, including The Historical Atlas of World War II.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chartwell Books; Illustrated edition (March 3, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0785836497
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0785836490
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.35 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.4 x 1.15 x 10.65 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,061,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #202 in World Atlases & Maps (Books)
- #304 in Historical Atlases & Maps (Books)
- #9,620 in World War II History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 155 ratings

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Barney Ross

Atlas of World War II

Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2024

Verified Purchase

Used book came as advertised. In great condition. I have no complaints. Maps are interesting and add a new level to WW2 reference books.

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2010

Verified Purchase

I have found this atlas to be a very useful reference in my readings. While there are a few 1/2 or 1/4 page size maps, the majority of them are full page and in a book of this size they show a good amount of detail of the opposing armies fronts, troop movements and so on.

My readings on WWII cover all theaters, and not having more than a basic knowledge of world gepgraphy it was sometimes hard for me to visualize or understand some of these campaigns or battles - having no point of reference to the names of the towns, cities or locations involved. This atlas helps me understand in greater detail the vast scope of the battlegrounds and campaigns in the Pacific, CBI, China, et al - showing the offenses, counter-offensives and helping me grasp a bit of the startegies.

I just finished reading David Glantz's excellent "When Titan Clashed" and this atlas proved itself as an invaluable reference tool. Glantz's book is very detailed and this atlas has very good coverage of the German thrust of Operation Barbarossa and the major battles around Leningrad, Kharkov, Kursk and Stalingrad. It was especially usefaul covering the 1943 Soviet Winter Offensive which stretched the width of Russia from the Baltic to the Black Seas. It had overview maps of the entire front plus maps detailing the individual fronts such as the Ukraine, the Caucasus' and northern Russia and around Leningrad and the Karelian Front.

I have the hardcover edition and it was worth the few extra $$. It is a huge, heavy sturdy book and the pages are printed on heavy stock paper for durability. The maps are all full colored and the different army groups, armies, divisions and so on involved are labeled with clearly defined arrows showing their movements. It is laid out in chronological order. It begins with the European layout right after WWI and the first 20 or so pages are devoted to the politcal make-up and alliances, the Depression in Germany and the rise of facism and into the invasion of Poland. There are a couple of interesting chapters at the end detailing some statistics of the combatants, such as manpower and troops mobilized, casualties and industrial production.

As good as this atlas is it does miss out in not including or naming some of the topograhic and geographic details that were critical to some of the battles and campaigns, particularly the cities and towns and the rivers that needed to be crossed, or sometimes were the goals and end points of some of the offenses.

11 people found this helpful

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NancyR

Great Deal!

Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2023

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I love this book. There is so much detail with writing, pictures, maps and map keys. It covers all the Major Battles and the reasons behind invasions. Thank you for a great history book.

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Dave Schranck

Large Comprehensive Atlas

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2009

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This is one of the better atlases of WWII. The book is large at 13 in. by 10 in. and the color maps are large and easy to read. The maps are laid out chronologically from before the war to after the war. There is a running dialog which follows the maps, explaining briefly the events of the war. There is a Table of Contents and a Map list which will greatly help you find the map you're after. There are good photos, some full page which will add to your experience. In addition to maps there are graphic illustrations that depict certain conditions or statistics before and during the war. There is a graphic on industrial production, mobilization numbers, casualties etc.
Though the maps are good and have good eye appeal, I prefer greater terrain details. Having more cities, towns and villages would help greatly for example when you are reading other books and you're trying to follow on your atlas. There would be many times you couldn't because the details are missing. Because rivers are so important in battle and much discussion is made in books, the rivers in your atlas should be named also. There are only few named in this atlas. There are no woods or swamps depicted either but they played an important part in battle. The troop movements in this atlas are not as exacting as they should be.
This atlas is good and should satisfy all but the most demanding.

45 people found this helpful

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Will Georgiadis

Excellent

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2022

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You will not regret this purchase. As a big time world war(s) history buff, I was very happy with this. The maps are clear and well made, including scales and compass (unlike the Smithsonian atlas). There are also many info graphics that are easy to interpret and informative. I was actually surprised by the detail, having previously purchased the Smithsonian atlas for double the price. Whether you are just getting into world war 2 history or are well versed already, this makes a great addition to build knowledge on. There are minor errors, such as when at Pz.kpfw 38t is referred to as simply "the panzerkamfwagen," but ultimately a great book that does what it intends to do well.

2 people found this helpful

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R. Parry

Large and colorful maps & graphics

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2010

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When I'm reading books about WW2, I use this atlas as a crucial companion resource. I'm currently reading two books for the first time, "American Caesar", William Manchester's classic of Douglas MacArthur in the Pacific theatre and "When Titans Clashed", David Glantz's account of how the Red Army stopped Hitler. Without this atlas, I wouldn't be able to fully comprehend or appreciate the true breadth and scope of these crucial events in the Pacific and Eastern Front.
This oversize atlas, 13x10 in., has huge color maps that chronologically spotlight major battles and campaigns, while charting detailed troop movements,etc. A brief narrative presents an overview and describes the significance of each campaign and battle. There are a few photos, maybe one every other page, but it's the maps and graphics that are outstanding. I never fully appreciated MacArthurs strategy in the Philippines until I studied these maps. How could he possibly defend a coastline the size of the United States? By referencing the maps and narrative in the atlas, I could better visualize the strategy and timeline behind events surrounding Operation Barbarossa, Stalingrad, Leningrad and truly appreciate the enormity of causalities suffered on the Eastern Front and how crucial the Eastern Front was to allied success.
For military purists, this atlas lacks some rivers, towns and terrain, but for the average person wishing to better comprehend events during WW2, this is a wonderful atlas.

16 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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Nordschleifenfan

Umfangreich, trotzdem ein paar Lücken.

Reviewed in Germany on June 6, 2022

Verified Purchase

Der Atlas ist sehr umfangreich. In manche Karten hätten mehr Informationen gepasst. Es gibt zusätzlich noch 3D ähnliche Karten. Es gibt ein paar Lücken, die in anderen Atlanten dargestellt sind. Während zum Beispiel die Invasion zur See von Norwegen gut dargestellt wird, fehlt die berühmte Jagd auf die Bismarck. Vielleicht nicht das glorreichste Kapitel der Engländer, darf aber nicht fehlen. Der große Atlas zum II Weltkrieg aus dem BECHTERMÜNZ Verlag liefert dagegen alle Karten, allerdings von 1973 und eben nicht so bunt wie die Neuen.

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Giorgio

Necessario per approfondire la storia della seconda guerra mondiale

Reviewed in Italy on March 12, 2022

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Perfetto.

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glenda weston

Historical Atlas World War Two

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2013

Verified Purchase

This arrived promptly too. I was very pleased with this book it is interesting and great for research for my project.

One person found this helpful

Ｍａｎｓｔｅｉｎ

日本ではとてもできないだろう

Reviewed in Japan on August 4, 2016

Verified Purchase

かつて私は日本で発行されたマップを持っていたがそれはではとても満足できなかったので
新たにアメリカ製のマップを買い足した、しかしそのマップは火事で燃えてしまい探していたの
だがこのマップは以前のマップに匹敵出来得るマップだ。

寝くじくてしっまって首が痛くて本日はこれ以上書けないので詳細は後に
くそっ、何時に成ったら治るんだ。これじゃ誤字・脱字ばかりする

しかしまぁ編集してもそれを更新させるのの遅い事、遅い事
それまで何も出来やしない、これだけ遅いのなら編集なんか
させなければ良いじゃないか、元々、レビューの全チェックなんて
不可能な事をやるから悪いんだよ、なら特定の言葉が入っていたら
入力不能にしてしまえば良いんだよ。

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Jan Didrichsen

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2017

Verified Purchase

Excellent map

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