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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Paul Kennedy, award-winning author of The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers and one of today’s most renowned historians, now provides a new and unique look at how World War II was won. Engineers of Victory is a fascinating nuts-and-bolts account of the strategic factors that led to Allied victory. Kennedy reveals how the leaders’ grand strategy was carried out by the ordinary soldiers, scientists, engineers, and businessmen responsible for realizing their commanders’ visions of success. In January 1943, FDR and Churchill convened in Casablanca and established the Allied objectives for the war: to defeat the Nazi blitzkrieg; to control the Atlantic sea lanes and the air over western and central Europe; to take the fight to the European mainland; and to end Japan’s imperialism. Astonishingly, a little over a year later, these ambitious goals had nearly all been accomplished. With riveting, tactical detail, Engineers of Victory reveals how. Kennedy recounts the inside stories of the invention of the cavity magnetron, a miniature radar “as small as a soup plate,” and the Hedgehog, a multi-headed grenade launcher that allowed the Allies to overcome the threat to their convoys crossing the Atlantic; the critical decision by engineers to install a super-charged Rolls-Royce engine in the P-51 Mustang, creating a fighter plane more powerful than the Luftwaffe’s; and the innovative use of pontoon bridges (made from rafts strung together) to help Russian troops cross rivers and elude the Nazi blitzkrieg. He takes readers behind the scenes, unveiling exactly how thousands of individual Allied planes and fighting ships were choreographed to collectively pull off the invasion of Normandy, and illuminating how crew chiefs perfected the high-flying and inaccessible B-29 Superfortress that would drop the atomic bombs on Japan. The story of World War II is often told as a grand narrative, as if it were fought by supermen or decided by fate. Here Kennedy uncovers the real heroes of the war, highlighting for the first time the creative strategies, tactics, and organizational decisions that made the lofty Allied objectives into a successful reality. In an even more significant way, Engineers of Victory has another claim to our attention, for it restores “the middle level of war” to its rightful place in history. Praise for Engineers of Victory “Superbly written and carefully documented . . . indispensable reading for anyone who seeks to understand how and why the Allies won.”—The Christian Science Monitor “An important contribution to our understanding of World War II . . . Like an engineer who pries open a pocket watch to reveal its inner mechanics, [Paul] Kennedy tells how little-known men and women at lower levels helped win the war.”—Michael Beschloss, The New York Times Book Review “Histories of World War II tend to concentrate on the leaders and generals at the top who make the big strategic decisions and on the lowly grunts at the bottom. . . . [Engineers of Victory] seeks to fill this gap in the historiography of World War II and does so triumphantly. . . . This book is a fine tribute.”—The Wall Street Journal “[Kennedy] colorfully and convincingly illustrates the ingenuity and persistence of a few men who made all the difference.”—The Washington Post “This superb book is Kennedy’s best.”—Foreign Affairs

Justin S. Solonick, PhD, is an adjunct instructor in the Department of History and Geography at Texas Christian University. His most recent publication, "Saving the Army of Tennessee: The Confederate Rear Guard at Ringgold Gap," appeared in The Chattanooga Campaign, published by SIU Press in 2012.

📚 Hannibal Barca: Engineering Victory from the Alps to Rome 🏔️ Discover the mesmerizing journey of Hannibal Barca, the legendary general who dared to challenge Rome! 🌍➡️🏛️ 🔍 Dive Deep Into: The man behind the myth: Who was Hannibal Barca? 🛡️ The backdrop of the riveting Punic Wars. ⚔️ Hannibal's audacious crossing of the Alps. 🏞️🐘 His innovative tactics that reshaped battles. 📐📖 The triumphs and tribulations in Italy. 🇮🇹 How a genius like Hannibal came close, yet so far from capturing Rome. ❓🏛️ 🌟 Highlights Include: Day-by-day accounts of significant events. 📅 Insights into his strategic genius. 💡 Comparisons with other great military leaders. 🌍 Key takeaways and lessons in leadership and strategy. 🚀 A story of ambition, brilliance, and the human spirit, this eBook promises not just history but inspiration. Perfect for history buffs, military enthusiasts, and anyone who loves an epic tale of a man who dared to dream big! 🌌 Grab your copy now and embark on an unforgettable journey through time! 🕰️📖🔥

In this compelling argument for a new direction in U.S. energy policy, a world-renowned engineer and the bestselling author of "The Case for Mars" lays out a bold plan for breaking the economic stranglehold that the OPEC oil cartel has on the world. With a new Preface and Postscript by the author.

Explore the military and combat applications of modeling and simulation Engineering Principles of Combat Modeling and Distributed Simulation is the first book of its kind to address the three perspectives that simulation engineers must master for successful military and defense related modeling: the operational view (what needs to be modeled); the conceptual view (how to do combat modeling); and the technical view (how to conduct distributed simulation). Through methods from the fields of operations research, computer science, and engineering, readers are guided through the history, current training practices, and modern methodology related to combat modeling and distributed simulation systems. Comprised of contributions from leading international researchers and practitioners, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the engineering principles and state-of-the-art methods needed to address the many facets of combat modeling and distributed simulation and features the following four sections: Foundations introduces relevant topics and recommended practices, providing the needed basis for understanding the challenges associated with combat modeling and distributed simulation. Combat Modeling focuses on the challenges in human, social, cultural, and behavioral modeling such as the core processes of "move, shoot, look, and communicate" within a synthetic environment and also equips readers with the knowledge to fully understand the related concepts and limitations. Distributed Simulation introduces the main challenges of advanced distributed simulation, outlines the basics of validation and verification, and exhibits how these systems can support the operational environment of the warfighter. Advanced Topics highlights new and developing special topic areas, including mathematical applications fo combat modeling; combat modeling with high-level architecture and base object models; and virtual and interactive digital worlds. Featuring practical examples and applications relevant to industrial and government audiences, Engineering Principles of Combat Modeling and Distributed Simulation is an excellent resource for researchers and practitioners in the fields of operations research, military modeling, simulation, and computer science. Extensively classroom tested, the book is also ideal for courses on modeling and simulation; systems engineering; and combat modeling at the graduate level.