The fight against the German U-boats told in text, photos, and paintings.

The name TIME-LIFE has become synonymous with providing readers with a deeper understanding of subjects and world events that matter to us all. Now, as the U.S. commemorates the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, TIME-LIFE revisits the pivotal final battles and events in one of the most influential periods in history in World War II: 1945. Between January and August of 1945, the Allies staged their last great military victories, participated in the Potsdam and Yalta conferences, and mourned the death of FDR. Adolf Hitler committed suicide, Benito Mussolini was hanged. The first atomic bomb was dropped. These are just some of the events in the closing months of World War II, a dramatic period that both marked the end of the bloodiest conflict in history and laid the groundwork for the coming Cold War. Organized chronologically, World War II: 1945 maps out the conflict's end in a visual, easy-to-digest format that illustrates key events, days, battles, personalities, military strategies, political maneuverings and betrayals. A compelling, illustrated package, the book will bring 1945 to life for a public curious to learn about the year that changed the world.

Captioned photographs and text describe the invasion of Russia by the Germans.

Chapters and Essays 1919-1939: All Roads Led to War "Four Blunders That Doomed the World" by Robert Edwin Herzstein 1940: France Falls and Britain Teeters "Hitler's Generals Are Astounded" by Alistair Horne 1941: Finally, America is Forced Into War "The Killing Moves Around the Planet" by Gerhard L. Weinberg 1942: Two Victories Reverse the Momentum "The Beginning Comes to an End" by Harry A. Gailey 1943: From Atoll to Air, the War Grinds on "A Deadly Game of Leapfrog" by Ronald H. Spector 1944: Tyranny on the Brink of Defeat "A Desperate Last-Ditch Resistance" by John Keegan 1945: Splitting Atoms End the War "The Invasion That Never Was" by John S.D. Eisenhower 1946-2001: The War's Aftermath "Red Scares, Baby Harvest, Fatter Paychecks and Learning to Pull Together" by William L. O'Neill.

Text and illustrations describe submarine warfare in the Pacific during World War II.

Discusses the strategy, battles, and major personalities involved in the recapture of the Philippine Islands during World War II.