1942

1942: Crux of War is a stunning book-vast in scope, granular in detail, concise in analysis, ground-breaking in research, enormously interesting, a joy to read, complete with fabulous maps and illustrations. This is a monumental achievement, a masterpiece, the best single-volume history about World War II that I’ve read. * Alex Kershaw, author of Patton’s Prayer, The Liberator, and Against All Odds *
Jon Parshall has crafted an exhaustively researched, engrossing, and epic account of the first full year of World War II, one that covers the players, strategies, economies, and campaigns of the fight. In doing so, he utterly demolishes many long-accepted beliefs about the conflict. Much like he did with his acclaimed and groundbreaking work on the Battle of Midway, Parshall will make you rethink everything you know about the war! * James M. Scott, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Black Snow, Rampage, and Target Tokyo *
A marvel of style and compression of a vast amount of research. * Rich Frank, author of Guadalcanal, Downfall, and Tower of Skulls *
Years in the making, based on impeccable scholarship, packed with insights, and enlivened by incisive wit, 1942: Crux of War is nothing short of a tour de force. Jon Parshall brings to bear his many skills as historian, mapmaker, commentator, and writer to produce what will become the seminal work on 1942, when the outcome of history’s greatest conflict hung in the balance. * John C. McManus, Curators’ Distinguished Professor, Missouri S&T, author of Fire and Fortitude: The U.S. Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943, recipient of the Gilder-Lehrman Military History Prize *
When a recognized expert on Midway can render that complex series of events in ten distilled but accurate pages, it is unsurprising. When he ties that battle to multiple other factors, ranging from logistical problems in the Pacific to the German siege artillery in Crimea, it is nothing less than impressive. Jon Parshall’s new book offers a master key to understanding the Second World War. * Jonathan House, Co-author of When Titans Clashed, and Stalingrad *
Any doubts that 1942 was absolutely the decisive year of the war are shattered by this explosive and game-changing new study. As Parshall whisks us across the globe and through the pivotal campaigns and battles, he skillfully illuminates the trials and tribulations faced by both sides. His book offers a masterclass in military history and will be rightly come to be regarded as a classic. * Paul Woodadge, WW2TV *

Jonathan Parshall is co-author of the bestselling Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway. His work has been published in the U.S. Naval War College Review, U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Naval History magazine, WWII magazine, Wartime (the journal of the Australian War Memorial), and others.

He is a lecturer for the U.S. Naval War College, a frequent speaker at museums, a featured historian on numerous World War Two tours, and has appeared on the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, History Channel, Smithsonian, the BBC, and Netflix.

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