Overview

As the Japanese fleet prepared to sail from Japan to Pearl Harbor, the German army was launching its final desperate assault on Moscow, while the British were planning a decisive blow against Rommel in North Africa. The British conquered the desert, the Germans succumbed to Moscows winter, and the Japanese awakened the sleeping giant of American might. In just three weeks, from November 17 to December 8, the course of World War II was decided and the fate of Germany and Japan was sealed. With new insight and a fresh perspective, David Downing tells the story of these crucial days, shifting the riveting narrative from snowbound Russian villages to the stormy northern Pacific, from the North African desert to Europes warring capitals, and from Tokyo to Washington.

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9780306816208

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Reviews

Kirkus Reviews, 4/15/09<br> Downing offers a dark, captivating hindsight analysis with plenty of action...The densely plotted narrative is sure to please military aficionados. <br><p> Publishers Weekly, 4/6/09<br> Mak[es] a provocative case...The originality of Downing's argument is the strength of his indictment. <p> Library Journal, 5/1/09<br> Entwining the various stories gives a sense of the vastness of the theater....For dedicated World War II afficionados. <p> Associated Press, 6/8/09<br> Shows how World War II history can be sliced and diced endlessly--and still seem fresh and interesting. Downing manages this with skillful selection of source material and a brisk narrative that all comes together. <p>Naval District Waterline, dcmilitary.com, 6/18/09<br> Downing does a marvelous job...Readers will be immersed...This book is a delight. <p> Booklist Online, 7/6/09<br> [Downing] presents a cogent argument worthy of consideration. <p> America in WWII, October 2009<br>

Kirkus Reviews, 4/15/09 Downing offers a dark, captivating hindsight analysis with plenty of action...The densely plotted narrative is sure to please military aficionados. Publishers Weekly, 4/6/09 Mak[es] a provocative case...The originality of Downing's argument is the strength of his indictment. Library Journal, 5/1/09 Entwining the various stories gives a sense of the vastness of the theater....For dedicated World War II afficionados. Associated Press, 6/8/09 Shows how World War II history can be sliced and diced endlessly--and still seem fresh and interesting. Downing manages this with skillful selection of source material and a brisk narrative that all comes together. Naval District Waterline, dcmilitary.com, 6/18/09 Downing does a marvelous job...Readers will be immersed...This book is a delight. Booklist Online, 7/6/09 [Downing] presents a cogent argument worthy of consideration. America in WWII, October 2009 Downing's account of the diplomatic chess game waged between Japan and the United States is very instructional...The goal of Downing's book is to tie together various operations in motion in the marble halls of the US State Department, on the frozen ground outside Moscow, in the waters of the Pacific, and on the sand in Cyrenaica. He does this with a quick-paced writing style that holds the reader's attention. Relying almost exclusively on secondary sources, he provides an engaging overview of events that will serve many readers as a good introduction to World War II. Roanoke Times, 8/16/09 The history is accurate, and the author's fine sense of prose makes this an enjoyable and interesting read...Excellent presentation of three disparate but key historical events that constitute a portion of the totality of WWII's history...A good book. WNTI radio (NJ) website, 8/17/09 Gives us a fresh and unique perspective on three crucial weeks...[A] fine book. Charleston Po

British novelist (Silesian Station, 2008, etc.) and military historian Downing focuses on three decisive weeks in 1941 - from Nov. 17 to Dec. 8 - leading to the attack on Pearl Harbor.The author intertwines the stories of three risky military maneuvers on the part of the Germans and the Japanese that would ultimately seal the fate of the aggressors - though it would take four more years for the Allies to achieve victory. Germany's Operation Barbarossa invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941 in a spectacular display of might, but by November was scuttled by cold weather, Russian resistance, lack of supplies and sinking morale. In North Africa, General Erwin Rommel and his Panzers were beating back incursions by British forces, though badly needed German munitions were being siphoned off to the Eastern Front. Because of Barbarossa, the earlier German successes in Libya, Greece and Crete were weakened, keeping them from adequately disrupting the British supply routes in Malta and around the Suez Canal. In the Pacific, the Japanese air fleet was well on its way toward a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor at the same time that American and Japanese diplomats were wrangling over initiatives on the Japanese war in China. Although the Americans had cracked the Japanese diplomatic code and knew vaguely of Japanese military intentions, Secretary of State Cordell Hull was stalling for time, since the U.S. armed forces needed a few more months to prepare for war. Adeptly juxtaposing Japanese vainglory - Japan did not possess the might or resources to win a war against the Allies - with American bungling, Downing offers a dark, captivating hindsight analysis with plenty of action.The subtitle is a stretch, but the densely plotted narrative is sure to please military aficionados. (Kirkus Reviews)

Author Information

David Downing is the author of numerous books, including military histories, alternate histories, biographies, and political thrillers. He divides his time between the United States and England.

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