1939–1945: Small and Grand History

The Second World War occupies, regrettably, the summit of the table of horrors of all the wars that Humanity has known and that the planet has endured since time immemorial. This book set out to recall, in a factual manner, with independence and realism, the main phases of this exceptional conflict, the major military confrontations between the belligerents, the recognised generals, the high-performance weaponry, the dramatic human consequences suffered by soldiers and civilians alike, the public and private material destruction caused, the moral controversies generated, the territorial upheavals for States, the political changes imposed, the scientific and technical advances achieved, the social, economic and moral reintegration of the actors and victims, the evolution of individuals' ways of life and the societal transformations brought about for populations.
This work, encompassing all these aspects, could equally have been entitled The Second World War in 400 Points. Indeed, it first comments on 200 significant dates belonging to a panel of selected facts that weighed on the course of the War. Then, and above all — since this is the principal contribution of this book devoted to the Second World War — 200 chronicles crystallising the conflict are developed to treat recurrent subjects with relevance and fresh perspective, or to introduce issues rarely approached. Finally, the author's own editorial experience completes the work. The writings offered to the reader deliver a genuine autopsy of the causes, the course and the consequences of World War Two. The themes presented by this singular book and the historical moments recounted cannot leave any reader indifferent towards a period of our history that will remain indelible in the eyes of the World. It is thus to be hoped that each reader may build their knowledge to the fullest extent possible.