Why The Allies Won

In 1942 Axis victory still looked possible. Richard Overy asks what changed and how the Allies learned to turn resources into decisive fighting power. 

Rather than treating the outcome of the Second World War as a foregone conclusion, Richard Overy examines how battflefield success – from the Battle of the Atlantic and the eastern front to strategic bombing and Operation Overlord – was connected to logistics, intelligence, industry, leadership and coalition warfare. 

The argument reaches beyond simple superiority in men or materials. Overy shows how Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union organised resources, adapted under pressure and sustained a difficult alliance despite political and moral differences. 

A must read for anyone interested in World War II and military history, Why the Allies Won explains how sea power, air power, industrial mobilisation, command and political cooperation combined to shape victory, and the post-1945 world that followed. 

'Outstanding...Overy has written a masterpiece of analytical history, posing and answering one of the great questions of the century' Niall Ferguson, Sunday Times 

‘A compelling analysis...skillful and chilling’ The Economist