The Longest Year: America at War and at Home in 1944

The Longest Year: America at War and at Home in 1944

The Longest Year: America at War and at Home in 1944

The Longest Year: America at War and at Home in 1944

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Overview

A meticulous exploration of one of the most important years in American history.

The D-Day invasion, launched on June 6, 1944, is widely referred to as the longest day of World War Two. Historian Victor Brooks argues that 1944 was, in effect, “the longest year” for Americans of that era, both in terms of casualties and in deciding the outcome of war itself.

Brooks also argues that only the particular war events of 1944 could have produced the “reshuffling” of the cards of life that, in essence, changed the rules for most of the 140 million Americans in some fashion. Rather than focusing on military battles and strategy alone, the author chronicles the year as a microcosm of disparate military, political, and civilian events that came together to define a specific moment in time.

As war was raging in Europe, Americans on the home front continued to cope (with some prospering). As US forces launched an offensive against the Japanese in the Mariana Islands and Palau, folks at home enjoyed morale-boosting movies and songs such as "To Have and Have Not" and “G.I. Jive.” And as American troops invaded the island of Leyte—launching the largest naval battle during the war—President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Thomas E. Dewey were in the home stretch leading up to the election of 1944.

It has been said that the arc of history is long. Throughout American history, however, some years have been truly momentous. The Longest Year makes the case that 1944 was one such year.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history—books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781510711327
Publisher: Skyhorse
Publication date: 11/29/2016
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 272
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Victor Brooks teaches at Villanova University and is the author of several books, including The Normandy Campaign, Hell Is Upon Us: D-Day in the Pacific, and The Boston Campaign.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Prologue December 1943 xiii

I A Gathering of Eagles 1

II The Ghosts of Hills and Rivers 15

III The Anzio Gambit 29

IV The Rise of the Sky Knights 47

V The Last Invasion of Britain 65

VI Storming a Stolen Empire 81

VII The Race for Rome 95

VIII The Deadly Sands of Normandy 107

IX The Gods of Sea and Sky 119

X Showdown on Saipan 135

XI Raising the Fallen Colors 149

XII Days of the Liberators 163

XIII Redemption at Leyte 177

XIV The Home Front War 191

XV Autumn of Shattered Dreams 203

Epilogue 1945 215

A Note on Sources 223

Index 227

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