1944–45

A riveting account of the final decisive years that brought World War II to its dramatic conclusion.

In 1944–45, historian Richard Collier chronicles the climactic period of World War II when the Allied forces delivered the crushing blows that ended Nazi Germany and brought peace to Europe. From the D-Day landings that opened the second front to Hitler's suicide in his Berlin bunker, this comprehensive account captures the military campaigns, political decisions, and human drama that defined the war's final act.

Collier masterfully documents the liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe, the horrific discovery of the concentration camps, the race to Berlin between Soviet and Western forces, and the collapse of the thousand-year Reich. He weaves together accounts of major military operations—from Operation Overlord to the Battle of the Bulge—with intimate portraits of the soldiers, civilians, and leaders who witnessed history's most destructive conflict reach its conclusion.

This meticulously researched narrative reveals how the final eighteen months of the war shaped not only the defeat of fascism but also the emerging Cold War tensions between former allies. Collier's vivid storytelling brings to life the liberation of Paris, the crossing of the Rhine, the meeting at the Elbe, and the ultimate reckoning with the full scale of Nazi atrocities.

Essential reading for understanding how World War II ended, 1944–45 captures both the triumph of victory and the sobering realities of a world forever changed by six years of total war.

Key themes: D-Day invasion, Liberation of Europe, Fall of Berlin, Nazi concentration camps, Allied victory, End of WWII, Post-war world order, Military strategy, Holocaust revelation