1945: Victory in the West
  • Published: 22 August 2023
  • ISBN: 9781529157734
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 688
  • RRP: $37.00
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1945: Victory in the West

Formats & editions
Paperback
22 Aug 2023
Hardback
19 Jun 2022
EBook
19 May 2022
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The first book on the final 100 days of the Second World War in a generation

'Magisterial . . . [a] fine, balanced and superb account. It deserves to be read for many years to come.' Telegraph

March 1945. Allied troops are poised to cross the Rhine and sweep on into Germany. Victory is at last within their grasp. But if they believe this victory can be easily won, they face swift disillusionment. The final I00 days of the Second World War will prove to be bitterly and bloodily fought, village by village, town by town.

This is the extraordinary and gripping story of those final I00 days.
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'Superbly written and full of wisdom and deep understanding, this will stand as a defining work on these darkest months of the conflict.' JAMES HOLLAND

'This is the most vivid and detailed narrative of the subject that we are likely to see.' MILITARY HISTORY MAGAZINE

'An impressive work. Lively, informative and comprehensively researched.' CAROLINE MOOREHEAD, SPECTATOR

'An important contribution to military history. A great read.' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE
  • Published: 22 August 2023
  • ISBN: 9781529157734
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 688
  • RRP: $37.00
Categories:
Share…

About the author

Peter Caddick-Adams

Peter Caddick-Adams is a writer and broadcaster who specialises in military history, defence and security issues. He previously lectured in Military and Security Studies at the UK Defence Academy for twenty years, and in Air Power for the Royal Air Force. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Geographical Society, he also spent thirty-five years as an officer in the UK Regular and Reserve Forces, and has extensive experience of various war zones, including the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. He was educated at Shrewsbury School, Sandhurst and Wolverhampton University, where he gained first class honours in War Studies; he received his PhD from Cranfield University. His previous works include Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives (2011), Monte Cassino: Ten Armies in Hell (2012), and Snow and Steel: Battle of the Bulge 1944–45 (2014).

portrait photo of Peter Caddick-Adams

Also by Peter Caddick-Adams

Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives
Monte Cassino
Sand and Steel
Snow and Steel
See all

Praise for 1945: Victory in the West

Peter Caddick-Adams cements his place as one of our foremost historians of the Second World War with this major new account of the final months of the war in the West. Superbly written and full of wisdom and deep understanding, this will stand as a defining work on these darkest months of the conflict.

James Holland

Magisterial . . . Peter Caddick-Adams has done full justice to the vast range of the fighting in the west in those last months of the war , in all its complexity, brutality, awfulness and, frankly, pointlessness . . . [he] not only covers these events in detail but also does so with genuinely new and convincing perspectives . . . Caddick-Adams [has] an authority that oozes off every page. He has a particularly enjoyable habit of suddenly ducking down rabbit holes of anecdote, often personal or which delve into deeper history . . . [a] fine, balanced and superb account. It deserves to be read for many years to come.

James Holland, The Telegraph

Caddick-Adams includes vivid anecdotes, small-unit fireworks, and strong, well-informed personal opinions on the often unwise decisions of the leaders . . . A first rate analysis for military buffs.

Kirkus Reviews

Excellent. Most accounts of the Second World War in Europe devote only a few pages to the last 100 days. 1945 corrects this balance and makes an important contribution to military history. It is also a great read and powerful reminder of how the Second World War in Europe was definitely not over until the final surrender.

BBC History Extra Magazine

This is the most vivid and detailed narrative of the subject that we are likely to see.

Military History Magazine

Pacy and engaging.

The Past

A meticulous reconstruction . . . 1945 is an impressive work, lively, informative and comprehensively researched . . . It long stays in the mind.

Spectator

A thorough and well-researched dive into the often-forgotten final months of the war from the perspectives of the soldiers and commanders of the different army groups.

Classic Military Vehicle

There is no book like 1945 . . . Written with style and humour . . . Highly recommend.

Britain At War Magazine

An immersive study of the last 100 days of the Western Front, when the Allies met ferocious resistance from Nazi fanatics who preferred death to surrender.

Best History Books of 2022, Daily Telegraph