A unique history of the Axis powers attempt to win the Second World War in 1942, told through the eyes of those who were there.

A unique history of the Axis powers attempt to win the Second World War in 1942, told through the eyes of those who were there.

Drawing upon sources in German, Russian, Italian, Hungarian, Romanian and English, 1942: Hitler's Gamble describes the spring and summer campaigns in the Soviet Union and Africa which crowned the Axis forces with fresh laurels. Impressive victories were won at Kharkov, Sevastopol and Tobruk. Axis powers were then on the cusp of victory in Egypt, the Caucasus and Stalingrad until the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut was brought to a halt in the autumn of 1942.

Based upon 15 years of research in archives, museums and libraries across Europe, this is a unique account of this critical year in World War II. No other history has looked at the Eastern and North African theatres in conjunction, masterfully illustrating how the crushing gains on both fronts would be lost by the end of the year.

Richard Hargreaves shines a light on the little studied areas of the war such as the aftermath of Tobruk and challenges traditional German-centric accounts of the Caucasus campaign. Strategy and the hubris of Hitler and his generals is brilliantly illustrated but so too are the lives and deaths of ordinary soldiers caught up in these extraordinary events.

"Harrowing, compelling and comprehensive. Richard Hargreaves’s account of Germany’s desperate push to win the war in 1942, deftly weaves in the voices and experiences of the participants, and is as searing as it is authentic." - Roger Moorhouse

"1942 was the point at which German hopes and aspirations in the Second World War met the full bitterness of hard reality. Richard Hargreaves brings it all to life in this brilliantly written and convincing account of the year when Hitler sent all his generals mad." - Robert Lyman