How to Lose WWII

There has never been a war on the scale of World War II — a global conflict so widespread, with such a large number of combatant countries, that the consequences of every decision were multiplied a hundredfold. Important decisions often had to be made on the spot, with limited information, so some plans inevitably misfired.

Bill Fawcett, popular chronicler of monumental military mistakes, examines these missteps in How to Lose WWII. Poland’s lack of preparation for the Nazi invasion, the four months Allied forces spent trapped on the beaches of Anzio and Germany’s misstep at Dunkirk that cost them the opportunity to defeat England are all highlighted in this engrossing, fact-filled collection. Every battle is a significant and complicated event, filled with successes and errors that would ultimately determine the course of postwar history.

Bill Fawcett is the author and editor of more than a dozen books, including You Did What?, It Seemed Like a Good Idea, How To Lose a Battle, and You Said What? He lives in Illinois.