In Europe, “The Second World War” by British military historian Max Hastings is the most famous and authoritative one-volume work on this war. In a dynamic, gripping narrative, Hastings masterfully combines the scale of his vision with the expressiveness of his details. On the giant canvas, details of the battles and economies of the warring countries, the logistics of supplying the armies, political portraits and sketches of the French General Staff, the White House, the Colonial Office or Stalin's headquarters are clearly and vividly visible. The real gems of the book are personal documents, letters, diaries, memories of a variety of people - from ordinary soldiers to famous writers such as Vasily Grossman, Ilya Erenburg. By combining the memories of people and documents, we are presented with a terrible and convincing story of the most monstrous war in human history.