When the German Blitzkrieg smashed into Poland on September 1, 1939, the world was plunged into mankind's most destructive war. This detailed volume is a chronological history of the conflict from the beginning of the Polish campaign in September 1939 to the surrender of Japan in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. Dated entries recapture the immediacy of the war, analyze the major battles and campaigns of the war, and discuss espionage, home fronts, politics, and technology. Included are bibliographical entries on the individuals who shaped and prosecuted the war.