Victory '45
The End of the War in Eight Surrenders
Published on 7. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
400 pages
978-1-80499-739-0 (ISBN)
Description
Bestselling historians James Holland and Al Murray tell the unflinching story of the eight surrenders that brought victory to the Allies and ended the Second World War.
'A gripping, eye-opening and satisfying new account' The Express
_________
From the Italian Alps to northern Germany, to London, New York, Washington and Tokyo, Victory '45 tells the story of the extraordinary summer when the greatest conflagration the world had ever known finally came to an end after eight surrenders that heralded the Allied victory.
Comprised of eight chapters based around each of those surrenders and the victory celebrations which followed, it will be rich in character and human drama with revealing stories and perspectives behind the end of the war not yet told before. Each chapter will follow the viewpoints of a number of key characters as they traverse these world-changing events - from ordinary servicemen and women and civilians to generals and political leaders.
What took place during the negotiations of those surrenders and the terms that were agreed there would determine the directions the participating countries would take in the years that followed and ultimately the shape of our current world.
'A gripping, eye-opening and satisfying new account' The Express
_________
From the Italian Alps to northern Germany, to London, New York, Washington and Tokyo, Victory '45 tells the story of the extraordinary summer when the greatest conflagration the world had ever known finally came to an end after eight surrenders that heralded the Allied victory.
Comprised of eight chapters based around each of those surrenders and the victory celebrations which followed, it will be rich in character and human drama with revealing stories and perspectives behind the end of the war not yet told before. Each chapter will follow the viewpoints of a number of key characters as they traverse these world-changing events - from ordinary servicemen and women and civilians to generals and political leaders.
What took place during the negotiations of those surrenders and the terms that were agreed there would determine the directions the participating countries would take in the years that followed and ultimately the shape of our current world.
Reviews / Votes
A gripping, eye-opening and satisfying new account * Daily Express * A finely detailed book * San Francisco Chronicle * James Holland has written about nearly every major battle of World War II, from Burma to Berlin. So it makes sense that in Victory '45: The End of the War in Eight Surrenders he and his co-author, Al Murray, focus on the conclusion of the greatest global conflagration in history . . . The biggest, most well-known capitulations are here . . . But the authors find much to tell in the lesser surrenders. * Wall Street Journal * A hugely engaging account of the rather tortured circumstances of the end of World War Two. If you thought it was all a rather simple process, think again. -- Roger Moorhouse * Aspects of History * Finely detailed . . . Not simply targeted to WWII enthusiasts, Victory '45 illustrates for those with a broader historical interest the myriad challenges in bringing to heel the dogs of war. * Associated Press *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Transworld Publishers Ltd
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 193 mm
Width: 130 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
289 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80499-739-0 (9781804997390)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2025
Transworld Digital
€9.49
Available for download
Persons
James Holland (Author)
James Holland is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning historian, writer, and broadcaster. The author of a number of best-selling histories including most recently The Savage Storm and Cassino '44, he is also the author of ten works of fiction and a dozen Ladybird Experts.
He is the co-founder of the annual Chalke Valley History Festival which is now in its twelfth year, and he has presented - and written - many television programmes and series for the BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic and the History and Discovery channels.
With Al Murray, he has a successful Second World War podcast, We Have Ways of Making You Talk, which also has its own festival, and is a research fellow at St Andrew's University and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He can be found on Twitter as @James1940 and on Instagram as @jamesholland1940.
Al Murray (Author)
Al Murray's alter ego, The Pub Landlord, is one of the most recognizable and successful comic creations of the past twenty years, and Murray, who has won numerous awards and accolades, continues to fill arenas and theatres around the world.
He is also the author of many successful books including Watching War Films with My Dad and Command, a sharply entertaining analysis of the key allied military leaders in the Second World War. He is well known for co-hosting the hugely popular Second World War history podcast, We Have Ways of Making You Talk with fellow bestselling military author James Holland.
Arnhem: Black Tuesday is his first history book about a single campaign.
James Holland is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning historian, writer, and broadcaster. The author of a number of best-selling histories including most recently The Savage Storm and Cassino '44, he is also the author of ten works of fiction and a dozen Ladybird Experts.
He is the co-founder of the annual Chalke Valley History Festival which is now in its twelfth year, and he has presented - and written - many television programmes and series for the BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic and the History and Discovery channels.
With Al Murray, he has a successful Second World War podcast, We Have Ways of Making You Talk, which also has its own festival, and is a research fellow at St Andrew's University and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He can be found on Twitter as @James1940 and on Instagram as @jamesholland1940.
Al Murray (Author)
Al Murray's alter ego, The Pub Landlord, is one of the most recognizable and successful comic creations of the past twenty years, and Murray, who has won numerous awards and accolades, continues to fill arenas and theatres around the world.
He is also the author of many successful books including Watching War Films with My Dad and Command, a sharply entertaining analysis of the key allied military leaders in the Second World War. He is well known for co-hosting the hugely popular Second World War history podcast, We Have Ways of Making You Talk with fellow bestselling military author James Holland.
Arnhem: Black Tuesday is his first history book about a single campaign.