1941
Fighting the Shadow War: How Britain and America Came Together for Victory
Published on 2. February 2017
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-1-78649-115-2 (ISBN)
Description
In 1941: Fighting the Shadow War, Marc Wortman thrillingly explores the little-known history of America's clandestine involvement in World War II before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Prior to that infamous day, America had long been involved in a shadow war. Winston Churchill, England's beleaguered new Prime Minister, pleaded with Franklin D. Roosevelt for help. President Roosevelt concocted ingenious ways to come to his aid, without breaking the Neutrality Acts. Conducting espionage at home and in South America to root out Nazi sympathizers, and waging undeclared war in the Atlantic, were just some of the tactics with which America battled Hitler in the shadows.
President Roosevelt also had to contend with growing isolationism and anti-Semitism as he tried to influence public opinion. While Americans were sympathetic to those being crushed under Axis power, they were unwilling to enter a foreign war. Wortman tells the story through the eyes of the powerful as well as ordinary citizens. Their stories weave throughout the intricate tapestry of events that unfold during the crucial year of 1941.
Combining military and political history, Wortman tells the eye-opening story of America's journey to war.
Prior to that infamous day, America had long been involved in a shadow war. Winston Churchill, England's beleaguered new Prime Minister, pleaded with Franklin D. Roosevelt for help. President Roosevelt concocted ingenious ways to come to his aid, without breaking the Neutrality Acts. Conducting espionage at home and in South America to root out Nazi sympathizers, and waging undeclared war in the Atlantic, were just some of the tactics with which America battled Hitler in the shadows.
President Roosevelt also had to contend with growing isolationism and anti-Semitism as he tried to influence public opinion. While Americans were sympathetic to those being crushed under Axis power, they were unwilling to enter a foreign war. Wortman tells the story through the eyes of the powerful as well as ordinary citizens. Their stories weave throughout the intricate tapestry of events that unfold during the crucial year of 1941.
Combining military and political history, Wortman tells the eye-opening story of America's journey to war.
Reviews / Votes
Engrossing... an absorbing world-wide epic... Wortman's brisk narrative takes us across nations and oceans with a propulsive vigor that speeds the book along like a good thriller. * Wall Street Journal * Like the rumble of thunder before a storm, Marc Wortman's 1941: Fighting the Shadow War creates a mesmerizing sense of ominous and terrifying foreboding. This is the fascinating story of the global war that most Americans know almost nothing about -- Nathaniel Philbrick, bestselling author of IN THE HEART OF THE SEA Even readers familiar with the broad history of the era are likely to find new insights and new details of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering that preceded Pearl Harbor. An engaging and well-researched look behind the scenes of an important historic era. Highly recommended. * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) * A fascinating narrative of a domestic conflict presaging America's plunge into global war. * Booklist (starred review) * Marc Wortman's 1941: Fighting the Shadow War tells the story of America's plunge into World War II in a way that is smart, suspenseful, and full of surprising historical twists. 1941 has the sweep and intimacy of an epic novel and the pace of a military thriller. -- Debby Applegate, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for THE MOST FAMOUS MAN IN AMERICAMore details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
2x8pp b/w plates
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 165 mm
Thickness: 38 mm
Weight
815 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78649-115-2 (9781786491152)
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
02/2017
Atlantic Books
€11.49
Available for download
Person
Marc Wortman is an independent historian, an award-winning freelance journalist, and the author of two previous books, The Millionaires' Unit: The Aristocratic Flyboys Who Fought the Great War and Invented American Air Power and The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta.