In a new edition featuring a new preface, A World of Arms remains a classic of global history. Widely hailed as a masterpiece, this volume remains the first history of World War II to provide a truly global account of the war that encompassed six continents. Starting with the changes that restructured Europe and its colonies following the First World War, Gerhard Weinberg sheds new light on every aspect of World War II. Actions of the Axis, the Allies, and the Neutrals are covered in every theater of the war. More importantly, the global nature of the war is examined, with new insights into how events in one corner of the world helped affect events in often distant areas.

"First published 1994; second edition first published 2005, reprinted 2005, 2006"--Verso page. Includes maps of: The Pacific; The North and Central Atlantic.

List of maps -- Preface to the new edition -- Preface to the first edition -- List of abbreviations -- Introduction -- 1: From one war to another -- 2: From the German and Soviet invasions of Poland to the German attack in the West, September 1,1939 to May 10,1940 -- 3: World turned upside down -- 4: Expanding conflict, 1940-1941 -- 5: Eastern front and a changing war, June to December,1941 -- 6: Halting the Japanese advance, halting the German advance; keeping them apart and shifting the balance: December 1941 to November 1942 -- 7: War at sea, 1942-1944, and the blockade -- 8: War in Europe and North Africa 1942-1943: to and from Stalingrad; to and from Tunis -- 9: Home front -- 10: Means of warfare: old and new -- 11: From the spring of 1943 to the summer of 1944 -- 12: Assault on Germany from all sides -- 13: Tensions in both alliances -- 14: Halt on the European fronts -- 15: Final assault on Germany -- 16: War in the Pacific: from Leyte to the Missouri -- Conclusions: Cost and impact of war -- Bibliographic essay -- Notes -- Index.