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WWII: Purnell's History of WWII

Purnell's mammoth endeavour is arguably the crowning achievement of the 'partwork' fashion of the late 60s. Produced in collaboration with the Imperial War Museum, edited by Barrie Pitt and written by a host of eminent historians, scholars and veterans, the series is equally fortunate in having Liddell-Hart as editor-in-chief. Produced in 'magazine' format, the work as a whole makes full use of its size and space to create a lucid, vivid and valuable account of the conflict. The number, choice and quality of the photographs, illustrations and diagrams are worthy of special mention.

First published between 1966 and 1969, the work was planned originally as six volumes (ending with the Japanese surrender), but as the series neared its conclusion it was decided to extend it to eight volumes to include the global consequences of the conflict such as the birth of the nuclear era, the foundation of the UN and so on. It is worth pointing out that these 'extra' two volumes are far scarcer than the rest.

Technically the set is complete in the original six volumes (complete with  Chronologies and detailed Index issued at that point); an additional cumulative index was issued for those subscribers who wished to continue collecting the extended set. The series as a whole was reissued with considerable revision in 1970-72.

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 1. No. 7. 10 May 1940

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 1. No. 8. Hitler Strikes in the West

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 1. No. 9. Dunkirk

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 1. No. 10. Fall of France

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 1. No. 13. Italian Fiasco. The Attack on Greece

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 1. No. 14. Menace at Sea

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 1. No. 15. Victory in the Desert

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 2. No. 1. Hitler’s Revenge on Yugoslavia

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 2. No.6. Resistance Begins

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 2. No.8. Operation Barbarossa

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 2. No.10. Russia Blunts the Blitzkrieg

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 2. No.11. Target Rommel

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 2. No.12. Pearl Harbor

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 2. No.13. Malaya

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 2. No.14. Battle for Moscow

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 2. No.15. Hit and Run. The Big Commando Raids Begin

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 2. No.16. The General Who Never Lost a Battle

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 3. No. 2. Corregidor. How?

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 3. No. 3. Banzai

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 3. No. 5. Tobruk Falls

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 3. No. 6. The Siege of Sebastopol

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 3. No. 7. First Alamein

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 3. No. 8. Suicide Invasion. Dieppe

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 3. No. 9. Stalingrad

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 3. No. 11. Guadalcanal

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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127 Results | Page 2 of 6