Germany had invaded the Soviet Union, Japan had attacked the United States, and the British Empire was under pressure across the globe.
Yet by the end of 1942, the strategic initiative had begun to slip away from the Axis. The change was not the result of one decisive battle. Instead, a series of victories and defeats across different theatres began to come together, while the Allies were learning how to make their enormous industrial and economic advantages count.
So what actually happened during those twelve months? Why did the Axis fail to turn their early successes into victory, and how did the Allies learn to fight the kind of global, industrial war that ultimately defeated them?
To discuss that, I’m joined by historian Jonathan Parshall, whose book 1942: Crux of War examines this crucial year and argues that 1942 was the last point at which the outcome of the war was genuinely uncertain.
