In 1944-45, during the war against Japan, the world's most significant leaders and generals were involved: Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin; Nimitz, MacArthur, LeMay, Slim, Mountbatten; Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong.

The military drama that led to Japan's defeat was played out against the backdrop of Asia. The battles on land, at sea, and in the air took place over millions of square miles: from Imphal and Kohima in northeastern India to the Gulf of Leyte, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa in Japan.

Max Hastings wrote NEMESIS as a counterpoint to his previous book, ARMAGEDDON, THE BATTLE FOR GERMANY (1944-1945). Once again, he correlates the history of strategic decisions and hostilities with the experiences of British, American, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese soldiers who took part in some of the war's bloodiest battles against a relentless enemy.

He describes the massacre of the Russian army in August 1945 and Slim's stunning campaign in Burma. He analyzes Australia's internal politics, which prevented its army from reaping the war's laurels, as well as the decision-making process that led to the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Through the testimonies and personal stories of American sailors, Chinese communist guerrillas, Japanese fighter pilots, and British soldiers in the jungles of Burma, 'Nemesis' reveals the true dimensions of an epic that spawned one of the greatest tragedies of the twentieth century.