Adolf Hitler, leader of Nazi Germany, ordered his army to invade Poland on September 1, 1939, igniting World War II in Europe. This bloody conflict ravaged Europe and millions of people died. Generals Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton led the United States armed forces across the Atlantic, helping the Allies claim victory. From the beaches of Normandy to the streets of Berlin, author R. Conrad Stein examines the important battles, the men and women who fought the war, and how this conflict changed the world.