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Joseph Balkoski
Joseph Balkoski (born June 13, 1954) is an American military historian and board game designer who has authored eight books on American involvement in the European Theater in World War II, including a five-volume series on the history of the 29th Infantry Division in World War II and a two-volume set on American participation in the D-Day invasion. Life and career Joseph Balkoski was born in New York City on June 13, 1954, the son of Itala Balkoski and John Balkoski, a World War II veteran of the Pacific theater. He graduated from William A. Shine Great Neck South High School, Great Neck South Senior High School in June 1971 and later from Vassar College in 1975. He received an M.A. in history from New York University in 1976. When he moved to Maryland in 1981, by chance he met many residents who were veterans of the D-Day invasion, all members of the 29th Infantry Division, which spearheaded the assault. His first book, ''Beyond the Beachhead: The 29th Infantry Division in Norma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Theater
The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the Western Allies conquering most of Western Europe, the Soviet Union conquering most of Eastern Europe and Germany's unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945 (9 May in the Soviet Union) but the fighting on the Eastern front continued until 11 May during the Prague offensive and the end of the Battle of Odzak on 25 May. The Allied powers fought the Axis powers on two major fronts ( Eastern Front and Western Front) as well as in a strategic bombing offensive and in the adjoining Mediterranean and Middle East theatre. Preceding events Germany was defeated in World War I, and the Treaty of Versailles placed punitive conditions on the country, including significant financial reparations, the loss of territory (some only temporarily), war guilt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
