1945: The Reckoning : War, Empire and the Struggle for a New World

''Excellent, grappling with aspects of end of empire that tend to fall through the cracks'' - Al Murray

''A wonderful book, I absolutely adored it and it gave me a gateway to understanding the war in a different way.'' - Antonia Senior


''Phil Craig''s excellent 1945 The Reckoning is the saga of how some empires ended and others emerged during a tumultuous year. His method is the voices of individuals - their thoughts and aspirations - in an endlessly interesting book with many fascinating stories to tell.'' - Aspects of History

''Engrossing, good natured and perceptive...His style is conversational, like a popular podcaster, but never glib or shrill. His judgments are often understated but shrewd...Craig''s fashionably inclusive approach does not exclude conservative, collaborationist voices. Instead, the author seeks to understand them within their particular social and historical context. At the same time, he dismembers anti-colonial mythologies.''
-The Australian


''This thought provoking account comes with a glorious cast of characters and is written
with a keen eye for detail - A MUST READ!'' - Mirror

''Dramatic human stories, written in the engaging style of Craig''s bestselling Finest Hour,
combined with surprising revelations'' - Express


''This is a book that crosses the globe from Britain to Germany and from India to Indonesia...it is ambitious, deeply thought-provoking and, as with all the very best history, compellingly told'' -James Holland

As the fate of the world is decided, so too is that of the British, Dutch and French empires.

In India a generation committed to independence must decide whether to support ''the Raj'' or fight alongside the Japanese. One military family is bitterly divided. Will it be the brother who fights under British command, or the one who follows Subhas Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army, who goes on to help build a new and free India?

In Borneo a little known Australian special forces campaign - secretly controlled from London - goes horribly wrong as questions are asked about whether its true purpose is military or imperial.

And in Indochina and the East Indies British Generals free and arm Japanese prisoners of war and use them in savage campaigns that aim to put colonial rulers back into their palaces.

Clearing away the haze of nostalgia, many uncomfortable truths emerge - but so too does a humane and balanced exploration of what victory in the Second World War truly means.