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29-05-2025
- General
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Medical history: When a typhus epidemic killed thousands at the height of the Second World War
Stories written by An excerpt from '1945: The Reckoning – War, Empire and the Struggle for a New World', by Phil Craig. Phil Craig · 9 minutes ago
Hindustan Times
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
New book explores collapse of empires and global struggle for new order
New Delhi, Hot on the heels of the 80th anniversary of World War II's end, best-selling author Phil Craig's new book offers a powerful and original retelling of how the war's closing chapters reshaped the future of Britain, its colonies, and dominions. Published by Hachette India, "1945: The Reckoning – War, Empire and the Struggle for a New World" delves into the collapse of the British, Dutch, and French empires as global power dynamics shifted. It focuses on India, where a generation on the cusp of independence faces a tough choice between loyalty to the British Raj and supporting Subhas Chandra Bose's Japanese-backed Indian National Army . Through the story of a family torn apart by these opposing paths, the book highlights the deep questions of loyalty, identity, and the future of a free India. "The book explores the lives of real people and two of the most important in this book are Subhash Chandra Bose and Kodandera Subayya Thimayya. Through tracking them closely, all of the book's many themes fall naturally into place - the war, the fate of the British Empire and the way decolonisation happens . "Both men believe passionately in independence, but they choose very different routes toward it. Their lives intersect in numerous fascinating ways, in fact Thimayya's brother joins Bose in the INA," Craig, who is also the co-author of "Finest Hour", told PTI. Thimayya, the first Indian officer to command a brigade in the Indian Army, fought against the INA as well as the Japanese. He eventually served as the third chief of Army staff from 1957 to 1961, playing a pivotal role in shaping India's military landscape during the post-independence era. May 8 is observed as the end of World War II as it marks the surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allied forces, officially ending the war in Europe. This event, celebrated as Victory in Europe Day , marked the culmination of years of fighting. The book, in its description, also sheds a spotlight on a little-known Australian special forces mission in Borneo, secretly directed from London. However, the campaign 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," it added. According to the publishers, "1945: The Reckoning – War, Empire and the Struggle for a New World" confronts "uncomfortable truths" with honesty and depth, offering a nuanced and human portrait of a world in transition and challenging readers to reconsider what "victory" in World War II really meant. The book's foreword is written by renowned author, historian and broadcaster James Holland. "This is a book that crosses the globe from Britain to Germany and from India to is ambitious, deeply thought-provoking and, as with all the very best history, compellingly told," Holland writes in his praise for the book. The book, priced at ₹899, is available for purchase across online and offline stores.
