Henry Lasoki, an officer in the Polish army, was there on the first day of World War II, thrusting his bayonet awkwardly into a German soldier hours after Hitler's army invaded his homeland in 1939. And Jacques Smith was there on the last, a member of the honour guard aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese signed the docuuments of surrender in 1945. From start to finish, this chronicle of 53 personal testimonies illuminates World War II in a way no mere accumulation of facts can. The episodes detailed provide an intimate history of the war and a direct, visceral connection to the central event of the 20th century.