New Delhi, May 11 – As the world marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, acclaimed historian and best-selling author Phil Craig returns with a powerful retelling of the war’s closing acts in his latest book "1945: The Reckoning – War, Empire and the Struggle for a New World", published by Hachette India.
This compelling narrative captures the seismic shifts in global power that followed the collapse of the British, Dutch, and French empires. Through personal stories and political complexities, Craig explores how these final moments of the war forged a new world order — particularly for Britain and its colonies.
India at the Crossroads of Loyalty and Liberation
A major focus of the book is India, where nationalist sentiments had reached a boiling point by 1945. Craig weaves the gripping tale of a family divided by allegiance — one side loyal to the British Raj, the other drawn to Subhas Chandra Bose’s Japanese-backed Indian National Army (INA).Craig closely examines the lives of two towering figures: Subhas Chandra Bose and Kodandera Subayya Thimayya. While both were united in their quest for Indian independence, their paths diverged dramatically. Bose led a revolution from the outside, while Thimayya, who would later become the third Chief of the Indian Army, remained within the British military framework. Their personal stories, including the poignant fact that Thimayya’s brother joined the INA, form the emotional core of the book.
Unmasking the Imperial Shadow in Asia
Beyond India, 1945: The Reckoning takes readers through critical but lesser-known events in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. A clandestine Australian special forces operation in Borneo — steered from London — unravels disastrously, raising suspicions about its true intent: military necessity or imperial assertion.In a startling revelation, Craig also documents how British generals in Indo-china and the East Indies freed and rearmed Japanese prisoners of war to quell local resistance, aiming to reinstate colonial rulers — an uncomfortable truth that challenges traditional post-war narratives.
A Global Tapestry of War and Decolonisation
With a sweeping lens, the book crosses continents — from Britain to Germany, and from India to Indonesia. According to the publishers, it is an unflinching confrontation of the moral ambiguities of empire, decolonisation, and what “victory” really meant in 1945.The foreword, penned by renowned author and broadcaster James Holland, lauds the book as “ambitious, deeply thought-provoking and, as with all the very best history, compellingly told.”
Priced at Rs 899, "1945: The Reckoning – War, Empire and the Struggle for a New World" is now available across both online and offline bookstores.
With its human-centred storytelling and rigorous historical analysis, Phil Craig’s latest work invites readers to revisit a pivotal moment in global history — one that continues to shape the present.
