1945 is a fresh look at the final year of the Second World War. Evoking the disorienting strangeness of the end and aftermath of war, it narrates the lives of fifty protagonists caught in the ruins of warfare. From world leaders, artists, writers and musicians to housewives, servicemen and -women, concentration camp victims and children, Max Likin traces their stories through a momentous twelve months.Fast-moving and dynamic, 1945 is a powerfully evocative and often surprising narrative, showing how chance and fortune impacted different people at different times. This is a must-read for anyone with an interest in history or military history, and will astonish many with its fascinating juxtapositions of places and people.