World War II

On 8 May 1995, the British prime minister, John Major, referred to the end of World War II as the end of a thirty years’ war; in this, he was correct: both sides saw this war as an attempt to complete a task left undone at the close of the First World War – the show-down which ended European global domination. The Second World War was, however, the ultimate catastrophe of modern history, laying waste the heart and soul of Europe. Here you will find contributions about this conflict, its prelude, conduct, and personalities – excluding non-military Nazi personalities, which are covered under the entry “Third Reich Era.” Also covered are contributions dealing with war crimes (and lies about alleged war crimes) committed in the course of the conflict. This does not include the “Holocaust,” which has a separate entry (and is not a war crime in the strict sense).

William Joyce: “Lord Haw-Haw”

By John Wear ∙ November 28, 2023

William Brooke Joyce, also known as “Lord Haw-Haw,” holds the distinction of being the last man ever to be hanged for high treason by the British Crown. Joyce was born an American and grew up in western Ireland. He was hanged for high treason by the British Crown at Wandsworth Prison, London, in the early morning of January 3, 1946. His offense was that he had given “aid and comfort to the King’s enemies” and assisted Germany “in her war against our country and our King” by making pro-German radio broadcasts during World War II. By the end of the war, Joyce was, after Adolf Hitler, the most detested man in Britain. This article discusses the life and career of William Joyce, and whether he should have been hanged for high treason after World War II.

Otto Skorzeny: Hitler’s Special Operations Commander

By John Wear ∙ November 28, 2023

Otto Skorzeny was one of the most colorful men of the Third Reich and its most successful special-operations commander. Skorzeny made it clear that, after the Allied demand at Casablanca for an unconditional German surrender, he had no other alternative but to fight to the bitter end. This article examines some of Skorzeny’s special missions and his good fortune in surviving World War II and its aftermath.

The Unfortunate Allied Demand of Germany’s Unconditional Surrender

By John Wear ∙ January 22, 2022

The European wars prior to World War II had traditionally ended in negotiations between the victor and vanquished. For example, all of the 15 wars which Great Britain had participated in between the end of the 16th century and 1943 ended in negotiated settlements. The announcement in January 1943 at the Casablanca Conference that the…

Neutral Sources Document Why Germany Invaded Poland

By John Wear ∙ August 22, 2022

Most historians state that Germany’s invasion of Poland was an unprovoked act of aggression designed to create Lebensraum and eventually take control of Europe. According to conventional historians, Adolf Hitler hated the Polish people and wanted to destroy them as his first step on the road to world conquest. This article uses non-German sources to document that, contrary to what most historians claim, Germany’s invasion of Poland was provoked by the Polish government’s acts of violence against its ethnic German minority.

Stalin’s War: A New History of World War II

By John Wear ∙ May 7, 2022

Sean McMeekin is a professor of history at Bard College in upstate New York. Stalin’s War: A New History of World War II is McMeekin’s latest book that focuses on Josef Stalin’s involvement in World War II. This well-researched and well-written book uses new research in Soviet, European and American archives to prove that World War II was a war that Stalin had wanted—not Adolf Hitler. A remarkable feature of Stalin’s War is McMeekin’s documentation showing the extensive aid given by the United States and Great Britain to support Soviet Communism during the war. This article focuses on the lend-lease and other aid given to the Soviet Union during World War II which enabled Stalin to conquer most of Eurasia, from Berlin to Beijing, for Communism.

THE GERMAN HOLOCAUST (PART 2)

By Ernst Zündel ∙ April 29, 2022

Ernst Zundel continues the story of the Great German Holocaust in Part 2. Ernst Zundel (1939 – 2017) takes us into history that few know about; this time it´s not the Jewish Holocaust but the German tragedies during and after WWII. In 1939, Neville Chamberlain, the "Prime Minister" of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and…

Wilhelm Canaris: A Traitor to the German Nation

By John Wear ∙ March 29, 2022

Admiral Wilhelm Canaris headed Adolf Hitler’s military intelligence service for nine years. He is one of the most enigmatic figures of the Third Reich. Robert Kempner, the U.S. deputy prosecutor at Nuremberg, said that Canaris had a Jekyll and Hyde split personality. Kempner wrote that Canaris was “the man who organized the National Socialist fifth column, who… introduced the murderous weapons of sabotage and surreptitious infiltration and sent German soldiers on suicide missions and who, on the other hand, permitted individual officers to conspire against the regime.” This article discusses the career of Adm. Canaris, and also attempts to uncover the motives of this extremely controversial German.

Why Hitler Put Jews in Camps and Ghettos

By John Wear ∙ February 6, 2022

Many people question why Adolf Hitler put Jewish civilians into camps and ghettos during World War II. People often assign false reasons for why Jews were interned in these camps. This article demonstrates that Jews were interned in camps and ghettos during World War II because Jews were generally hostile toward Germany, and many Jewish partisans were actively killing German troops.

Dr. Sigmund Rascher’s Medical Experiments

By John Wear ∙ November 24, 2021

Human medical experiments performed by German doctors during World War II are considered the worst atrocities in history, and they are said to have served no useful purpose. This article documents the medical experiments performed by one of Germany’s most infamous doctors: Dr. Sigmund Rascher, and shows that these experiments did produce useful medical information, and were no more criminal than many human medical experiments performed by U.S. doctors during and after World War II.

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