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).
By Daniel W. Michaels ∙ October 20, 1999
wwii/prelude/USSRThe Journal of Historical Review, vol. 18, no. 3 (May/June), pp. 40-45New Evidence on the 1941 ‘Barbarossa’ Attack: Why Hitler Attacked Soviet Russia When He DidDaniel W. Michaels Stalins Falle: Er wollte den Krieg (“Stalin’s Trap: He Wanted War”), by Adolf von Thadden. Rosenheim: Kultur und Zeitgeschichte/Archiv der Zeit, 1996. (Available from: Postfach 1180, 32352…
By Joseph Sobran ∙ August 1, 1998
Joseph Sobran is a nationally-syndicated columnist, lecturer, author, and editor of the monthly newsletter Sobran's (P.O. Box 1383, Vienna, VA 22183). This essay is reprinted from the August 1998 issue of Sobran's. Steven Spielberg's “Saving Private Ryan” is the most powerful movie I've seen in years. The opening sequence, already famous, shows the D-Day invasion…
By Mark Weber ∙ October 20, 1999
A youthful John F. Kennedy In late July and early August 1945, just weeks after the end of the war in Europe, the 28-year-old John F. Kennedy visited war-devastated Germany. Accompanying him on this tour was US Navy Secretary James Forrestal (whom President Truman later appointed as the first Secretary of Defense). Kennedy recorded his…
By Mark Weber ∙ October 20, 1999
In a new book that proves he would rather be right than President, Patrick J. Buchanan has provoked the most heated public discussion about World War II history in many years. In A Republic, Not an Empire: Reclaiming America's Destiny (Regnery), the well-known journalist, commentator and presidential candidate eloquently pleads for a US foreign policy…
By Mark Weber ∙ May 15, 1999
Of humanity’s many noteworthy achievements and inventions, few are as evil and as horrifying as biological warfare: deliberate, government-ordered mass killing of people with lethal diseases. During the Second World War, the Japanese army maintained a secret biological warfare testing program, as did the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1969 President Nixon…
By Trevor J. Constable ∙ January 1, 1971
Trevor J. Constable, born in New Zealand in 1925, has an international reputation as an aviation historian. With Colonel Raymond F. Toliver, he has authored a number of successful works on fighter aviation and ace fighter pilots. He has lived in the United States since 1952. He now makes him home in southern California. Trevor…
By Sheldon Richman ∙ September 1, 1995
Sheldon Richman is senior editor at the Cato Institute in Washington, DC, and the author of Separating School & State, published by The Future of Freedom Foundation (FFF). This essay is reprinted from the September 1995 issue of Freedom Daily, published monthly by the FFF, 11350 Random Hills Rd., Ste. 800, Fairfax, VA 22030. Sheldon…
By Trevor J. Constable ∙ January 1, 1971
Trevor J. Constable, born in New Zealand in 1925, has an international reputation as an aviation historian and author. With Colonel Raymond F. Toliver, he has authored a number of successful works on fighter aviation and ace fighter pilots. He has lived in the United States since 1952. He now makes him home in southern…
By Daniel W. Michaels ∙ October 1, 1998
Poslednyaya Respublika (“The Last Republic”), by Viktor Suvorov (Vladimir Rezun). Moscow: TKO ACT, 1996. 470 pages. Hardcover. Photographs. For several years now, a former Soviet military intelligence officer named Vladimir Rezun has provoked heated discussion in Russia for his startling view that Hitler attacked Soviet Russia in June 1941 just as Stalin was preparing to…
By Douglas Collins ∙ September 15, 1996
Doug Collins, an award-winning journalist, has worked for several Canadian daily newspapers, and is the author of several books. He served with the British army during the Second World War, and then with the British control commission in postwar occupied Germany. In September 1997 he retired as a columnist for the North Shore News of…
End of content
End of content
