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 Lou A. Rollins ∙ December 1, 1985
In a 180-degree turnaround, Gov. George Deukmejian has signed a bill authorizing a $750,000 grant for a Japanese-American history museum planned for an historic Buddhist temple in the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. Only a few months ago, Deukmejian had cut the $750,000 grant from the state budget. The bill, authored by State Senator…
By Charles Lutton ∙ July 1, 1985
The Eastern Front: The Soviet-German War, 1941-45 by J.N. Westwood. New York: The Military Press, with maps, photographs, index, 1984, 192pp, $12.95, ISBN 0-517-42314-6. This Spring marked the 40th Anniversary of VE-Day. In the United States, Britain, and other Western countries, there has been much self congratulation about how “we” won the Second World War….
By Mark Weber ∙ April 1, 1985
Franklin Roosevelt often lied to further his goals. In a radio address broadcast to the nation on 23 October 1940, for example, he gave “this most solemn assurance” that he had not given any “secret understanding in any shape or form, direct or indirect, with any government or any other nation in any part of…
By H. Keith Thompson ∙ December 1, 1984
Dönitz: The Last Führer, by Peter Padfield. New York: Harper and Row, 1984, 523pp, $25.00, ISBN 0-06-015264-8. In an appearance on a book-talk show on BBC radio, the author was asked why he had written this book. He replied that it was written at the suggestion of his agent. That is perhaps a clue to…
By Charles Lutton ∙ December 1, 1984
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley “Bomber” Harris died on 5 April of this year, at the age of 91. As Air Officer Commanding in Chief Bomber Command from February 1942 until the end of the Second World War, he was in charge of Britain’s massive “area bombing” campaign directed against German cities. At least half a…
By Keith Stimely ∙ April 1, 1984
Das Führerhauptquartier 1939-1945 [The Fuehrer Headquarters 1939-1945] compiled and edited by Gerhard Buck. Leoni am Starnberger See [D-8137]: Druffel Verlag, 1983, 176pp, DM 36.00, ISBN 3-8061-0830-7. Die große Zeit des deutschen Films 1933-1945 [The Great Age of German Films 1933-1945) edited by Michele Sakkara. Leoni am Starnberger See [D-8137]: Druffel Verlag, 1980, 184pp, DM 36.00,…
By Mark Weber ∙ December 1, 1985
Viktor Suvorov is a former member of the Soviet General Staff who now lives in the West. He is the author of three authoritative works on the Soviet armed forces. Writing in the June 1985 issue of the Journal of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies, Suvorov assembles impressive evidence to show that…
By Lou A. Rollins ∙ April 1, 1985
A Trial on Trial: The Great Sedition Trial of 1944, by Lawrence Dennis and Maximilian St. George. Torrance, CA: Institute for Historical Review, 1984, 503pp, $11.00, Pb, ISBN 0-939484-20-X About fifteen years ago, in the midst of the raging debate over American involvement in the Indochina War, which I had come to oppose, I wrote…
By Walter Trohan ∙ December 1, 1985
Perhaps the most telling aspect of World War Two historical orthodoxy is its one-dimensional view of war criminals; by current definition these are the losers of a war. The winners decide the degree of the losers' culpability and the depth of their depravity. Apart from this victor's morality play is the reality of the difficult-to-envision…
By Karl Otto Braun ∙ December 1, 1984
Following the final defeat of Napoleonic France, the leaders of Europe gathered for the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to reorganize the war-torn continent. European recovery from the consequences of Napoleon’s downfall was considerably aided by the decent and magnanimous treatment of defeated France by the victorious powers. Henry Kissinger aptly entitled his study of…
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