List of World War II articles
![A giant orange mushroom cloud explodes on the horizon during the first atomic bomb test in New Mexico on July 16, 1945.]()
A giant orange mushroom cloud explodes on the horizon during the first atomic bomb test in New Mexico on July 16, 1945.
The Long Shadow of Oppenheimer’s Trinity Test
Today’s nukes would make the destroyer of worlds shudder.
![Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 331st Infantry Regiment take cover from German fire near the village of Périers in Normandy, France, in July 1944.]()
Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 331st Infantry Regiment take cover from German fire near the village of Périers in Normandy, France, in July 1944.
Stop Comparing Ukraine to World War I
Normandy in 1944 is a much better historical analogy—and it counsels patience.
![A photograph is seen near the memorial commemorating the Jedwabne pogrom in Jedwabne, Poland on July 29, 2021.]()
A photograph is seen near the memorial commemorating the Jedwabne pogrom in Jedwabne, Poland on July 29, 2021.
How Poland Distorts Its Holocaust History
The Polish government’s ongoing war on historians documenting Poles’ complicity in massacres has led to a politically motivated distortion of the past.
![A volunteer adjusts Polish and Ukrainian flags as refugees wait for transportation after crossing the Ukrainian-Polish border at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, on March 9, 2022.]()
A volunteer adjusts Polish and Ukrainian flags as refugees wait for transportation after crossing the Ukrainian-Polish border at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, on March 9, 2022.
How Poland and Ukraine Could Undermine Putin’s Imperial Dreams
Historically, both countries formed their national identities in defiance of Russian imperialism, and together they can defeat it today.
![Giorgia Meloni (C) attends the commemoration of the National Memorial Day of the Exiles and the Foibe on Feb. 10, 2020 in Basovizza, Italy.]()
Giorgia Meloni (C) attends the commemoration of the National Memorial Day of the Exiles and the Foibe on Feb. 10, 2020 in Basovizza, Italy.
Why Giorgia Meloni Won’t Distance Herself from Italy’s Fascist Past
The Italian prime minister is proudly defending her party’s extremist predecessor by falsely claiming they were never fascists.
![German Chancellor Olaf Scholz briefs the press on Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the German Chancellery in Berlin on Feb. 24.]()
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz briefs the press on Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the German Chancellery in Berlin on Feb. 24.
Why Germany Has Learned the Wrong Lessons From History
On Russia and Ukraine, Germans remain wedded to historical and geopolitical delusions.
![A visitor at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin on Sept. 25, 2019.]()
A visitor at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin on Sept. 25, 2019.
Germany Has Confronted Its Past. Now It Must Confront the Present.
Accepting—or rejecting—historical guilt for past evils doesn’t absolve nations of present-day responsibility.
![An aerial view of firebombed Tokyo in 1945.]()
An aerial view of firebombed Tokyo in 1945.
When Tokyo Burned
“Paper City” explores the forgotten firebombing of Japan’s capital.
![CasaPound members hold torches.]()
CasaPound members hold torches.
Mussolini’s Heirs Equate World War II Killings of Italians With the Holocaust
By comparing the foibe killings with Nazi genocide, the Italian right is whitewashing the country’s past.
![The registration room in hut 6 at Bletchley Park on Oct. 22, 1943. British cryptographers used the intelligence center during World War II to decipher top-secret military communiques between Hitler and his armed forces.]()
The registration room in hut 6 at Bletchley Park on Oct. 22, 1943. British cryptographers used the intelligence center during World War II to decipher top-secret military communiques between Hitler and his armed forces.
How World War II Code-Breakers Created the Modern Digital World
In “Geniuses at War,” David A. Price convincingly recounts a heroic and tragic tale.
![A World War II Soviet propaganda poster by N. Zhukov and V. Klimashin depicting, a Red Army soldier, circa 1941. The text reads: 'Let's Fight For Moscow!'.
(Photo by: Laski Diffusion/Getty Images)]()
A World War II Soviet propaganda poster by N. Zhukov and V. Klimashin depicting, a Red Army soldier, circa 1941. The text reads: 'Let's Fight For Moscow!'.
(Photo by: Laski Diffusion/Getty Images)
Moscow Is Using Memory Diplomacy to Export Its Narrative to the World
Putin is pushing Russian revisionist history to bolster the Kremlin’s influence abroad and its legitimacy at home.
![A crack cuts through one of the thousands of stellae at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also called the Holocaust Memorial, on Jan. 29, 2019 in Berlin.]()
A crack cuts through one of the thousands of stellae at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also called the Holocaust Memorial, on Jan. 29, 2019 in Berlin.
Germany’s Holocaust Remembrance Is Turning Upside Down
The left is relativizing the past, the far-right is insisting on its uniqueness, and the country’s historical culture is cracking from within.
![President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, meeting during the Casablanca conference, preparing the Normandy and Italy landing, which lasted from Jan. 14 to 24, 1943.]()
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, meeting during the Casablanca conference, preparing the Normandy and Italy landing, which lasted from Jan. 14 to 24, 1943.
The Postwar Global Order That Never Happened
After the wreckage of World War II, a new form of global community had huge momentum—but the United States rejected it.
![U.S President Donald Trump and Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, gesture towards Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner to join them for a group photograph on the first day of the G20 summit on June 28, 2019 in Osaka, Japan.]()
U.S President Donald Trump and Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, gesture towards Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner to join them for a group photograph on the first day of the G20 summit on June 28, 2019 in Osaka, Japan.
On V-J Day, U.S. Pushes for a Stronger Japanese Military
Seventy-five years after Japan surrendered in World War II and scrapped its armed forces, the Trump administration is redoubling efforts to get Tokyo to be more aggressive in countering China.
![General Douglas MacArthur and Japan's Emperor Hirohito in 1945, a few weeks after Japan's surrender on September 2, 1945.]()
General Douglas MacArthur and Japan's Emperor Hirohito in 1945, a few weeks after Japan's surrender on September 2, 1945.
The Dangerous Illusion of Japan’s Unconditional Surrender
For decades, U.S. foreign policy has been badly distorted by the way that World War II ended.
![U.S. soldiers stand guard at the K1 Air Base near Kirkuk in northern Iraq on March 29, during its handover ceremony. The K1 base is the third site U.S.-led coalition troops have left in March.]()
U.S. soldiers stand guard at the K1 Air Base near Kirkuk in northern Iraq on March 29, during its handover ceremony. The K1 base is the third site U.S.-led coalition troops have left in March.
To Stop a U.S.-Iran War, Finlandize Iraq
By treating Iraqi territory as a neutral zone, Washington and Tehran can avoid conflict.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath laying ceremony on the 75th anniversary of the Leningrad siege near St. Petersburg on Jan. 18.]()
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath laying ceremony on the 75th anniversary of the Leningrad siege near St. Petersburg on Jan. 18.
Vladimir Putin Wants to Rewrite the History of World War II
The Russian president’s amateur history lessons are outraging neighboring countries. While he is right to criticize a recent EU Parliament resolution, his historical revisionism doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
![A Boeing B-29 Superfortress flies over the National Mall during the Arsenal of Democracy, a World War II flyover for the 70th anniversary of V-E Day, in Washington on May 8, 2015.]()
A Boeing B-29 Superfortress flies over the National Mall during the Arsenal of Democracy, a World War II flyover for the 70th anniversary of V-E Day, in Washington on May 8, 2015.
Wall Street Was America’s First Foe in World War II
Breaking up monopolies was the first step in fighting Hitler.
![A tent orphanage for Jewish refugees in Tehran, 1942.]()
A tent orphanage for Jewish refugees in Tehran, 1942.
When Iran Welcomed Jewish Refugees
In the middle of World War II, Tehran became a haven for both Jewish and Catholic Polish refugees who were welcomed as they arrived from Soviet Central Asia.
![A Sudanese protester outside Khartoum's army headquarters on June 3, 2019.]()
A Sudanese protester outside Khartoum's army headquarters on June 3, 2019.
The World This Weekend
Chaos worsens in Sudan, Theresa May exits No. 10 Downing St., and the United States marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
The Long Shadow of Oppenheimer’s Trinity Test
Today’s nukes would make the destroyer of worlds shudder.
Stop Comparing Ukraine to World War I
Normandy in 1944 is a much better historical analogy—and it counsels patience.
How Poland Distorts Its Holocaust History
The Polish government’s ongoing war on historians documenting Poles’ complicity in massacres has led to a politically motivated distortion of the past.
How Poland and Ukraine Could Undermine Putin’s Imperial Dreams
Historically, both countries formed their national identities in defiance of Russian imperialism, and together they can defeat it today.
Why Giorgia Meloni Won’t Distance Herself from Italy’s Fascist Past
The Italian prime minister is proudly defending her party’s extremist predecessor by falsely claiming they were never fascists.
Why Germany Has Learned the Wrong Lessons From History
On Russia and Ukraine, Germans remain wedded to historical and geopolitical delusions.
Germany Has Confronted Its Past. Now It Must Confront the Present.
Accepting—or rejecting—historical guilt for past evils doesn’t absolve nations of present-day responsibility.
When Tokyo Burned
“Paper City” explores the forgotten firebombing of Japan’s capital.
Mussolini’s Heirs Equate World War II Killings of Italians With the Holocaust
By comparing the foibe killings with Nazi genocide, the Italian right is whitewashing the country’s past.
How World War II Code-Breakers Created the Modern Digital World
In “Geniuses at War,” David A. Price convincingly recounts a heroic and tragic tale.
Moscow Is Using Memory Diplomacy to Export Its Narrative to the World
Putin is pushing Russian revisionist history to bolster the Kremlin’s influence abroad and its legitimacy at home.
Germany’s Holocaust Remembrance Is Turning Upside Down
The left is relativizing the past, the far-right is insisting on its uniqueness, and the country’s historical culture is cracking from within.
The Postwar Global Order That Never Happened
After the wreckage of World War II, a new form of global community had huge momentum—but the United States rejected it.
On V-J Day, U.S. Pushes for a Stronger Japanese Military
Seventy-five years after Japan surrendered in World War II and scrapped its armed forces, the Trump administration is redoubling efforts to get Tokyo to be more aggressive in countering China.
The Dangerous Illusion of Japan’s Unconditional Surrender
For decades, U.S. foreign policy has been badly distorted by the way that World War II ended.
To Stop a U.S.-Iran War, Finlandize Iraq
By treating Iraqi territory as a neutral zone, Washington and Tehran can avoid conflict.
Vladimir Putin Wants to Rewrite the History of World War II
The Russian president’s amateur history lessons are outraging neighboring countries. While he is right to criticize a recent EU Parliament resolution, his historical revisionism doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
Wall Street Was America’s First Foe in World War II
Breaking up monopolies was the first step in fighting Hitler.
When Iran Welcomed Jewish Refugees
In the middle of World War II, Tehran became a haven for both Jewish and Catholic Polish refugees who were welcomed as they arrived from Soviet Central Asia.
The World This Weekend
Chaos worsens in Sudan, Theresa May exits No. 10 Downing St., and the United States marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
