An insight into how the activities of Allied crews from the ill-fated PQ-17 Arctic convoy of 1942 to wartime Russia were viewed by one of Stalin's commissars. The article is part of an agreement with the Russian history magazine, Rodina, whereby History Today will have access to and publish in English, formerly top-secret documents now being released from the Soviet archives.
Raymond Postgate is well-known today as the founder of The Good Food Guide, but he was also a vivid eyewitness of events as a Londoner under siege from Hitler's bombs. We publish here for the first time, a selection from his wartime correspondence with the American publisher Alfred Knopf, introduced and edited by his son, John Postgate.
Why did Germany declare war on the US in December 1941? Nicholas Henderson considers motives and consequences in the days before and after Pearl Harbor.
Michael Burleigh on the origins of Volkswagen.
Why did the whole of Marshal Petain's fleet go to the bottom of Toulon harbour in November 1942? Anthony Clayton uncovers a tale of amour propre in this 50th anniversary account.
The 1942 Allied raid on Nazi-occupied France and its lessons for D-Day.
Judy Litoff and David C. Smith sift through the hopes and fears of America's home front in this selection and commentary of letters they have assembled from wives, mothers and sweethearts during the Second World War.
Brian Bond reviews
David Day argues that deft footwork, personal PR and skilful use of both patronage and rhetoric were key elements in sustaining Britain's wartime PM in a position intrinsically far weaker than has often been supposed.
What would Europe (and Britain) have looked like if Hitler had won the war? Michael Burleigh unveils a fascinating, if chilling panorama of megalomaniac architecture and social engineering.
