Second World War

Mein Kampf on sale, c.1938. Fotoarchiv für Zeitgeschichte/akg-images.

Did Germany Read Mein Kampf?

A huge bestseller and undisputed guide to the Nazi worldview, did Germans actually read Mein Kampf?

Men playing cards in a cafe, by Isaac Israels, c. 1930s. Rijksmuseum. Public Domain.

‘The Alienation Effect’ by Owen Hatherley review

The Alienation Effect: How Central European Émigrés Transformed the British Twentieth Century by Owen Hatherley follows in the footsteps of those who fled fascism.

A German soldier sleeps in a railway wagon on his way to the Eastern Front, by Franz Grasser, 1943. Deutsche Fotothek. Public Domain.

‘Hitler’s Deserters’ by Douglas Carl Peifer review

Hitler’s Deserters: Breaking Ranks with the Wehrmacht by Douglas Carl Peifer surfaces the stories of those who sought to sit out the Second World War.

Londoners sleep through the early hours of the morning after a night of celebrations, 8 May 1945. Mirrorpix.

VE Day: The Quiet After the Peace

When VE Day finally came in May 1945 it was met with relief, exhaustion, and cynicism. Was the Second World War in Europe really over?

Mavis Tate and Edward Wickham talk with a young Czech survivor in the prisoners’ barracks at Buchenwald, April 1945. Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo.

Britain’s Witnesses to Buchenwald

In April 1945 ten British politicians flew to Germany tasked with investigating the ‘truth’ about Buchenwald concentration camp.

Supermarine Spitfire prototype K5054, 1936. Chronicle/Alamy Stock Photo.

Maiden Flight of the Spitfire

On 5 March 1936 the prototype Spitfire made its maiden flight. Its creator R.J. Mitchell would not live to see its finest hour.

Ginza, Tokyo in the aftermath of the firebombing, March 1945. NARA. Public Domain.

The Firebombing of Tokyo

American air raids on Japan’s capital burned the city in March 1945, killing 80,000 people in one night alone. ‘Had to be done’, said the general who ordered it.