Second World War

The Red Army storms Königsberg shortly before the collapse of the city on 9 April 1945. AFP/Getty Images.

The Battle of Königsberg

For the German military command, the citizens of East Prussia were not a concern; they were a weapon to be deployed in the Battle of Königsberg. 

Jews captured during the suppression of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising are forced from their shelters and marched to the Umschlagplatz for deportation, 1943. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration, College Park. Public Domain.

The Warsaw Ghetto in Flames

The story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is typically one of defiance against the odds during the Holocaust. But what of those unable to fight?

Joseph Stalin’s son, Yakov Dzhugashvili, following his capture, on a German airfield, 1941. Alamy.

The Death of Stalin’s Son

The death of Joseph Stalin’s son Yakov Dzhugashvili in a German concentration camp 80 years ago was kept a secret for decades.

conscientious objector Sidney Spencer on his way to plead his case at Liverpool tribunal, 25 March 1941.

Object Lesson

The personal testimonies of conscientious objectors do not provide easy answers.

Russian prisoners of war during the Battle of Stalingrad, 27 October 1942. National Archief. Public Domain.

Stalingrad: The Unbreakable City

The Battle of Stalingrad began in August 1942, subjecting its residents to months of living hell. But few doubted that the city was worth defending.

London

London Burning

A fresh account of how Londoners responded to the impact of the Second World War. 

The ‘Course Boys’ outside Ivyholme at Dulwich College. Sandy Wilson is fourth from left in the front row; Peter Parker is sixth from left.

Learning Japanese

Official secrecy and institutional rivalry obscured the achievements of two crash programmes hastily launched to teach Japanese during the Second World War.