5
votes
0answers
93 views
What was the Nature of Resistance in 1938 Czechoslovakia?
I wonder if someone might help me. I'm writing a novel. My protagonist is a dual national (English born, German parents) bio chemist contracted to work for Freiburg University 1938. At the time ...
9
votes
1answer
116 views
What role did Lucky Luciano play in faciliting South Europe invasion?
On the night of July 9, 1943, 160,000 Allied troops landed on the extreme southwestern shore of Sicily. After securing a beachhead, Gen. George Patton's U.S. Seventh Army launched an offensive into ...
3
votes
1answer
72 views
Did the Germans lose the U-Boat war in World war II because of a shortage of quality, rather than quantity?
In the "Battle of the Atlantic," the Germans lost almost 800 of their 1200 submarines (nearly two-thirds) sinking 3,500 Allied merchant ships and 175 warships. ...
15
votes
2answers
97 views
+50
How popular was Mozart in France before WWII and after it?
Another intriguing statement by Robert Paxton:
I was surprised myself to learn that Mozart had been little played in
France before 1940, and that his prominence since 1945 in the French
...
5
votes
2answers
235 views
Could you help me identify this photograph that was taken shortly after World War 2?
Could you help me identify this photograph?
All I know is that it was taken shortly after World War 2.
8
votes
4answers
285 views
Why did the Germans fall behind the Americans in the development of the atomic bomb after an initial lead?
I actually know certain facts about this matter, but am seeking guidance in interpreting these facts into "theories."
1) Theory 1, Economic: The Americans spent something like $2 billion (in money of ...
2
votes
2answers
112 views
Was India's independence inevitable after Cripps Mission?
In 1942, the British government had sent Sir Stafford Cripps to negotiate with the Congress. According to most sources (though this was not made public at that time), the Cripps Mission had proposed ...
1
vote
1answer
69 views
Was it impossible for the Germans to arrange a plane to East Asia for Subhas Bose?
Bose's journey from Germany to Singapore by submarine was a well-remarked incident of World War II history. But what was the need for the Germans or the Italians to use a submarine to transfer a ...
6
votes
1answer
197 views
Did Erwin König Exist?
Erwin König Was a sniper supposedly killed by Vasily Zaytsev in the Battle of Stalingrad. The diary of Vasily Zaytsev mentions killing Erwin Konig, and there is a sniper scope in Russia, but there is ...
11
votes
2answers
106 views
percentage of British and American troops involved in direct combat with enemy in World War II
How large a proportion of British and American troops were involved in direct combat with the enemy in World War II? What was the casualty rate among those men?
7
votes
2answers
246 views
Why is Thailand considered an Axis power in WWII?
I read a Wikipedia article about military history of Thailand and it left me a taste of anti-Thai bias.
It is known that Thailand in 1940 (after the fall of Paris and establishment of Vichy ...
0
votes
2answers
3k views
Did the fights in the Ip Man movie series actually occur in real life?
In a series of movies called Ip Man 1 and 2, based in WW2, a Wing Chun martial arts master called Ip Man fought with a Japanese general and a western boxer named Twister. Did these events actually ...
1
vote
2answers
308 views
Did the Nazis regard chemical warfare as inhumane and “Jewish”?
I sometimes encounter accounts that the main reason why chemical weapons were not used in WWII was because initially they were invented by a Jew Fritz Haber, and as such Hitler expressed opinion that ...
4
votes
2answers
208 views
Did either of the World Wars involve South or Central America?
Were any South or Central American nations besides Brazil involved (not necessarily officially) in either of the World Wars? If any were, I'd appreciate information on their degree of involvement.
7
votes
1answer
177 views
How did diplomats of the Axis powers travel and communicate among themselves in World War II
In World War II, Japan and the European Axis powers had to communicate over strategy and other things. Also, their diplomats must have had to go to their own countries sometimes. After the USSR ...
6
votes
1answer
210 views
Why did Operation Market Garden go ahead when the allies knew German armor was in the area?
Montgomery's ill-fated operation to capture the Rhine crossing at Arnhem was ingenious but fatally flawed. Evidence suggests that the Allies knew there were German armoured units in the town a few ...
2
votes
2answers
208 views
Was “Blitzkrieg” at least partly intended for trapping the Jews?
I encountered a point of view that the German tactic of "Blitzkrieg", besides purely military purpose to achieve victory as quick as possible, was in fact designed to trap the Jews so that they could ...
12
votes
5answers
952 views
Why did Britain and France not declare war against the Soviet Union when it invaded Poland in WW2?
At the beginning of WW2, although they were slow in actually attacking Germany, Britain and France did declare war against it after Germany invaded Poland. The reason for this was the treaty where ...
19
votes
4answers
799 views
Why didn't France and UK invade Germany September 3rd 1939?
On September 3rd 1939, when UK and France declared war on Germany, both ordinary Polish people and government officials became enthusiastic. There were spontaneous demonstrations of support for the ...
8
votes
2answers
197 views
Were any of the major battle plans in WWII changed last minute by officers on the ground?
I haven't found any consistent reference to a particular battle wherein the battle plans were changed by a lower level officer on the ground at the last minute. Specifically, a major battle plan, not ...
3
votes
1answer
78 views
The original Lord Haw Haw's life in exile (Ireland)
I am writing a bio-graphy about my great uncle "Capt Tom Smith" who fought in WW1,WW2 and the Spanish Civil War
During recent interviews the name Norman Baillie Stewart (wiki link) keeps cropping up ...
6
votes
2answers
275 views
Did Japan ever pay Russia a reasonable amount of war reparation after WW2? Why or why not?
Russia had the largest number of casualties during WW2, and Russia had taken many Japanese prisoners. So, why didn't Russia receive a reparation from Japan to help boost Russia's economy after the ...
17
votes
1answer
2k views
Did World War II-era bombs actually whistle?
In WWII-era films and newsreels, aerial bombs are often shown making a whistling sound as they fall; starting high pitched, then decreasing as the bomb approaches the Earth (example here, starting at ...
7
votes
1answer
193 views
How much oil was spilled by the naval combatants during WW2?
The war at sea took a huge toll during WW2. Has there been an official estimate of how much oil was spilled into the oceans during the world wide conflict?
7
votes
2answers
358 views
Why was the US so against Japanese aggression in China but did nothing about Germany in Europe?
The US was very vocal against Japanese aggression in China in the 1930's and early 1940's but said nothing against German aggression in Europe. The US finally placed an embargo on sending oil and ...
8
votes
1answer
342 views
In WW2, which midget submarine program was the most successful?
In WW2, which midget submarine program was the most successful? I know at least Great Britain and Japan had midget submarines and used them during the course of the conflict. Which WW2 combatant had ...
3
votes
1answer
160 views
Is there a written history on the Sonderkommando Elbe?
I was watching a program called Dogfights where they were talking about the Sonderkommando Elbe and their tactic of ramming Messerschmitt Bf 109's into American bombers is a sort of suicide attack. ...
9
votes
2answers
218 views
Did Hitler make the right decision for Germany when he called off Operation Zitadelle (during the Battle of Kursk)?
On the night of 9/10 July, the Western Allies mounted an amphibious
invasion of Sicily. Three days later, Hitler summoned Günther von
Kluge and Erich von Manstein to his Wolfsschanze ...
10
votes
5answers
573 views
Were there any war movies made during WW2 that were well regarded by front-line American soldiers?
I've read in a few places that American soldiers during WWII (meaning men who had actually seen combat, not rear echelon troops) preferred light comedy or romance movies to the sanitized propaganda in ...
12
votes
8answers
1k views
What was the ratio of German to Soviet losses on eastern front during different stages of the war?
I've read somewhere that the ratio of Soviet to German casualties on the eastern front was 1.4 for the whole war. But what about data for different stages of the war? (this ratio wasn't constant after ...
10
votes
5answers
505 views
What was Finland's position in World War Two?
What was Finland's position in World War Two? Apparently, they were fighting against the Soviet Union, but not as Nazi Germany's ally. Are there reasons for this, and were they actually on Germany's ...
5
votes
1answer
275 views
What rank is S. SGT in the Army Air Force during WW2?
I am looking over my Grandfather's DD214 (Military Discharge Paperwork) from WW2. His grade says "S. SGT" I am trying to figure out his rank conclusively. Nowhere on the DD214 does it display an E-5 ...
7
votes
4answers
371 views
Did Stalin want to restore the Russian Empire's borders?
On one hand, it seems so because the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact defined the border between the two spheres of influence to be the border of the Russian Empire before WWI. On the other hand, the USSR ...
4
votes
1answer
170 views
What are the scholarly opinions on the idea of the “European Civil War”?
On Wikipedia, I ran into an article talking about World War I to World War II and some of the adjacent wars before WWI as being a "European Civil War" or a "Second Thirty Years War". What is the ...
17
votes
6answers
1k views
Why wasn't the Republic of Ireland invaded (by either side) in WW2?
Ireland was neutral in WW2, however it was never invaded (by either side). How come? Why wasn't Ireland invaded by the UK to prevent the Germans invading? Why didn't germany invade ireland? It would ...
23
votes
3answers
884 views
Has Britain's 1940 invasion of Iceland been downplayed by historians?
On the face of it Operation Fork (Britain's invasion of Iceland in 1940) wasn't so terribly different from Germany's territorial landgrabs in 1939 and 1940.
Britain and her allies will have ...
14
votes
1answer
515 views
What is this military patch with the silhouette of a pegasus on it?
I found this patch among my grandfather's things. I know it's a military patch of some sort because it was with his war memorabilia. He served in the European theater during WWII, if that helps at ...
5
votes
2answers
151 views
How besieged was Leningrad after Operation Iskra?
Wikipedia's timeline for the siege of Leningrad is a little puzzling. It has:
12–30 January 1943: Operation Iskra penetrates the siege by opening a
land corridor along the coast of Lake Ladoga into ...
51
votes
15answers
4k views
Why did Hitler attack the Soviet Union when he was still busy fighting the United Kingdom?
This has always bothered me. Everyone knows that having to fight on two opposite fronts at once is bad... and it's also a well known fact that every European country which tried to invade Russia has ...
26
votes
7answers
2k views
Why did Hitler declare war on the USA?
Since there had not been any offensives launched by either side against the other, why declare war just because Japan had attacked the USA?
7
votes
4answers
766 views
Where was the pre-war (ww2) border between Poland and Germany?
I am interested in mapping the pre-war (WWII) border between Poland and Germany.
Is there any data available in a public resource? Can anyone describe waypoints along the border in terms of modern ...
34
votes
8answers
3k views
Why didn't Imperial Japan attack the Soviet Union during World War 2?
Japan and the Soviet Union shared a common border in Manchuria and the German invasion of the Soviet Union weakened the Soviets greatly. In view of the advantages to Japan in seeing the Soviet Union ...
7
votes
2answers
13k views
How many troops died on D-day?
How many troops (allied and axis) died at Normandy beach on June 6th, 1944? I've searched all over the internet, but can't find an accurate number.
26
votes
4answers
2k views
Why did Chamberlain act to appease Hitler leading up to the outbreak of World War 2?
There are accounts that British Prime Minister Chamberlain sought to appease Hitler because he just didn't want Britain involved in a war at that time. Others also argue that Chamberlain was naive and ...
9
votes
1answer
915 views
German Government branches during World War 2
During World War 2, what government branches, if any, existed in Germany? I've always heard about the Third Reich and Hitler, but I never heard about the rest of the government.
