Questions related to aspects of World War II (1939-1945 AD). An international conflict whose major participants were the fascist countries of Germany, Italy, and Japan engaged against the allied nations of the UK, France, USSR, and the USA. The conflict began with the German invasion of Poland and ...
7
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4answers
364 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 ...
16
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2answers
711 views
Are there any records that indicate a submarine vs submarine battle?
I am aware of only one which is the U-864 was sunk by the HMS Venturer but that was when both were being submerged -- according to wikipedia. Is that accurate? Which battles did happen between two ...
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 ...
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vote
1answer
348 views
Historically accurate WW2 simulation [closed]
Does anyone of a good and historically accurate large scale WW2 simulation? This could be either a computer or board game.
Note: I am not sure if this should be on topic, of instead of downvoting if ...
3
votes
1answer
137 views
How was Australia able to start to demobilize in 1944?
Frank Welsh's mammoth history of Australia, Great Southern Land notes that
From June 1944 ... the Australian government began demobilising its soldiers.
Welsh doesn't go into detail but I'm ...
10
votes
1answer
295 views
How frequently were homing pigeons used in the World Wars?
It seems that the strategic weight of specially breeded pigeons is much higher than I thought at first, based on the number of pigeons used and the effort to stop them. (In WW2 Germans even trained ...
20
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1answer
531 views
Third Reich? What were the other two?
Nazi Germany is widely called the Third Reich. But what were the First and Second Reich then?
23
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3answers
868 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
511 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
136 views
Where was the Japanese surrender signed on Okinawa in June 1945?
On the 21st of June, Japanese defences on the southern fringe of Okinawa collapsed. The following day General Mitsuru Ushijima and chief of staff Isamu Chō committed suicide. Colonel Yahara was denied ...
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
744 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
12k 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
1k 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
893 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.
