Tag: World War Two
Before there was the Battle of France, before there was the Battle of Britain, there was the Winter War. Just months after the start of the Second World War, the Soviet Union invaded Finland. But it didn’t go quite the way they had hoped. My recommend book is A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War … Read More “SWWP 13 – Russian to the Finnish Line” »
There has been a movement among historians to step away from the “great man theory.” That is, instead of focusing on the decisions and actions of one man (and it usually was a man) at the top, we should be looking more at what the average person was doing. I see this in many of … Read More “Churchill’s Generals – Review” »
I have been interested in the Second World War for a long time. There is a reason I have a podcast on the Second World War. There is no slowing down of movies or books about World War Two. But why? Why is there such interest in this war? Here are five reasons why I … Read More “5 Reasons People Are Still Interested in WW2” »
Many people think about the Second World War as the fight for freedom. But even among the Allies, some were more free than others. Unfortunately, black soldiers in Word War Two were not treat well. They were just as brave as anyone but faced terrible obstacles to serving their country. This documentary helps to share … Read More “African Americans in World War Two” »
When we think of the turning point in the Second World War, we often think about the Normandy landings on D-Day. That is true to a certain extent, and yet even then the Germans could have pushed the Allies back. In order to get from D-Day to VE-Day, it was essential for the Allies to … Read More “Breakout From Juno – Review” »
Two of my main interests are the history of the Second World War and disabilities. The latter because I have two children with disabilities. It is heartbreaking to hear about the lengths the Nazis went to kill those, including babies and children, with disabilities. This is a forgotten part of the Holocaust.
I love old war movies, especially those made during the Second World War. Sure, they include propaganda, but that’s part of the charm. I recently discovered that that as they were preparing to go to Europe, some soldiers from my unit, the Lincoln and Welland Regiment, were extras in a movie called the 49th Parallel … Read More “49th Parallel – Review” »
Two of the most known and respect generals of the Second World War are Bernard Montgomery and Erwin Rommel. They may have been on opposite sides of the war but they had a fair bit in common. I really enjoyed Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives by Peter Caddick-Adams. What I appreciated most was how he … Read More “Monty and Rommel – Review” »
As a Canadian and someone interested in the Second World War, I was naturally drawn to U-Boats Against Canada by Michael L. Hadley. I am somewhat familiar with the Battle of the Atlantic and the U-Boat war against Allied shipping. But what does this have to do with Canada? When we think of the areas … Read More “U-Boats Against Canada – Review” »
I have recently joined the Lincoln and Welland Regiment as a chaplain. This regiment has a long history, one that includes some important battles in the Second World War. One that we are most identified with was the liberation of Bergen op Zoom in Holland. This documentary gives an overview of Lincoln and Welland’s journey from … Read More “The Liberation of Bergen op Zoom” »
One of the most interesting campaigns (to me at least) of the Second World War is North Africa. For a long time, that was the only place where the British and Americans fought the Germans. This is a nicely animated survey of the events of 1940. If you are interested in the Second World War, … Read More “North African Campaign 1940” »
The beginning of the Second World War is generally understood as being at the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in September, 1939. Hitler created an excuse for invading and unleashed his forces on an outdated Polish army. Even knowing that Britain and France would not accept this, Hitler took this step, confident in the … Read More “SWWP 11 – And So It Begins” »
How did we get from World War One to World War Two? Most people have a vague understanding of the rise of Adolf Hitler. Germany was suffering economically and emotionally from their defeat in the Great War. There was some feeling of betrayal and mistrust regarding the communists and Jews. However, the story is much … Read More “The Birth of the Nazis – Review” »
The Second World War began with the German invasion of Poland in 1939. But before we get to that, what about Japan and Italy? What were they doing as Germany was preparing to invade Poland? In this episode, we look at the Japanese invasion of China and the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in the years … Read More “SWWP 10 – Japan and Italy at the Dawn of the Second World War” »
I find reading accounts of the participants of the Second World War to be very helpful. A while back I read Churchill’s Second World War and now I have read Dwight Eisenhower’s Crusade in Europe. I couldn’t help but compare the two works. The difference is much more than Churchill’s being a multi-volume work and … Read More “Crusade in Europe – Review” »
Most people are happy that Adolf Hitler did not win the Second World War. But it could have easily ended differently. One of the best books on military history that I have read recently was How Hitler Could Have Won World War II: The Fatal Errors That Led to Nazi Defeat by Bevin Alexander. In some … Read More “How Hitler Could Have Won World War II – Review” »
I have enjoyed war movies from the time I was a young child. There was a time that I thought the only good war movie was in black and white. But there have been some excellent movies about the Second World War more recently. My definition of recent is rather generous. I am looking back … Read More “Top 5 Recent War Movies” »
Can we think of two greater monsters of the 20th century than that of Hitler and Stalin. Although the Second World War ended with them as bitter enemies, it began with them in cooperation. This episode looks at what led to the nonaggression pact. See Hitler vs. Stalin: Who Killed More? Recommended Book: The Devils’ Alliance: … Read More “SWWP 9 – Hitler and Stalin: A Match Made in Hell” »
A number of years ago, I picked up a copy of the second volume of Winston Churchill’s Second World War, entitled Their Finest Hour. I almost gave up on it after reading the first chapter but kept going. I’m glad I did as I loved it and devoured the rest of the series. The reason … Read More “Winston Churchill’s Second World War – Review” »
It is common to hear that Adolf Hitler was influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche and that Nazism was inspired by his philosophy. But how true is this? It is true that Hitler gave Mussolini a set of the works of Nietzsche for his birthday. It is also true that Hitler’s speeches and Nazi propaganda were peppered … Read More “Nietzsche’s Influence on Hitler and Nazism” »
One of the greatest accomplishments of Winston Churchill during the Second World War was the nourishing of the relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States. Below is a video of Churchill’s speech titled “Now We Are Masters of Our Fate” that was given in the United States. You can find the text of … Read More “Now We Are Masters of Our Fate” »
The German invasion of Czechoslovakia was a turning point in Hitler’s acts of aggression. This was the necessary step to transition from annexing fellow Germans in Austria to invading the non-German Poland, thus starting the Second World War. The Munich Agreement was Britain and France’s sellout of Czechoslovakia in attempt to prevent war. It failed … Read More “SWWP 8 – The Munich Agreement” »
My interest in the Second World War began by watching old war movies. That conflict was one that brought out the best and worst of people and there are plenty of stories to tell. Some attempts to tell these stories have been better than others. Here is an interesting list of movies related to World … Read More “Top 10 World War II Movies” »
Although the Allies focused on defeating Germany first in the Second World War, the conflict with Japan was not just a side theatre. Japan was a major threat to Britain, United States and especially the countries in east Asia and Australia. But how did Japan get to this point? This short video gives a helpful … Read More “The Rise of Imperial Japan” »
In the July of 1944, there was an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler. A bomb was meant to kill Hitler, but by an amazing twist of events, Hitler survived the blast. This was the basis for the movie Valkyrie. In this short documentary, you will see film footage of Hitler shortly after the attempt, including his … Read More “The Hitler Bomb Plot” »
Although the Second World War really begins with the invasion of Poland, Germany’s expansion began earlier with the annexation of Austria. This event, which Churchill described as “the rape of Austria,” was the first real glimpse of what Hitler intended for Europe. This episode looks at how this annexation took place and what it meant. … Read More “SWW7 – The Rape Of Austria” »
Everyone knows that the United States and Great Britain invaded France at Normandy on D-Day. What people are less familiar with is that Canada also had its own beach. It could be argued that the Canadians at Juno Beach were the most successful of all the landings. You can learn more about this battle in … Read More “D-Day: Juno Beach” »
Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Britain, truly desired peace for Europe. He believed that Adolf Hitler could be negotiated and that Hitler’s stated intentions were sincere. The situation was Germany’s plan to send troops into Czechoslovakia. Instead of warning Hitler to keep out, he agreed for Hitler to take part of Czechoslovakia and leave the rest. … Read More “Peace in Our Time?” »
Between the First World War and the Second World War, there was another conflict that greatly impacted Europe. This was the Spanish Civil War. Although technically this was just a civil war between the Republicans and Nationalists, unofficially many of the nations that participated in the Second World War, were involved in the Spanish … Read More “SWWP 6 – The Spanish Civil War” »
When it comes to history, context is everything. Thankfully, we are blessed with great historical resources, including the German background. In this episode, I talk to Travis Dow, the host of the History of Germany podcast (and many more). We discuss some of what was happening in Germany between the wars, including attitudes toward … Read More “SWWP 5 – Interview With Travis Dow On The German Context” »
I have been interested in military history, especially that of the Second World War, for as long as I could remember. I would go through our family encyclopedia (this was long before the internet) and read every article I would on World War Two. My interest in this period of history has only grown with … Read More “The Second World War Podcast” »
Last time we looked at the countries that made up the Axis powers. This time we look at the Allies. The Allies are much more than just Britain, United States and the Soviet Union, even if they are considered “the Big Three.” Understanding the position these countries were in at the start of the war … Read More “SWWP 3 – Setting The Stage: The Allies” »
In this episode, we begin to set the stage by looking at the Axis powers. What was happening in German, Italy and Japan at the time and who were their leaders? You may be surprised by how much these nations had in common and yet were different. Did you know that these nations were not … Read More “SWWP 2 – Setting the Stage: The Axis Powers” »
In this first episode, I share a little about myself and the direction of this podcast. In the episode, I mention the podcast by Ray Harris, Jr. You can find the History of WWII Podcast HERE. You should really check it out, it is quite good. However, I intend for my podcast to be somewhat different, … Read More “SWWP 1 – Introduction to the Podcast” »
I finally had the opportunity to watch a movie that I had long wanted to see: Hacksaw Ridge. I must confess that I’m generally a fan of war movies, especially those set during World War Two. However, it was difficult to “enjoy” this movie in that context. That is not to say that I didn’t … Read More “Hacksaw Ridge – Review” »
A number of years ago, I picked up Their Finest Hour, which was the second volume of Winston Churchill’s series on the Second World War. I read it and enjoyed it. More recently, I found copies of the rest of the series and just finished reading the first volume, The Gathering Storm. I enjoyed this … Read More “The Gathering Storm – Review” »
I am a bit of an armchair historian when it comes to the Second World War. For as long as I can remember, I have read everything I could get my hands on that was related to the war. Some time back, I picked up a used copy (a first edition actually) of Winston Churchill’s … Read More “Their Finest Hour” »
D-Day was the invasion of Normandy by the American and British, right? Actually the Canadians were there as well, not just to reinforce the British but to land on their own beach. The landing at Juno Beach was one of the great battles of World War Two. It has always been one of my pet … Read More “Juno Beach – Review” »
One of the things that I love to do is connect with Justus with something from my childhood. Tonight we cuddled on the couch in my office and watched the old television show The Rat Patrol. Someone told me the full episodes were on Youtube and so we watched the first episode tonight. I loved … Read More “The Rat Patrol” »