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World War II: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

The literature on World War II is vast and ever-growing. Nonfiction books range from popular overviews to multivolume official histories to scholarly analyses of single campaigns or social issues. In addition, numerous motion-picture and television documentaries are available as video recordings.

Surveys

Good histories of the war include Andrew Roberts, The Storm of War (2009); Williamson Murray and Allan R. Millett, A War to Be Won: Fighting the Second World War (2000); Gerhard L. Weinberg, A World At Arms: A Global History of World War II (1994); John Keegan, The Second World War (1990, reissued 1997); Mark Calvocoressi, Guy Wint, and John Pritchard, Total War, rev. 2nd ed., 2 vol. (1995); and B.H. Liddell Hart, History of the Second World War (1970, reissued 1999).

Documentaries

The classic documentary, organized around original film footage and interviews with key individuals still living at the time, is the massive 32-hour series The World at War (1974), produced by Jeremy Isaacs and narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier for Thames Television, in cooperation with the Imperial War Museum. American perspectives are given in World War II with Walter Cronkite, a multipart series first broadcast by CBS-TV in 1982; and America Goes to War (1998), a series on the “home front” produced by Questar Inc. and narrated by another CBS journalist, Eric Sevareid. In addition, the Arts and Entertainment Television Network has produced outstanding biographical documentaries of World War II personalities, including every major political figure and numerous military leaders such as Douglas MacArthur, Bernard Montgomery, Chester Nimitz, George Patton, and Georgy Zhukov.

Scholarly views

The origins of the war are explored in Joachim Remak, The Origins of the Second World War (1976); Donald Cameron Watt, How War Came: The Immediate Origins of the Second World War, 1938–1939 (1989); and Akira Iriye, The Origins of the Second World War in Asia and the Pacific (1987).

Specific campaigns of the European theatre are the focus of Richard Hough and Denis Richards, The Battle of Britain: The Greatest Air Battle of World War II (1989); Richard Overy, Russia’s War (1997, reissued 1999); Carlo D’Este, Bitter Victory: The Battle for Sicily, July–August 1943 (1988, reprinted 1991); John Keegan, Six Armies in Normandy, new ed. (1994); Trevor N. Dupuy, David L. Bongard, and Richard C. Anderson, Hitler’s Last Gamble: The Battle of the Bulge, December 1944–January 1945 (1994); and John Toland, The Last 100 Days: The Tumultuous and Controversial Story of the Final Days of WW II in Europe (1965, reissued 2003).

Outstanding treatments of the war in the Pacific from the Japanese point of view include Saburo Ienaga, The Pacific War, 1931–1945 (1978); and Akira Iriye, Power and Culture: The Japanese-American War, 1941–1945 (1981). The American perspective is found in John Costello, The Pacific War, rev. ed. (1985); and Ronald H. Spector, Eagle Against the Sun: The American War with Japan, new ed. (2000).

Naval history is treated in Paul S. Dull, A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941–1945 (1978); and John Prados, Combined Fleet Decoded: The Secret History of American Intelligence and the Japanese Navy in World War II (1995, reissued 2001). The war under the waves is detailed in the following books on submarines by Clay Blair: Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan (1975, reissued 2001); Hitler’s U-Boat War: The Hunters, 1939–1942 (1996, reissued 2000); and Hitler’s U-Boat War: The Hunted, 1942–1944 (1998, reissued 2000). The air war has likewise received special attention, including Richard J. Overy, The Air War, 1939–1945 (1980, reissued 1991); Michael S. Sherry, The Rise of American Air Power: The Creation of Armageddon (1987); and Geoffrey Perret, Winged Victory: The Army Air Forces in World War II (1993, reissued 1997).

There is a vast literature on the war’s cultural and social aspects. The racial dimensions of World War II are the subject of John Dower, War Without Mercy (1986, reprinted with corrections, 1993). Stories of the home front are well told in Angus Calder, The People’s War: Britain, 1939–1945 (1969, reissued 1992); Susan M. Hartmann, The Home Front and Beyond: American Women in the 1940s (1982, reissued 1995); John Barber and Mark Harrison, The Soviet Home Front, 1941–1945 (1991); and Ben-Ami Shillony, Politics and Culture in Wartime Japan (1981, reissued 2001).

Decisions concerning the atomic bomb and the end of war in the Pacific are outlined in scores of books, many published in 1994 and 1995 as the world marked the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In some ways, Herbert Feis, The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II, rev. ed. (1966, reissued 1970), remains the standard. Competing views of this important aspect of the war are given in Gar Alperovitz, The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb and the Architecture of an American Myth (1995); and Richard Frank, Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire (1999, reissued 2001).

Official histories

In the half-century following the war, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (now known as The Stationery Office) published scores of books under the general title “History of the Second World War.” These include F.H. Hinsley et al., British Intelligence in the Second World War, 5 vol. (1981–90); S.W. Roskill, War at Sea 1939–1945, 3 vol. in 4 (1954–61); and L.F. Ellis et al., Victory in the West, 2 vol. (1960–68). The standard for U.S. official histories, published by the Office of the Chief of Military History, is The United States Army in World War II, 75 vol. (1944–86), also known as the “Green Books.” Other U.S. histories include Samuel Eliot Morison, History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, 15 vol. (1947–62, reissued 2001); and Wesley Craven and James Cate (eds.), The Army Air Forces in World War II, 7 vol. (1948–58, reissued 1983). Militärgeschictliches Forschungsamt (Armed Forces Historical Research Office), Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg, 10 vol. (1979– ), is the official German history; the volumes are being published in English under the title Germany and the Second World War (1990– ).

Thomas A. Hughes

By The Way

London Classics

The following is a special collection of historically illustrative articles and excerpts focusing on London, England. These colourfully written, provocative, and often amusing pieces have been compiled from the 2nd, 3rd, 7th, and 8th editions of Encyclopædia Britannica and from the Britannica Book of the Year printings of World War II.

  • London in the 18th century, a contemporary description from the 3rd edition (1788–97), volume 10, pages 270–272.
  • Bank of England, from “London,” in the 3rd edition (1788–97), volume 10, page 251.
  • Billingsgate, from “London,” in the 3rd edition (1788–97), volume 10, page 251.
  • Blackfriars Bridge, from “London,” in the 3rd edition (1788–97), volume 10, page 258.
  • Bridge-without, from “London,” in the 2nd edition (1777–84), volume 6, page 4282.
  • British Museum, from “Museum,” in the 2nd edition (1777–84), volume 7, page 5263; and “London,” in the 7th edition (1830–42), volume 13, page 538.
  • Crystal Palace, and its housing of the Great Exhibition of 1851, from the 8th edition (1852–60) articles “Exhibition,” volume 9, pages 453–454, and “Sydenham,” volume 20, pages 891–892.
  • Guildhall, from “London,” in the 2nd edition (1777–84), volume 6, pages 4287–88.
  • Lambeth, from “London,” in the 3rd edition (1788–97), volume 10, pages 262–263.
  • Leadenhall, from “London,” in the 3rd edition (1788–97), volume 10, page 251.
  • London Bridge, from “London,” in the 3rd edition (1788–97), volume 10, pages 246–247.
  • The Monument, from “London,” in the 2nd edition (1777–84), volume 6, page 4289.
  • Houses of Parliament, from “London,” in the 3rd edition (1788–97), volume 10, pages 265–266.
  • Royal Exchange, from “London,” in the 2nd edition (1777–84), volume 6, pages 4282–84.
  • St. Giles’s Church, from “London,” in the 3rd edition (1788–97), volume 10, pages 251–252.
  • St. Paul’s Cathedral, from both the 2nd edition (1777–84), volume 6, pages 4284–86, and the 3rd edition (1788–97), volume 10, pages 255–257.
  • Tower of London, from “London,” in the 3rd edition (1788–97), volume 10, pages 247–250.
  • Vauxhall Gardens, from “London,” in the 2nd edition (1777–84), volume 6, pages 4288–89.
  • Westminster Abbey, from “London,” in the 2nd edition (1777–84), volume 6, pages 4286–87.

London in World War II:

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - The Effects of World War II on Economic and Health Outcomes across Europe. Nov 07, 2023
Media added. Oct 23, 2023
Adjusted location of media. Sep 07, 2023
Adjusted display location on interactive. Sep 06, 2023
Adjust location of interactive. Sep 06, 2023
Anniversary information added. Aug 27, 2023
Media added. Jul 18, 2023
Media added. Jul 17, 2023
Clarified the meaning of “Wehrmacht.” May 23, 2023
Link added. Feb 23, 2023
Cross-reference added. Jan 18, 2023
Top Questions updated. Dec 28, 2022
Add new Web site: Weapons and Warfare - World War II. Aug 30, 2022
Add new Web site: The National WWII Museum - World War II and Popular Culture. Jul 24, 2022
Changed the spelling of “Kiev” to “Kyiv” throughout the article. Feb 28, 2022
Replaced photograph. Sep 27, 2021
Media added. Apr 27, 2021
Corrected display issue. Sep 10, 2020
Media added. Aug 14, 2020
Add new Web site: BBC - History of the BBC - Reporting the War. May 06, 2020
Add new Web site: BBC - History of the BBC - Reporting the War. May 06, 2020
Rearranged media. Nov 01, 2019
Media added. Jun 05, 2019
Add new Web site: Engineering and Technology History Wiki - Milestones: First Breaking of Enigma Code by the Team of Polish Cipher Bureau, 1932-1939. Dec 30, 2018
Corrected display issue. Dec 14, 2018
Add new Web site: National Geographic Society - World War II in Europe. Dec 07, 2018
Add new Web site: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Holocaust Encyclopedia - World War II in Europe. Dec 07, 2018
Add new Web site: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Holocaust Encyclopedia - World War II in Europe. Dec 07, 2018
Add new Web site: BBC - History - World War Two. Dec 07, 2018
Add new Web site: National Geographic Society - World War II in Europe. Dec 07, 2018
Add new Web site: BBC - History - World War Two. Dec 07, 2018
Corrected display issue. Aug 09, 2018
Corrected display issue. Jul 18, 2017
Media added. May 19, 2017
Add new Web site: Smithsonian Channel - The Only Live News Report from the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Feb 22, 2017
Add new Web site: Smithsonian Channel - The Tuskegee Red-Tail Angels. Feb 16, 2017
Replaced photograph. Feb 03, 2017
Add new Web site: National Geographic Kids - World War 2 facts for kids. Dec 05, 2016
Media added. Jun 12, 2015
Add new Web site: History Learning Site - World War Two. May 23, 2014
Changed "the Crimea" to "Crimea." Apr 16, 2014
Media added. Apr 16, 2014
Changed "the Crimea" to "Crimea." Apr 16, 2014
Add new Web site: British Broadcasting Corporation - History - World War Two. Mar 03, 2014
Add new Web site: National Geographic - Animals - Locust. Feb 23, 2014
Add new Web site: Federal Bureau of Investigation - World War, Cold War, 1939-1953. Dec 26, 2013
Add new Web site: Australian War Memorial - Second World War, 1939–45. Dec 06, 2012
Add new Web site: YIVO Institute for Jewish Research - World War II. Dec 06, 2012
Add new Web site: Ohio History Central - World War II. Dec 06, 2012
Add new Web site: h2g2 - Principal Causes of the Second World War. Dec 06, 2012
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - World War 2. Dec 06, 2012
Add new Web site: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Holocaust Encyclopedia - World War II in Europe. Dec 06, 2012
Andrew Roberts' history of World War II added. Dec 05, 2012
Add new Web site: WorldWar-2.net - Timelines and Resources. Nov 12, 2012
Add new Web site: WorldWar-2.net - Timelines and Resources. Nov 12, 2012
Add new Web site: History Learning Site - Kamikazes and World War Two. Mar 20, 2012
Deleted map. Mar 05, 2012
Reworded the sentence discussing the sinking of the Bismarck to reflect the possibility that it might have been scuttled. Feb 06, 2012
Add new Web site: NeoK12 - Educational Videos, Lessons and Games - World War II. Nov 03, 2011
Changed "Werner von Brauchitsch" to "Walther von Brauchitsch." Aug 09, 2011
Changed "Heinrich Brauchitsch" to "Walther von Brauchitsch." Aug 09, 2011
Add new Web site: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Holocaust Encyclopedia - Axis Powers in World War II. Jan 10, 2011
Add new Web site: The Canadian Encyclopedia - Second World War (WWII). Dec 29, 2010
In the section Hiroshima and Nagasaki, revised the text concerning the destruction in Hiroshima. Aug 05, 2010
Add new Web site: The Patriot Files - Dedicated to the Preservation of the U.S. Military History. Jul 26, 2010
Add new Web site: The Patriot Files - Dedicated to the Preservation of the U.S. Military History. Jul 26, 2010
Videos of the Burma Road, the Yalta Conference, the advance on the Rhine, the fall of Berlin, and the U.S.-Soviet meeting at the Elbe added. Jun 24, 2010
Video of Churchill's el-Alamein speech, the roundup of civilians in Kiev, and the siege of Leningrad added. Jun 24, 2010
Video of Soviet mobilization in 1941 added. Jun 24, 2010
Videos of the Russo-Finnish War, the Phony War, the invasion of Norway, and the Blitz added. Jun 24, 2010
Added a variety of images including the ruins of liberated cities and the landing at Juno Beach in Normandy. Jun 24, 2010
In The Allied landings in Europe and the defeat of the Axis Powers section, updated estimate of the number killed in the Dresden bombings. Mar 18, 2010
Added historical newsreels. Sep 04, 2009
Table updated for style. May 19, 2009
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - The United States Enters World War II - 1941. Nov 19, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - Results of World War II. Nov 19, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - Economic and Social Aspects of World War II. Nov 19, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - World War II Fronts and Campaigns (1940-1941). Nov 19, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - World War II - 1941-1945. Nov 19, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - World War II Timeline. Nov 19, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - Historical Introduction to WWII. Nov 19, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - Start of World War II: September 1939-March 1940. Nov 19, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - Outbreak of World War II. Nov 19, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - Buildup to World War II: January 1931-August 1939. Nov 19, 2008
Media revised. Oct 22, 2008
Added new Web site: United States History - World War II. Jul 22, 2008
Added new Web site: Center of Military History - The Normandy Invasion - Utah Beach to Cherbourg. Jul 08, 2008
Added new Web site: Center of Military History - The Normandy Invasion - Utah Beach to Cherbourg. Jul 08, 2008
Added new Web site: History World - World War II. May 05, 2008
Media added. Feb 18, 2008
Added new Web site: New Zealand History - Second World War. Dec 06, 2007
Added new Web site: US Army Center for Military History - World War II: The War Against Japan. Oct 03, 2007
Added new Web site: US Army Center for Military History - Grand Strategy and the Washington High Command. Oct 03, 2007
Article revised and updated. Sep 06, 2007
Added new Web site: Library of Congress - Great Depression | World War 2 Photographs.
  • Gaurav Shukla
Nov 15, 2006
Media added. Oct 23, 2006
Added new Web site: The Library of Congress - America from the Great Depression to World War II. Oct 06, 2006
Added new Web site: Codebreaking and Secret Weapons in World War II. Jun 28, 2006
Added new Web site: World War II Timeline. Jun 22, 2006
Added new Web site: The Avalon Project at Yale Law School - World War II: Documents. Jun 22, 2006
Added new Web site: Naval History. Jun 13, 2006
Added new Web site: Atomic Bomb: Decision - Documents on the Decision to Use Atomic Bombs on the Cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Jun 12, 2006
Added new Web site: 1944 - The Battle of Normandy - The Memory. May 24, 2006
Added new Web site: 1944 - The Battle of Normandy - The Memory. May 24, 2006
Added new Web site: Uboat.net. May 22, 2006
Added new Web site: Uboat.net. May 22, 2006
Added new Web site: Feldgrau.com - The German Armed Forces 1919-1945. May 17, 2006
Added new Web site: 1901 to World War II. May 08, 2006
Added new Web site: 1901 to World War II. May 08, 2006
Article revised. Jun 06, 2005
Article revised. Mar 31, 2004
Article revised. Mar 28, 2003
Article revised. Aug 09, 2002
Article revised. Nov 30, 2001
Article revised. Oct 19, 2000
Article revised. Jan 12, 2000
Article added to new online database. Aug 23, 1998
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