Learn about WWII History

Explore the critical events related to the war and the personal stories of those who lived through that challenging time.

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Battle of Hürtgen Forest

During the autumn and winter of 1944/45, the longest battle of the Second World War on German soil took place in the Hür...

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National Socialist Ordensburg Vogelsang

The Ordensburg Vogelsang was a training venue for an upcoming Nazi-elite. Young cadets were persuaded they were racially...

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Westerplatte

On 1 September 1939 the Germans attacked the Westerplatte peninsula in the port of Gdańsk. This assault marks the beginn...

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The 1st Polish Armoured Division

The Polish First Armoured Division under command of general Maczek played an important role in the liberation of France,...

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Preparations for D-Day

D-Day is one of the most remembered campaigns of the Second World War. The operation involved troops from Britain, the U...

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The Campaign of Monte Cassino

The Allied campaign of Monte Cassino was fought in four phases between January and May 1944. The town of Cassino was a k...

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Ambiguous liberation

The European drama of 1939-1945 resulted in widespread destruction. Millions were killed, maimed, displaced or traumatiz...

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Operation Pluto

Operation Pluto (Pipelines Under The Ocean) represents one of wartime’s greatest feats of engineering. Huge pipelines we...

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Towards the German capitulation in the Netherlands

In May 1940 the Netherlands was occupied by German forces. It would take five years before they could be ousted. The fin...

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Operation Fortitude South

As D-Day approached, Kent became the stage for one of the War’s greatest deception plans, Operation Fortitude South. In ...

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The Rhineland Offensive

The Allied Rhineland Offensive comprised several large-scale military operations during the last months of the Second Wo...

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Victorious powers in Berlin

The Second World War in Europe ended in the spring of 1945 with the Allied victory over Nazi Germany. The fate of the Ge...

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Liberation of Stutthof

The concentration camp in Stutthof was initially founded to eliminate and persecute Poles. Later in the war the role of ...

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The Friendly Invasion

Quickly following the United States’ entrance into the Second World War in December 1941, hundreds of thousands of Ameri...

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Bombing of the Bezuidenhout: 3 March 1945

During World War Two, The Hague was generally spared from major attacks causing widespread devastation. That is until th...

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The Hague in World War Two

In the early morning of 10 May 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands. The purpose of the 'Battle for The Hague' was to c...

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Engelandvaarders and Das Englandspiel

An estimated 1,800 Dutch citizens attempted to escape to England during World War Two. The majority chose to travel via ...

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The Red Ball Express

The success of the Allies in the liberation of Western Europe was made possible by the men who helped bring supplies to ...

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The Mons Pocket, or the "petit Stalingrad" of the Borinage

Crushed and definitively vanquished by the Allies on the borders of Normandy in the "Falaise pocket", the Nazi armies be...

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Bombardment of Cities

The longest campaign of the Second World War Among the military operations conducted by the Allies to liberate Europe th...

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Operation Cannonshot

Operation Cannonshot was the code name for the Canadian crossing of the IJssel at Gorssel and Wilp on April 12, 1945. Af...

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Liberation of Alsace

Last French province to be free The liberation of the Alsace happened in stages. Logistical difficulties, broken terrain...

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Colmar Pocket

The American and French offensive in mid-November 1944 was a success, resulting in the liberation of most of Alsace. How...

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September '44: The first liberated city in Belgium

For three quarters of a century, or so, two Belgian cities - Mons and Tournai - have been competing for the honour of be...

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