Blog/World War II
#WorldWarII
World War II
Every Historical Conquest article on World War II — 44 pieces of narrative history written for students and teachers.
1. Heroes and Villains of World War II: The World After a World War
My Name is David Lloyd George: Prime Minister of Great BritainI was born in Manchester in 1863, but my true home was the rugged land of Wales. My father died when I was v
44 min
1. Lessons from World War II: The World After a World War
The Treaty of Versailles: Peace That Created New ProblemsWhen the guns finally fell silent on November 11, 1918, millions of people hoped the terrible war had been the "w
42 min
2. Heroes and Villains of World War II: Chapter 2: The Rise of Dictators (1930s–1940s)
My Name is Franklin D. Roosevelt: President of the United StatesI was born on January 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, New York. I grew up in comfort, surrounded by beautiful coun
47 min
2. Lessons from World War II: Chapter 2: The Rise of Dictators (1930s–1940s)
Europe and Asia in Search of Strong LeadersAfter the First World War, millions of people across Europe and Asia dreamed of a better future. Instead, many found themselves
44 min
3. Heroes and Villains of World War II: The Great Depression and Global Unrest (1930s–1940s)
My Name is Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady of the United StatesI served as First Lady of the United States during one of the hardest times in American history. Before I eve
47 min
3. Lessons from World War II: The Great Depression and Global Unrest (1930s–1940s)
A World Without ConfidenceSometimes the most dangerous thing a nation can lose is not its money—it is its confidence. During the early years of the Great Depression, mill
35 min
4. Heroes and Villains of World War II: The Road to War
My Name is Hideki Tojo: General and Prime Minister of Imperial JapanBefore I became known around the world, I was simply a soldier devoted to serving the Emperor and stre
46 min
4. Lessons from World War II: The Road to War
The League of Nations Faces Its Greatest TestWhen the guns of World War I finally fell silent in 1918, millions of people hoped they had witnessed the "war to end all war
42 min
5. Heroes and Villains of World War II: Friends and Foes of America and the Allies (1930s–1940s)
My Name is Charles de Gaulle: Leader of Free FranceI was born in Lille, France, in 1890, into a family that valued education, patriotism, and faith. From a young age, I b
50 min
5. Lessons from World War II: Friends and Foes of America and the Allies (1930s–1940s)
A World Divided: Choosing Friends and EnemiesBy the late 1930s, the world stood at a crossroads unlike anything it had experienced in decades. Nations could no longer ass
39 min
6. Lessons from World War II: Blitzkrieg and the Fall of Europe
What Was Blitzkrieg? Germany's New Way of WarIn September 1939, the world witnessed a style of warfare unlike anything it had ever seen. Instead of months or years of slo
47 min
6. Heroes and Villains of World War II: Blitzkrieg and the Fall of Europe
My Name is Władysław Sikorski: General, Statesman, and Poland Prime MinisterI was a soldier before I became a statesman, believing that a nation survives only when its pe
46 min
7. Lessons from World War II: Resistance Movements Across Europe
My Name is Jan Karski: Courier of the Polish UndergroundI was born in Łódź, Poland, in 1914, into a nation that had only recently regained its independence after more tha
44 min
7. Lessons from World War II: Resistance Movements Across Europe
Life Under OccupationLife under an occupation transformed millions of lives almost overnight as German forces conquered much of Europe during the early years of World War
33 min
8. Lessons from World War II: The Battle of Britain (1940)
My Name is Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding: RAF Fighter Comm. CommanderI was born in Scotland in 1882, long before aircraft ruled the skies. As a young man I enjoyed mathe
47 min
8. Lessons from World War II: The Battle of Britain (1940)
Why Britain Stood AloneThe Battle of Britain was one of the most important turning points of World War II because it marked the moment when Great Britain stood almost com
45 min
9. Lessons from World War II: Operation Barbarossa (June–December 1941)
My Name is Heinz Guderian: German General and Pioneer of Armored WarfareI was born in 1888 into a Prussian military family. From my earliest years, discipline, duty, and
46 min
9. Lessons from World War II: Operation Barbarossa (June–December 1941)
Why Hitler Turned EastOn June 22, 1941, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, sending millions of soldiers across the Soviet border. Although Germany had signed a non-ag
45 min
10. Heroes and Villains from World War II: Japanese Expansion, Pearl Harbor, and America's Entry into WWII
My Name is Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto: Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. FleetsI was born in 1884 in Nagaoka, Japan, the son of a former samurai. Though the age of the samurai
53 min
10. Lessons from World War II: Japanese Expansion, Pearl Harbor, and America's Entry into War
Japan's Expansion Across Asia (1931–1941)The story of Japan's expansion across Asia began long before the attack on Pearl Harbor. During the 1930s, Japan transformed from
43 min
11. Heroes and Villains from World War II: War in Africa and the Mediterranean
My Name is Admiral Andrew Cunningham: Commander of Mediterranean FleetMy name is Andrew Browne Cunningham, though most sailors simply called me "ABC." I was born in Dubli
41 min
11. Lessons from World War II: War in Africa and the Mediterranean
Why North Africa MatteredWhen many people think about World War II, they picture the beaches of Normandy or the streets of Berlin. Yet long before those famous battles, a
45 min
12. Lessons from World War II: The Pacific Island Campaigns: Pearl Harbor to the Atomic Bomb
The Battle of the Coral Sea: Stopping Japan’s Southern Advance (May 1942)In early May 1942, only five months after Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces seemed nearly unstoppable
44 min
12. Heroes and Villains from World War II: The Pacific Island Campaigns: Pearl Harbor to the Atomic Bomb
My Name is Chester W. Nimitz: Fleet Admiral of the United States NavyI served as an American naval officer and commander of Allied forces across much of the Pacific durin
55 min
13. Heroes and Villains from World War II: Psychological Warfare and Propaganda
My Name is Joseph Goebbels: Minister of Propaganda in Nazi GermanyI was born Paul Joseph Goebbels in Rheydt, Germany, in 1897. Childhood illness left me with a disabled f
49 min
13. Lessons from World War II: Psychological Warfare and Propaganda
What Is Psychological Warfare?Throughout history, armies have discovered that winning a battle is not always about having the largest army or the most powerful weapons. S
40 min
14. Heroes and Villains from World War II: New Weapons and Military Technology
My Name is Heinz Guderian: German General and Pioneer of Armored WarfareI was born on June 17, 1888, in Kulm, West Prussia, then part of the German Empire. My father was
50 min
14. Lessons from World War II: New Weapons and Military Technology
From World War I Weapons to a New Kind of War — 1918–1939When World War I ended in November 1918, military leaders looked back on a battlefield transformed by technology.
56 min
15. Heroes and Villains from World War II: Codebreakers, Spies, and Intelligence Operations
My Name is William J. Donovan: The Intelligence OrganizerI was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1883, the son of Irish-American parents. I learned early that advancement req
42 min
15. Lessons from World War II: Codebreakers, Spies, and Intelligence Operations
The Secret Intelligence War BeginsLong before soldiers stormed beaches or tanks crossed borders, another World War II battlefield was already taking shape—one that most p
30 min
16. Heroes and Villains from World War II: Women and Minorities During World War II
My Name is Benjamin O. Davis Jr.: Commander of the Tuskegee AirmenI was born in Washington, D.C., in 1912, the son of Benjamin O. Davis Sr., who would become the first Af
38 min
16. Lessons from World War II: Women and Minorities During World War II
Women Enter the Wartime WorkforceAfter the United States entered World War II in December 1941, millions of men left civilian employment for military service while Americ
26 min
17. Heroes and Villains from World War II: Life on the Home Front
My Name is Fiorello H. La Guardia: Mayor and Director of Civilian DefenseIf you intend to understand how Americans prepared their cities and homes for World War II, then
44 min
17. Lessons from World War II: Life on the Home Front
America Mobilizes: From Civilian Economy to Wartime EconomyWhen the United States entered World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Amer
32 min
18. Heroes and Villains from World War II: The Holocaust and Nazi Persecution
My Name is Elie Wiesel: Survivor and WitnessI was born in 1928 in Sighet, a small town in Transylvania, into a Jewish family whose life was shaped by faith, family, study
46 min
18. Lessons from World War II: The Holocaust and Nazi Persecution
Roots of Antisemitism and Nazi Racial Ideology (1933–1939)When the Nazis took control of Germany in 1933, they did not invent hatred of Jewish people. Antisemitism had ex
36 min
19. Heroes and Villains from World War II: Turning Points of the War
My Name is Georgy Zhukov: Marshal of the Soviet UnionI was born in 1896 into a poor peasant family in the Russian village of Strelkovka. I did not inherit wealth, rank, o
48 min
19. Lessons from World War II: Turning Points of the War: Midway, El Alamein, and Stalingrad
The Axis at Its Greatest Reach: The World in Early 1942 As 1942 began, the Allies faced one of the most dangerous moments of World War II. Germany controlled or dominated
32 min
20. Heroes and Villains from World War II: D-Day and the Liberation of Europe (1944–1945)
My Name is General Dwight D. Eisenhower: Supreme Allied CommanderI was born in 1890 in Denison, Texas, but I grew up in Abilene, Kansas, in a hardworking family where dis
47 min
20. Lessons from World War II: D-Day and the Liberation of Europe (1944–1945)
Fortress Europe: Preparing for the Allied InvasionBy 1943, Nazi Germany controlled or dominated much of continental Europe, but the balance of World War II was beginning
39 min
21. Heroes and Villains from World War II: The Atomic Bomb and Defeating Japan (1938–1945)
My Name is J. Robert Oppenheimer: Scientific Director of Los AlamosI was born in New York City in 1904 into a family that valued education, art, literature, and careful t
48 min
21. Lessons from World War II: The Atomic Bomb and Defeating Japan (1938–1945)
The Race for the Atom: Could Nazi Germany Build the Bomb?The Race for the Atom: Could Nazi Germany Build the Bomb? In the winter of 1938, scientists working in Germany ma
39 min
22. Heroes and Villains from World War II: The Defeat of Germany
My Name is General Alfred Jodl: German High Command OfficerI was a German soldier, a staff officer, and eventually Chief of the Operations Staff of the Armed Forces High
55 min
22. Lessons from World War II: The Defeat of Germany in World War II
Germany Surrounded: The Final Months of the Third ReichBy the beginning of 1945, Nazi Germany was trapped. From the east came the enormous armies of the Soviet Union, pus
41 min