Second World War

Civilian prisoners captured during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, 1943.

Warsaw in Flames

The story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is typically one of defiance and bravery against the odds. But what of those unable to fight?

Yakov Dzhugashvili following his capture, on a German airfield, 1941.

The Death of Stalin’s Son

The death of Joseph Stalin’s son Yakov Dzhugashvili in a German concentration camp 80 years ago was kept a secret for decades.

conscientious objector Sidney Spencer on his way to plead his case at Liverpool tribunal, 25 March 1941.

Object Lesson

The personal testimonies of conscientious objectors do not provide easy answers.

he Felix Dzerzhinsky tractor factory dispatches DT-54 tractors, 1930s.

The Unbreakable City

The Battle of Stalingrad began in August 1942, subjecting its residents to months of living hell. But few doubted that the city was worth defending; its significance to the Soviet project made it too important to abandon.

London

London Burning

A fresh account of how Londoners responded to the impact of the Second World War. 

The ‘Course Boys’ outside Ivyholme at Dulwich College. Sandy Wilson is fourth from left in the front row; Peter Parker is sixth from left.

Learning Japanese

Official secrecy and institutional rivalry obscured the achievements of two crash programmes hastily launched to teach Japanese during the Second World War. 

The 643rd GTE of Oradour-sur-Glane raising the colours on the corner of the Champ de foire (1941-42), the site of the 1944 round-up.

More than a Memory

Oradour-sur-Glane is now known as a memorial to a brutal massacre, but the lives of its inhabitants have been neglected.