World War 2 Insightful Essays

Welcome. This website aims to enhance insight of interesting and exciting World War 2 topics. Instead of over-detailed or too technical essays, its focus is presenting and explaining why and how things happened the way they did in World War 2, with a better perspective of when they happened during that war. I think it's more useful and interesting to learn about World War 2 that way.
This website is a collection of independent essays, so although it will take me a long time to "fully" cover that war, the available essays already provide substantial content. I'm adding essays as my time and muse permits.
Enjoy reading...

Sections: Strategy , Battles , Weapons , People , Intelligence

Strategy

The "Big picture" perspective of the strategy and war effort of the warring nations in World War 2.

• Causes of World War 2 - the root causes of World War 2.
• The biggest mistakes - the alternative decisions which could dramatically change the course of the war.
• When did Hitler lose the war - an attempt to mark the time when Adolf Hitler lost the chance to win World War 2.
• The turning points of World War 2 - a list of the great strategic turning points of the war.
• Russia in World War 2 - the great war plan, preparations, collapse, and recovery - a revised view.
• Timeline - the main events timeline, before and during the war.

Battles and operations

The dramatic battles and operations, from vast campaigns to small but important raids, in land, at sea, and in the air, that decided the outcome of World War 2.

• Kursk - the greatest tank battle of the war, and the last major German offensive in the East.
• Stalingrad - the German army's greatest defeat, and a major turning point of the war.
• Midway - in this battle of aircraft carriers, Japan lost the initiative in the Pacific.
• Blitzkrieg - the German tactic of rapidly advancing tank forces and massive air support.
• Doolittle's raid - America's first air raid over Japan, that hit Tokyo in total surprise.

Weapons

From the ancient spear to today's GPS-guided bomb, many wars saw the appearance of new weapons based on amazing technologies, but none saw such a dramatic and diverse flow of exciting new scientific developments and new weapons as World War 2. During six years of war, the most scientifically advanced nations recruited the best minds and enormous resources to an unprecedented arms race.

• German secret weapons - Germany's advanced "wonder weapons".

Land weapons:

• Infantry weapons - rifles, sub machine guns, pistols, and other weapons.
• T-34 - simply the best main battle tank of World War 2.
• M4 Sherman - the main American tank. It won by numbers.
• German tanks - Panzers, the German tanks which stormed Europe.
• Tiger - the most formidable German tank. Lethal, heavy, and almost indestructible.

Planes and air weapons:

• Kamikaze pilots - suicide warfare in World War 2, and its military and cultural rationale.
• Messerschmitt Me-262 - the world's first operational jet fighter.
• RADAR - the technology which revolutionized air and naval warfare.
• Bombers - the strategic weapons that struck at the enemy's heart.
• De Havilland Mosquito - the most versatile and successful allied aircraft.
• P-51 Mustang - the American long range fighter which defeated the Luftwaffe over Germany.
• Stuka dive bomber - the airborne element of the German Blitzkrieg weapons.
• Fallschirmjager - the German paratroopers and their combat operations.

Ships and naval weapons:

• Submarines - they almost defeated Britain, and paralyzed Japan. Also about frogmen and human torpedoes.
• PT boats, Torpedo boats - The fast night raiders of the sea.

Leaders, Generals, Heroes

Despite the mobilization of millions, individual people greatly affected the course and outcome of wars. National leaders, Generals and Admirals, aces and heroes, and brilliant scientists.

• Leaders - a complete list of the national leaders of the countries which participated in World War 2 .
• Adolf Hitler - It was his war. He wanted it, and he started it. The ultimate aggressor, and the ultimate evil.
• Hermann Goering - Adolf Hitler's brutal and greedy deputy, and head of the Luftwaffe.

• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto - Japan's best Admiral, who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• Otto Skorzeny - Germany's commando leader, nicknamed "The most dangerous man in Europe".
• Erich Hartmann - a young German fighter pilot who became the highest scoring ace in history, with 352 victories.
• Hans Joachim Marseille - the most amazing fighter pilot of World War 2 .
• Knights Cross - the medal awarded to Germany's greater heroes and commanders, and its recipients.
• Quotes - a few selected wartime quotes which are still very meaningful today.

Intelligence

In World War 2, military intelligence dramatically advanced. The use of new scientific methods and technologies, as well as great human efforts involving endless work, great risks, and brilliant thinking, made intelligence become an equally important part of the armed forces, a crucial element for victory.

• Enigma - the German military cipher machine, and the allied efforts to break its code.
• Luftwaffe bomber wing KG 200 - this top secret unit flew the most special missions with the most special aircraft.
• Navajo code talkers - American-Indian Marines who used their complex native language to form an unbreakable code.

Military Theory

How to fight? How to win? - the following essays answer these questions, and provide many concrete examples from World War 2.

• The principles of war - the timeless rules of thumb for fighting, strategy, and tactics.
• The mechanisms of defeat - the various material and psychological ways to achieve victory.

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