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.
The "big picture" of the warring nations in World War 2.
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.
- The Battle of Britain - the key causes for the German defeat in the Battle of Britain. (8 minutes read)
- Kursk - the greatest tank battle of the war, and the last major German offensive in the East. (8 minutes read)
- Stalingrad - the German army's greatest defeat, and a major turning point of the war. (12 minutes read)
- Midway - in this battle of aircraft carriers, Japan lost the initiative in the Pacific. (10 minutes read)
- Blitzkrieg - the German tactic of rapidly advancing tank forces and massive air support. (10 minutes read)
- Doolittle Raid - America's first air raid over Japan, that hit Tokyo in total surprise. (7 minutes read)
- Dambusters - the daring special air attack on German dams, using bouncing bombs. (9 minutes read)
- Operation Frankton - "none was more courageous or imaginative". (6 minutes read)
From the ancient spear, to 21st century "smart" weapons, many wars saw the appearance of new weapons based on amazing technologies.
But none saw such a dramatic and diverse flow of 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.
Land:
- Infantry weapons - rifles, sub machine guns, pistols, and other weapons. (7 minutes read)
- T-34 - simply the best main battle tank of World War 2. (4 minutes read)
- M4 Sherman - the main American tank. It won by numbers. (3 minutes read)
- German tanks - Panzers, the German tanks which stormed Europe. (5 minutes read)
- Tiger - the most formidable German tank. Lethal, heavy, and almost indestructible. (3 minutes read)
- Katyusha - the Multiple Rocket Launcher that revolutionized field artillery. (3 minutes read)
Air:
- Bombers - the strategic weapons that struck at the enemy's heart. (7 minutes read)
- De Havilland Mosquito - the most versatile and successful allied aircraft. (6 minutes read)
- Fallschirmjager - the German paratroopers and their combat operations. (8 minutes read)
- Fieseler Storch - the first true short take-off and landing aircraft. (4 minutes read)
- Kamikaze pilots - suicide warfare in World War 2, and its military and cultural rationale. (10 minutes read)
- The Manhattan Project - the making of the atomic bomb. (7 minutes read)
- Messerschmitt Me-262 - the world's first operational jet fighter. (8 minutes read)
- P-51 Mustang - the American long range fighter which defeated the Luftwaffe over Germany. (4 minutes read)
- RADAR - the technology which revolutionized air and naval warfare. (6 minutes read)
- Stuka dive bomber - the airborne element of the German Blitzkrieg weapons. (5 minutes read)
Sea:
- Submarines - they almost defeated Britain, and paralyzed Japan. Also about frogmen and human torpedoes. (6 minutes read)
- PT boats, Torpedo boats - The fast night raiders of the sea. (7 minutes read)
Despite the mobilization of millions, individuals greatly influence the course and outcome of wars.
Political leaders:
- Leaders - a complete list of the national leaders of the countries which participated in World War 2 . (17 minutes read)
- Adolf Hitler - founder of Nazism, dictator of Germany 1933-1945. The ultimate aggressor and the ultimate evil. (7 minutes read)
- Hermann Goering - Adolf Hitler's brutal and greedy deputy, and head of the Luftwaffe. (6 minutes read)
- Heinrich Himmler - the power-hungry head of the Nazi SS. (4 minutes read)
- Joseph Goebbels - the Nazi propaganda master. (5 minutes read)
Military leaders:
- German Field Marshals - a chronological review of the German field marshals of World War 2. (13 minutes read)
- George Patton - the master of mobile warfare. (9 minutes read)
- Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto - Japan's best Admiral, who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor. (6 minutes read)
- Otto Skorzeny - Germany's commando leader, nicknamed "The most dangerous man in Europe". (18 minutes read)
- Quotes - a few selected wartime quotes which are still very meaningful today. (2 minutes read)
Aces and heroes:
- Erich Hartmann - a young German fighter pilot who became the highest scoring ace in history, with 352 victories. (6 minutes read)
- Hans Joachim Marseille - the most amazing fighter pilot of World War 2 . (8 minutes read)
- Medal of Honor - the highest U.S. military decoration. (11 minutes read)
- Knights Cross - the medal awarded to Germany's greater heroes and commanders, and its recipients. (5 minutes read)
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.
- Spies - the top spies in World War 2. (19 minutes read)
- Enigma - the German military cipher machine, and the allied efforts to break its code. (7 minutes read)
- Navajo code talkers - American-Indian Marines who used their complex native language to form an unbreakable code. (2 minutes read)
- Luftwaffe bomber wing KG 200 - this top secret unit flew the most special missions with the most special aircraft. (9 minutes read)
Military Theory
How to fight? How to win? - the following essays answer these questions, and provide many concrete examples from World War 2.
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