Becoming familiar with 20th century history is crucial for students, since this century included two global wars, mass genocides, and overwhelming change. World War II is a huge part of this history. World War II took place approximately between 1939 to 1945, raged across most of the seven continents, and is still affecting today’s world. It is so large a piece of history that it is sometimes hard to get one’s head around it. I have been interested in World War II history for 60 years and am still learning new things.
The Military History of World War II series by Trevor Nevitt Dupuy builds on the World at War series, which was for upper elementary school students, and brings increased levels of detail and analysis to advanced middle school and high school level students. These are well-written and illustrated books, each one focused on a different aspect of World War II. There are volumes such as European Resistance Movements, Asian and Axis Resistance Movements, Strategic Direction of World War II, and Combat Leaders of World War II that discuss background aspects of the war that underlie the whole conflict.
Then there are volumes that focus more on the actual military battles and strategies. World War II was two related conflicts – the war in Europe against the Nazi regime, and the war in the Pacific against the Japanese regime. Books such as European Land Battles 1935-1945, The Naval War in the West: The Wolf Packs, The Naval War in the West: The Raiders, Land Battles: North Africa- Sicily-Italy, The Air War in the West: Sept. 1939-May 1941, European Land Battles: 1939-1943, and The Air War in the West: June 1941 to April 1945 cover the European conflict, while volumes such as The Air War in the Pacific: Air Power Leads the Way, The Naval War in the Pacific: On to Tokyo, The Naval War in the Pacific: Rising Sun of Nippon, Asiatic Land Battles: Allied Victories in China and Burma, Asiatic Land Battles: Japanese Ambitions in the Pacific, Asiatic Land Battles: Expansion of Japan in Asia, and The Air War in the Pacific: Victory in the Air, cover the war in the Pacific.
The Military History of World War II series can help greatly in the task of educating students about this crucial part of 20th century history. And beyond education – the American grade school students in the 1920s and 1930s were the heroes and heroines of the United States in the 1940s. Over 80 years have passed since the start of World War II, but the lessons learned then need to stay alive in each new generation’s minds and hearts because our free country, to survive and thrive, requires a continuous supply of heroes and heroines.