World War II

The World War II Database has the most comprehensive description of the events, people, weapons and equipment, and countries of World War II.

Encyclopedia Britannica presents an extremely detailed account of World War II.

The BBC traces the war in Europe from the end of World War I to the Nuremberg trials. Features include detailed descriptions of various stages of the war, with animated maps, photographs, games and a detailed timeline of D-Day.

History.com provides a summary of World War II with a good deal of audio and video. It also includes biographies and battle maps.

The History Place has a timeline of World War II, with short entries for most events.

World War II Timeline was created by a history professor from the University of San Diego. It covers a larger period than The History Place (dating back to 1917), but its entries are shorter.

Ibiblio’s HyperWar is a collection of accounts and primary source documents created by U.S., U.K. and British Commonwealth government agencies.

HistoryNet provide articles on World War II from publications such as World War II magazine, Military History magazine and MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History.

The U.S. Army Center of Military History provides the Army’s official history of World War II, with extremely detailed accounts of the Army’s actions in the European, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Pacific theaters.

The Library of Congress has a large collection of collections, exhibitions, on this day features, and other resources on World War II.

PBS’s American Experience series has several documentaries on World War II; the companion Web sites usually include biographies and accounts of events, film transcripts, primary source documents and teacher’s guides. PBS also has Ken Burns’ documentary, “The War.”

EyeWitness to History features first-person accounts of prominent events, along with a simple explanation of the event’s importance.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Holocaust Encyclopedia has a large collection of entries on the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party, the Holocaust, its victims, and the subsequent war crimes trials.

Vad Yashem has a collection of exhibits telling the stories of the victims of the Holocaust. It also includes an archive of primary source documents, and articles and podcasts discussing the legacy of the Holocaust and Holocaust denial.

The Cybrary of the Holocaust includes witness testimony, virtual tours of concentration camps, essays and interviews with historians, and large collection of photos and artwork.

The University of South Florida has compiled a collection of resources for teachers, including primary source documents, photos, video, quizzes and a list of Holocaust museums.

The War Times Journal provides articles on Pearl Harbor, kamikaze fighters, the Guadalcanal battles and the invasion of Peleliu. It also features interviews with two U.S. soldiers, and an account of the bombing of Hiroshima from a German priest.

The U.S. Army Center of Military History provides in-depth accounts of operations in the Pacific from a variety of military sources.

History Animated provides easy-to-follow animations of key battles in the Pacific, with a short description of each battle.

The National Security Archive is an independent institute located at The George Washington University, which presents documents to the public after they have been declassified by the government. In addition to providing a general overview of the atomic bomb during World War II, the site lists a number of documents from the time.

The United States Department of Energy Office of History and Heritage Resources examines the events, people and science involved in the Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb.

The Race to Build the Atomic Bomb , from the Contra Costa County Office of Education, is a resource for teachers and students that devotes coverage to the science and scientists behind the atomic bomb.

The National Archives and Records Administration has a massive collection of material related to World War II, including military personnel records, presidential materials, photographs and audio, and a wide range of exhibits. Not all of this material is available online, however; NARA explains in its research guide how to access material at National Archives facilities across the country.

Yale Law School’s Avalon Project provides a database of declarations, treaties, speeches, statements and other World War II documents.

Fordham University’s Internet Modern History Sourcebook hosts and links to important documents of the war.

The World War II Archives Foundation collects action reports, intelligence summaries, codebooks, and personal documents such as letters and diaries.

The Combined Arms Research Library Digital Library at Fort Leavenworth features an archive of operational documents from U.S. military divisions, narratives, intelligence summaries and other material created by the U.S. military.