The Battle of Berlin and the Battle of the Atlantic invoked strong emotional responses from some of the strongest nations, putting them under a lot of pressure. Ian W. Toll brings to light the psychological states of decision-makers during these battles in his book.
The Nanking Massacre was a horrific event during the Second World War where Japanese soldiers brutally killed and raped Chinese civilians. However, some of the reported atrocities were later found to be made up by the press for the sake of sensational headlines.
Japan was isolated from the rest of the world for 200 years by building a man-made island and guarding it with samurai as a means of isolating themselves from intellectual contagion, particularly Christianity, which they were worried about. When Japan rejoined the world they were unprepared for the intellectual onslaught and were introduced to everything at once out of order without any resistance or immunity.
This episode of the Hardcore History podcast series covers the conflict in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands during the Pacific theater of World War II, specifically focusing on the Japanese advance and the US Marines landing in Guadalcanal.
This episode explores how the Second World War is perceived in countries that were under colonial rule during that time, particularly in Asia. While the West perceives the war as a battle between good versus evil, those under colonial rule might have viewed it as two bad guys fighting each other.