World War II Today | Martin Cherrett | Substack

Leningrad besieged

9th September 1941: On the first day of the siege the food supplies are destroyed

21 hrs ago

The Germans approach Leningrad

8th September 1941: German 88s halt Soviet counter-attack with heavy tanks

Sep 8

RAF attack German supply lines

7th September 1941: A routine raid - but one man's life is upended when he becomes a POW

Sep 7

The Third Reich in 100 Objects

'A material history of Nazi Germany' provides many fascinating examples of life under the Nazis

Sep 6

Red Army attack on German lines

6th September 1941: The Germans are on the defensive in some parts of the Eastern Front - Hans Roth describes being in the forward trench

Sep 6

Recent posts

Churchill to Stalin - No ‘Second Front’

5th September 1941: The Soviet Ambassador to Britain, Ivan Maisky, meets Churchill to be told that Britain is in no position to open a 'second front’

Sep 5

USS Greer attacks U-boat in Atlantic

4th September 1941: Roosevelt warns Germany that the US Navy will shoot back - ‘There will be no shooting unless Germany continues to seek it’

Sep 4

Britain prepares for invasion

3rd September 1941: A critical eye is passed over Britain's Army at home

Sep 3

An uncomfortable German home front

2nd September 1941: One dissenter's secret diary on the reality of war

Sep 2

Explore the War

Fighter Pilots in 1940

A selection of first-hand accounts from the men who fought the 'Battle of Britain'

Jan 4

Women at War in 1940

In a People's War, women are very much on the front line, whether they volunteered for it or not

Jan 3

Americans in 1940

U.S. citizens were 'neutral' in 1940 and unusually well placed to see the impact of the Nazis - some individuals wanted to take action directly

Jan 2

Hitler's most successful year confounds the world ... but his true ambition is yet to be revealed ... key posts from the past year

Jan 1

'Battle of Britain - The Gathering Storm'

Another highlight from the new history of the battle, with links to some of the other volumes featured this year ...

Dec 21, 2025

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