World War II Today | Martin Cherrett | Substack

‘Hitler was my Friend’

Heinrich Hoffman had unique access to Hitler throughout his rise to power and into the war years

17 hrs ago

The 'Stalin Organ' arrives in numbers

1st November 1941: The devastating firepower of the Katyusha rocket defies German hopes that the Red Army is nearly a spent force

18 hrs ago

USS Reuben James lost to torpedoes

31st October 1941: First United States warship to be sunk as a result of hostile action by Nazi Germany

Oct 31

The Wehrmacht encounters the T-34

30th October 1941: The iconic Soviet T-34 tank arrives on the battlefield in numbers - "this terrifying new weapon"

Oct 30

Churchill: "Never Give In"

29th October 1941: A year has transformed Britain's position in the war

Oct 29

Recent posts

Germans learn of Eastern Front atrocities

28th October 1941: News of the mass murder by the Einzatzgruppen is filtering back to Germany through troops on leave

Oct 28

Roosevelt - ‘the American spirit aroused’

27th October 1941: The President tells the American people “America has been attacked, the shooting has started”

Oct 27

Seven minutes over Bremerhaven

26th October 1941: Searchlights catch a RAF bomber, piloted by a nineteen-year-old, over the German port

Oct 26

'The Hitler I Knew'

Otto Dietrich's reflections on Hitler written just after the war - from 'The Memoirs of the Third Reich's Press Chief'

Oct 25

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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