Search Results: WWII

The origins of the Second World War (1939-45) may be traced back to the harsh peace settlement of the First World War (1914-18) and the economic crisis of the 1930s, while more immediate causes were the aggressive invasions of their neighbours...

The desert campaigns in North Africa during the Second World War (1939-45) provided soldiers on all sides with a set of particular challenges. Scorching day temperatures, freezing night temperatures, sand and flies getting everywhere, the...

This map illustrates the North Africa Campaign of World War II, spanning from 1940 to 1943 - a series of operations and battles for control of the strategic region between the Allied forces (primarily the British Commonwealth) and the Axis...

The Desert Rats was the nickname of the 7th Armoured Division of the British Eighth Army, which first fought in North Africa during the Second World War (1939-45). Fighting in the Western Desert Campaigns and the North Africa Campaign, the...

The Allied D-Day landings (D-Day is a military term used to designate the day on which a combat operation is scheduled to begin), which took place on June 6, 1944, marked the largest seaborne invasion in history and a pivotal moment in the...

A British Board of Trade poster encouraging people to make-do and mend old clothes rather than buy new ones, thus saving on resources. Clothes were one of many restricted items during rationing in wartime Britain. (Imperial War Museums)

The Théâtre de la Mode, an initiative of Lucien Lelong and Robert Ricci of the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture (Haute Couture Trade Union Chamber), was a travelling exhibition of dolls showcasing French fashion expertise after the Second...

A photograph of a queue of shoppers in London during the Second World War (1939-45). Queues often developed during rationing in wartime Britain. (Imperial War Museums)

A British recruitment poster calling for women volunteers for the Air Raid Precautions Service (ARP) and Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) during the London Blitz. (Imperial War Museums)

A map illustrating the geopolitical shifts and escalating tensions in Europe on the eve of the Second World War in 1939. Beginning with the Saarland's rejoining of Germany in 1935, followed by the remilitarization of the Rhineland in 1936...