Discover the human side of WWII

History of WW2 from the invasion of Poland to the fall of Berlin

Discover the stories of WW2

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The course of the war

The human cost and the Holocaust

The legacy of World War II

After World War I, Germany faced a difficult and uncertain time. The Weimar Republic (Germany’s first democracy) was established following the abdication of the Kaiser, but the country was burdened by the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which blamed Germany for the war and imposed heavy reparations. The 1920's saw extreme economic hardship, including devastating hyperinflation that wiped out people’s savings and widespread unemployment. Politically, Germany was unstable, with violent clashes between left- and right-wing groups threatening the fragile democracy. Although there was a brief period of recovery in the mid-1920s, the Great Depression hit hard in 1929, plunging the country into deeper crisis. This environment of fear and anger paved the way for the rise of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler.

Origins of Nazism: Dietrich Eckart and Adolf Hitler

Dietrich Eckart (1868–1923) was a German poet, journalist, occultist and nationalist ideologue whose influence helped shape Adolf Hitler’s political awakening. A founding member of the Thule Society, a secretive Munich-based nationalist and antisemitic group, Eckart combined German mysticism with racial and political extremism. His ideas formed a cornerstone of early National Socialist ideology.

In the chaotic years following Germany’s defeat in World War I, Eckart became both mentor and guide to a young Adolf Hitler. He introduced Hitler to influential nationalist circles and helped him refine his public speaking, rhetoric and propaganda techniques. Eckart’s antisemitic and anti-democratic writings profoundly influenced Hitler’s worldview and his vision of a racially “pure” and authoritarian Germany.

The origins of Nazism can be traced back to Dietrich Eckart. Above picture was colored by myself.

From trenches to dictator: radicalization of a soldier

World War 1

Hitler’s early life influenced his political beliefs, exposing him to ideas such as extreme German nationalism, racial antisemitism, opposition to democracy, and hostility toward communism. Historians continue to debate when and how these views became fully radicalized.

On the evening of November 8, 1923, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) launched a failed coup d'état known as the Beer Hall Putsch. The attempt began at the Bürgerbräukeller, one of Munich’s largest beer halls, where high-ranking Bavarian government officials were holding a public meeting. Hitler’s goal was to seize control of the Bavarian state government and then march on Berlin to overthrow the Weimar Republic, mirroring Mussolini’s "March on Rome" from the previous year.

In November 1923, Hitler and his followers attempted to overthrow the Bavarian government in the failed Beer Hall Putsch in the 'Bürgerbräukeller' large beer hall in Munich. Arrested and tried for treason, Hitler was imprisoned in Landsberg. While imprisoned, he wrote “Mein Kampf” (“My Struggle”), outlining his political ideology, racial theories and future ambitions for Germany. After his release, Hitler shifted strategy from violent revolution to legal political means. The Nazi Party rebuilt its organization, using mass rallies, propaganda and symbols like the Swastika to attract growing support amid Germany’s deepening economic crisis.

The Great Depression of 1929 had a catastrophic impact on Germany’s economy, leading to widespread unemployment, poverty and despair. By the early 1930s, millions of Germans were jobless, factories had closed and savings were wiped out. The Weimar Republic, already struggling with political instability and the lingering resentment from the Treaty of Versailles, rapidly lost public confidence. Amid this turmoil, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party capitalized on the crisis by promising strong leadership, national unity and economic recovery. Hitler’s powerful rhetoric and propaganda portrayed him as a man of action who could restore Germany’s former glory.

Hitler becomes Chancellor

Adolf Hitler and German President Paul von Hindenburg, shortly after Hindenburg's invitation for Hitler to become the Chancellor, on January 30, 1933.

Once in power, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party began a systematic campaign to transform every aspect of German society according to their totalitarian and racist ideology. Early measures focused on consolidating political control, silencing opposition, and promoting the idea of Aryan racial superiority through propaganda and education. 

As Nazi rule continued, anti-Jewish measures intensified, businesses were boycotted, property was confiscated, and Jews were forced into segregated ghettos. What began as social and legal exclusion evolved into a campaign of mass violence and extermination during World War II. This culminated in the Holocaust, the state-sponsored genocide that led to the murder of six million Jews, along with millions of others considered “undesirable” by the Nazi regime, including Roma people, people with disabilities, Slavic populations, and political dissidents. By the war’s end in 1945, Nazi policies had left an indelible scar on human history, serving as one of the most devastating examples of how prejudice and authoritarian power can lead to systematic mass murder.

Legacy of the Nazi era

The night of November 9 to November 10, 1938, marked a pivotal moment in the escalating persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany. Known as Kristallnacht, or the "Night of Broken Glass," this violent pogrom saw synagogues, Jewish homes, and businesses across Germany vandalized, looted, and set ablaze. The destruction was widespread, with countless shards of shattered glass littering the streets.

The immediate catalyst for Kristallnacht was the assassination of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by 17-year-old Herschel Grynszpan on November 7, 1938. Grynszpan's act was a desperate retaliation for the expulsion of his Jewish parents from Germany, a move that had forced them to flee to Paris. The death of vom Rath provided the Nazi regime with a pretext to unleash a wave of anti-Jewish violence.

In the aftermath of Kristallnacht, thousands of Jews were arrested, deported to concentration camps, and subjected to further persecution. The pogrom marked a significant escalation in the systematic discrimination and violence against Jews in Nazi Germany, paving the way for the Holocaust.

Herschel Grynszpan, surrounded by police officers, following his initial interrogation at police headquarters in Paris, France, on November 7, 1938.

On September 1, 1939, the world was plunged into a devastating war as Nazi Germany launched a brutal invasion of Poland. This unprovoked attack, carried out without a formal declaration of war, marked the beginning of World War II. Despite Poland's efforts to maintain peace, Nazi Germany's unfounded claims of an imminent Polish attack served as a pretext for the invasion.

The invasion of Poland was a horrific act of aggression, marked by extreme violence and brutality. Nazi forces inflicted immense suffering on the Polish population, resulting in the deaths of millions of civilians, including over 2 million Jews. The country's infrastructure was systematically destroyed, leaving a lasting legacy of destruction.

In response to Germany's aggression, France and Britain declared war on Nazi Germany on September 3, 1939. The invasion of Poland served as a grim harbinger of the atrocities to come, setting the stage for a global conflict of unprecedented scale and devastation. The war would leave an enduring mark on human history as one of the deadliest and most destructive conflicts ever witnessed.

The Nazi regime's genocidal campaign against European Jews, known as the Holocaust, was implemented under the horrific policy dubbed the "Final Solution." This term was adopted in July 1941 to describe the systematic extermination of individuals identified as Jews across Europe and beyond. The campaign's horrific escalation began with the segregation of Jews into ghettos, culminating in the full implementation of the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question."

The Wannsee Conference in Berlin on January 20, 1942, formalized this genocidal policy by Nazi officials. The devastating consequences of this plan led to the Holocaust, a period marked by the methodical and widespread extermination of European Jews.

The definition of the Holocaust also known as the Shoah (Hebrew) is exceptionally complex. But it can be stated that it was the genocide of the European Jews during WW2.

What was D-Day?

D-Day was the the Allied answer to occupancy and hostile regime of Nazi Germany with the end goal of putting an end to WW2. At 06:30 am on Tuesday June 6th, 1944 Operation Neptune or D-Day (amphibious assault) is unleashed along a 60 mile stretch of coast between the Cotentin Peninsula and the Orne River in Normandy, France. The invasion on the shores of Normandy were part of Operation Overlord (Allied invasion of Normandy).

Planning for D-Day

Planning for the operation began in 1943. Overlord was an Allied military operation of unprecedented scale, with an amphibious assault from Allied troops on the beaches combined with Allied airborne operations behind enemy lines inland. The Allies conducted a substantial military deception, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main landings.

D-Day was originally planned for June 5

In the months leading up to the invasion, the weather was far from ideal and the operation had to be delayed 24 hours until June 6th, 1944. A further postponement would have meant a delay of at least two weeks, as the invasion planners had requirements for the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day that meant only a few days each month were deemed suitable.

The landings beaches in Normandy

The amphibious assault focused on five separate beaches in Normandy codenamed Omaha, Utah (American sector), Gold, Sword (British sector), and Juno (Canadian sector). At the end of the day small beachheads had been secured. It would turn out to be the turning point of World War 2 in western Europe. With over 156.000 troops, 5.000 landing craft, and 2.800 combat aircraft, the Allies launched a massive assault along a 50-mile stretch of coastline. Despite fierce resistance from German forces, the Allies managed to secure a foothold in Normandy, paving the way for a long and arduous campaign to liberate France and other occupied territories.

Statistics behind Operation Overlord

Looking at D-Day through numbers helps us grasp what happened on that historic day. It's one thing to say it was important, but when you hear that over 156.000 troops landed, or that more than 10.000 (combined) gave their lives on the beaches and inland, it hits differently. The numbers make it real. They show just how massive the effort was, how much was risked, and how many people were involved in changing the course of the war. It's a way to connect with the scale of the event and the courage it took to make it happen.

Impact and scale of the Normandy landings

The staggering numbers behind the D-Day landings are often estimates rather than exact counts. Why? Because the largest amphibious invasion in history unfolded under extreme combat conditions where precise record-keeping was nearly impossible. Amid the chaos, units were split, overwhelmed, or restructured, making accurate tallies difficult on the ground.

Records varied between Allied nations, each using different methods to count personnel, equipment and casualties. Many official documents were lost, destroyed, or never compiled during the fog of war. German figures were even more fragmented, with retreating forces often destroying reports and inconsistencies plaguing Nazi records.

Dodenherdenking

Every year on May 4th, The Netherlands remembers it's war victims

Go to the national website

World War II was one of the deadliest events in human history, with an estimated 50 to 85 million lives lost. Around 20 million were soldiers, but the majority, nearly 40 million, were civilians who suffered unimaginable horrors.

Death had many causes: genocide, including the Holocaust, mass bombings, starvation, disease, and forced labor. Millions of innocent people Jews, Roma and Sinti, gay people, the disabled and others, were systematically targeted and killed.

Behind every number is a human story. We must continue to remember, learn and work toward a world built on peace, dignity and justice for all.