Henry Buhl Library: World War II: Start your Research

Best Places to Start

The Second World War
Call Number: Ref D 743 .S42 1989
A three-volume set published by the U.S. Military Academy Department of History.
The Second World War by Jeremy Black
Call Number: D 743 .S38 2007 v.1-7
A seven-volume collection of articles about the war in Germany and Japan, the home front, the Holocaust, causes & background, and alliance politics & grand strategy.
West Point History of World War II
Call Number: Oversz D 743 .W445 2015 v. 1-2
The West Point History of World War II combines the expertise of preeminent historians with hundreds of maps and images, many created for this volume or selected from Army collections.
History of the Second World War. United Kingdom Military Series
Call Number: Use the link to find titles and call numbers
A featured example is Grand Strategy by J.R.M. Butler -- considered to be the "official military history of the war." Call Number: D 743 .B83 1956 vols. 2, 3, 5, 6
American Women During World War II
Call Number: Ref D 810 .W7 W435 2010
Includes entries on a wide range of topics related to women's history and issues during WWII, from advertising to opposition to the war to war brides. Bibliographies are included.
Encyclopedia of the Holocaust
Call Number: Ref D 804.3 .E53 1990 v.1-4
This four-volume encyclopedia includes entries on cities, countries, people, movements, organizations, etc. Bibliographies are listed with each entry.
The Thirties in America
Call Number: Ref E 169.1 .S3 1930 v. 1-3
This title provides a thorough and comprehensive guide to the United States in the 1930s.
The Forties in America
Call Number: Ref E 169.1 .S3 1940 v. 1-3
The Forties in America discusses the important people, events and issues during the years of 1940 to 1949. Special attention is paid to the importance of World War II, including essays on not only the war itself, but its impact on daily life in America and Canada.
Middle East Conflicts from Ancient Egypt to the 21st Century
Call Number: Ref DS 63.15 .M53 2019 v. 1-4
This authoritative and comprehensive encyclopedia covers all the key wars, insurgencies, and battles that have occurred in the Middle East roughly between 3100 BCE and the early decades of the twenty-first century. Volume 4 consists of primary documents.

Salem History Online This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to the Great Lives & Great Events Encyclopedias, which provide overviews of important events and major figures throughout history. Volumes begin with the ancient world and continue through the 20th century.
World at War: Conflict and Society This link opens in a new window
Provides information and insights into military conflicts, covering all time periods and regions. Includes essays, timelines, images, and primary sources.

The Roots and Consequences of 20th-Century Warfare
Call Number: D 431 .T83 2016
This unique reference book introduces readers to the causes and effects of the 20th century's most significant conflicts and explains how the impact of these conflicts still resonates today.
Wars That Changed History: 50 of the World's Greatest Conflicts
Call Number: Ref D 25 .T83 2015
A thorough study of significant wars throughout history and their influence on world affairs, from ancient times into the 21st century.
Encyclopedia of Invasions and Conquests
Call Number: Ref D 25 .A2 D38 2023
This new edition is a comprehensive guide to over 200 invasions, conquests, battles and occupations, from ancient times to the present.
The Encyclopedia of War
Covers all aspects of war, including battles, cultures and society, key figures, strategy and tactics, and weapons across all continents and all periods of human history.
Encyclopedia of War and American Society
Call Number: Ref E 181 .E634 2006 v.1-3
Covers topics surrounding wartime ranging from art, culture, and memory to education and religion, as well as coverage of key people and the wars themselves. Primary sources are available for each military conflict in Volume 3.
The SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives
Call Number: Ref U 21.2 .S323 2017 v. 1-4
The SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspective views war through the lens of the social sciences, looking at the causes, processes and effects of war and drawing from a vast group of fields such as communication and mass media, economics, political science and law, psychology and sociology.
Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy
Call Number: Ref E183.7 .E52 2002 v. 1-3
General category coverage includes concepts and doctrines, policymaking, commerce and science, human rights and arms control.

American National Biography This link opens in a new window
Read biographies of presidents, military officers, secretaries of state, war correspondents and any other people who have shaped American history and culture.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new window
Read biographies of politicians, including prime ministers, military officers, and any other people who have shaped British history and culture.
Salem History Online This link opens in a new window
Provides overviews of the lives of major figures in world history throughout the twentieth century.

Wars of the Americas
Call Number: Oversz E 18.75 .M374 2008 v.1-2
This works provides a detailed chronology of the events of military conflict involving the Americas beginning in 1492 and continuing through modern times. Volume 2 begins with the American Revolution continues into the 21st century.
The Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology, 1941-1945
Call Number: STOR D 790 .C29 1975
Compiled for the Historical Research Center, Air University and Office of Air Force History.
Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939-1945
Call Number: D 770 .R5913 2005
Surface, underwater, naval-air and amphibious campaigns are all covered, and periodic assessments sum up the strategic situations in the worldwide theatres.

United States Military Academy Atlases
Includes atlases depicting individual battles from ancient times through modern Iraq.
World War II Military Situation Maps
"Contains maps showing troop positions beginning on June 6, 1944 to July 26, 1945. Starting with the D-Day Invasion, the maps give daily details on the military campaigns in Western Europe, showing the progress of the Allied Forces as they push towards Germany." (from Library of Congress)

Start with some background reading.

Otherwise, identifying books and articles will take longer.

Tip: Use the links and books on this tab to help you locate names, dates, and keywords.

Your research will be better and take less time!
Use bibliographies to locate other books and articles.
Watch out for authors and/or titles that are cited over and over; they may be important.

World War II Notes

Important Names, Dates, & Facts

1939-1945
World War II is also known as "the Good War"
Presidents during the War -- Franklin Roosevelt, 1939 - April 1945;
Harry Truman, April 1945 - 1952
Bookends to US active involvement: 12/7/1941 - Pearl Harbor attacked by Japanese;
Dropping of atomic bomb on Hiroshima (8/6/1945) and Nagasaki (8/9/1945)
No armistice for WWII -- allies took the war into Germany to Hitler's front stoop
and into Japan and drubbed both into submission
V-E Day (Victory in Europe) = May 8, 1945
V-J Day (Victory in Japan) = August 14, 1945

Important Associated Happenings

Lend-Lease
Manhattan Project
Internment camps for Japanese/Americans
Holocaust
Nuremberg war crimes trials (also lesser publicized Japanese war crimes trials)

Important Outcomes/Changes because of the War

United Nations
Nationhood of Israel -- direct response to world reaction to Holocaust
Nuclear age
Integration of armed forces
Women moved from the home to the work force -- effect on marriage, children, labor...
GI Bill