World War II

World War II (WWII, WW2, or Second World War) was fought between opposing military alliances – the Allies and the Axis – from 1939 to 1945. The war spanned large chunks of the globe and was both the the largest and deadliest conflict in history. Over 30 different countries fought during the war including all the great powers. More than 100 million people served in military units. Between 50-75 million people died – largely civilians.

I’ve material on the national contributions from Spain, New Zealand, and France. I also cover the battles of Moscow, Stalingrad, Kharkov, Kursk, and Tarnopol.

References for Spanish Involvement in WW2

4 Feb 201719 Jul 2003 by Steven Thomas

An annotated bibliography for Spanish Involvement in WW2.

Spaniards in Soviet Service During WW2

6 May 202319 Jul 2003 by Steven Thomas

Many Spanish Republicans found refuge from the Spanish Civil War in the USSR. The Soviets happily drafted these men when the Germans invaded in 1941. For example Rubén Ruiz Ibarruri, the son of La Pasinaria, commanded a machine gun company of 35th Guards Rifle Division (Beevor, 1999). He was killed south of Kotluban; I think this was in Sep 1942.

Spaniards in German Service During WW2

4 Feb 201719 Jul 2003 by Steven Thomas

Franco toyed with the idea of Spain joining the Axis in WW2 but never took the step. He did, however, sponsor Spanish volunteer units to fight alongside the Germans on the Eastern Front.

Spanish Involvement in World War II

4 Feb 201719 Jul 2003 by Steven Thomas

Most people don’t realise that although officially neutral Spain had an active part in WW2 in the form of the Blue Division, otherwise known as the Spanish Volunteer Division, Division Azul, or by its official German title of the 250th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht. Individual Spaniards were also involved on both sides during WWII, often in quite large numbers. In a few cases these individuals were collected into units.

Timeline of the Blue Division

4 Feb 201719 Jul 2003 by Steven Thomas

This is a rough outline of the life and times of the Spanish fighting on the Eastern Front during WW2 – the Blue Division. I’ve included some detail about higher level operations to provide context and ditto for nearby operations. The 250th (Blue) Division’s finale was at Krasny Bor. If you’re looking for maps then try here.

Why were Schürzen introduced in WW2?

21 Sep 202116 Jul 2003 by Steven Thomas

German Schürzen (“Aprons” or Side Skirts) of WW2 are always a good topic of debate. The crucial question is, why were they introduced? Short answer is: Soviet Anti-tank rifles.

Infantry Anti-tank Weapons (IAT) of WW2

18 Aug 201311 Jul 2003 by Steven Thomas

WW2 saw the rise of Infantry Anti-tank Weapons (IAT).

What Weapons When During WW2

18 Aug 20137 Jul 2003 by Steven Thomas

I wanted to know when various weapons were introduced during WW2 so I could have scenarios that were vaguely historical in terms of equipment. I don’t promise that the below is totally correct, but it is the best I could come up with using the web.

Revised Random Tank Table for Crossfire

3 Nov 20227 Jul 2003 by Steven Thomas

Standard Crossfire uses a random roll to determine the type of tank that you get for your 9 points. The tables given in the rules seem a bit naff, so I’ve built my own based on production information I could find on the net (see What Weapons When). I feel these gives more representative results than the tables in the standard rules.

Ian Galley’s WW2 Gallery

18 Aug 201329 Jun 2003 by Steven Thomas

Thanks to my mate Ian Galley who sent me some photos to liven up my pages. Ian likes Russians so you’ll see a lot of Human Wave shots. By the way, Ian’s figures are based for Flames of War – the dominant WWII rule set in NZ at the moment.