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German troops parade through Warsaw
Image: Edisto Images/Newscom/picture alliance Image: Edisto Images/Newscom/picture alliance

World War II

When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, it propelled the world into the most widespread conflict in history. World War II lasted from 1939 to May 8, 1945.

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News

October 13, 2024

Germany: WWII bomb defused in Hamburg's nightlife district

October 11, 2024

Germany: Large WWII bomb detonated in Cologne

October 9, 2024

Holocaust victims memorial stones stolen in German town

October 8, 2024

Australia: Man convicted for performing outlawed Nazi salute

Skip next section Reports & Analysis

Reports & Analysis

Esso Hamburg

Brazil: Illegal salvage from Nazi ships poses oil threat

Brazil: Illegal salvage from Nazi ships poses oil threat

Brazilian researchers have warned that the hunt for raw materials in old wartime shipwrecks could cause oil spills.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 28, 2024
Jürgen Treutler (left) and Björn Höcke entering state parliament on September 26

Germany: Far-right AfD sparks chaos in state parliament

Germany: Far-right AfD sparks chaos in state parliament

The AfD is staging a political scandal that seems well prepared. The consequences are likely to be far-reaching.
PoliticsSeptember 27, 2024
Jewish life in Thessaloniki, Greece

Greece: How the Jewish cemetery in Thessaloniki disappeared

Greece: How the Jewish cemetery in Thessaloniki disappeared

The Jewish cemetery in Thessaloniki was once one of the largest in the world. Remnants are now dotted around the city.
SocietySeptember 27, 202403:41 min
Six Der Spiegel magazine covers featuring Hitler

'After Hitler': Changing German views of Nazism

'After Hitler': Changing German views of Nazism

From secret adoration to loud dismay, Germans have reconciled the Nazi past in very different ways across 80 years.
CultureSeptember 26, 2024
Bojanczyk family, Warsaw

Young Polish Jews rediscover their Jewish identity

Young Polish Jews rediscover their Jewish identity

Young Polish Jews are keen to explore their Jewish roots and live their Jewish identity.
SocietySeptember 16, 202403:20 min
Jens Kremb sits at a table in the town hall looking at city documents, surrounded by students

Students want to strip Adolf Hitler of honorary citizenship

Students want to strip Adolf Hitler of honorary citizenship

Thousands of German towns once made the Nazi dictator an honorary citizen, and many have still not distanced themselves.
SocietySeptember 8, 2024
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Skip next section In the spotlight

In the spotlight

Wehrmacht soldiers tearing down a barrier - black and white foto

Hitler's Germany invaded Poland 85 years ago

World War II began with Germany's invasion of Poland. It was a turning point that still has a geopolitical impact today.
HistoryAugust 31, 2024
Christian Pfeil

European Holocaust Remembrance Day for Sinti and Roma

Christian Pfeil survived the Nazi genocide, and later experienced racist attacks. He has a warning for society.
HistoryAugust 1, 2024
Black-and-white photo of three men with arms behind barricades

Poland commemorates 80 years since Warsaw Uprising

The crushed Warsaw Uprising and Nazi war crimes continue to dog Polish-German relations today.
ConflictsJuly 31, 2024
Part of a memorial in Berlin, the words Lublin and Majdanek are written on stone and there is grass

80 years on: Marking the liberation of Majdanek Nazi camp

Majdanek in Poland was the first Nazi concentration camp to be liberated, almost a year before the end of World War II.
HistoryJuly 24, 2024
black and white photo of Stauffenberg, Hitler, General Fromm from July 15, 1944

Operation Valkyrie: 80th anniversary of plot to kill Hitler

One act of resistance against the Nazi dictator had more of a long-term impact than all the others.
HistoryJuly 20, 2024
Poster featuring portrait shots of various women that is part of the Berlin special exhibition "Women in the resistance against National Socialism."

The women who defied Nazi Germany

Brave and committed women were among the Germans who risked their lives to resist the Nazi regime.
CultureJuly 12, 2024
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