World War II: Lives at the Crossroads
Before, During, and After the War — History Through Human Lives
A door closed to a delegation. A railway suddenly crossing a frontier. A letter never sent. From the years before the war, through battlefields, conference rooms, factories, and homes, to return, justice, and remembrance afterward, this series follows individual lives and verifiable details toward a fuller history of the Second World War.
Stories with an evidence trail
We read leaders alongside soldiers and civilians, and seek records in Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and other languages as the subject requires. Each essay has a complete Chinese and English edition, followed by source notes with original document titles and links where available. Memories, contemporary records, and the editor’s interpretation are distinguished; uncertainty and conflicting accounts remain visible.
Editorial author: Shitu, with AI assistance. These are modern historical narratives. Dialogue, thoughts, and sensory details are never invented and presented as fact. Daily publication is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. America/New_York, following daylight-saving changes.
The series plans 200 main essays. Future stories will be researched, written, and published in historical chronological order, from the years before the war to its aftermath.
Read the published essays
2 essay published
- No. 1 Munich: Two Documents, Two Futures (1938)
- No. 2 Nanjing: December Inside the School Gates (1937)