ABSTRACT

Unknown Conflicts of the Second World War: Forgotten Fronts is a collection of chapters dealing with various overlooked aspects of the Second World War. The aim is to give greater depth and context to the war by introducing new stories about regions of the world and elements of the war rarely considered.

These chapters represent new discussions on previously undeveloped narratives that help to expand our understanding of the interconnectedness of the war. It also provides an expanded view of the war as a mosaic of overlapping conflicts rather than a two-sided affair between massive alliance structures. The Second World War saw revolutions, civil wars, social upheaval, subversion, and major geopolitical policy shifts that do not fit neatly into the Allied vs. Axis 1939–1945 paradigm. This aim is to connect the unseen dots from around the globe that influenced the big turning points we think we know well but have really only a superficial understanding of and in so doing shed new light on the scope and influence of the war.

chapter 1|7 pages

Introduction

Forgotten fronts

chapter 2|15 pages

Fighting for Britain

Examining British recruitment strategies in Nigeria

chapter 5|15 pages

The illusion of enemy

The fifth column scare in Britain

chapter 6|23 pages

The Indian Ocean

chapter 7|24 pages

Between the Nazi Hammer and the Soviet Anvil

The untold story of the Red guerrillas in the Baltic Region, 1941–1945

chapter 8|19 pages

Indigenous resistance as irregular warfare

The role of Kachin forces in SOE and OSS covert operations during the Burma campaign

chapter 9|32 pages

From resistance to revolution

Occupied Yugoslavia

chapter 11|25 pages

“For a New European Order”

Total war and irregular warfare of the Italian Social Republic abroad 1943–45