Unknown Conflicts of the Second World War

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.

Chris Murray serves as Associate Editor of Defence Report. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Defence Studies at King's College London. Chris holds an MA in War Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada as well as a BA in Anthropology and an HBA in History from Lakehead University.

Chapter 1: Introduction: forgotten fronts, Chris Murray; Chapter 2: Fighting for Britain: examining British recruitment strategies in Nigeria, Disu Oluyemisi Abayomi and Raheem Oluwafunminiyi; Chapter 3: The Empire of Japan and Southern Cone's neutrality after Pearl Harbor, Pedro Iacobelli; Chapter 4: Finland's relations with the Allied war effort, Henry Oinas-Kukkonen; Chapter 5: The illusion of enemy: the fifth column scare in Britain, Robert Loeffel; Chapter 6: The Indian Ocean, Oliver Coates; Chapter 7: Between the Nazi Hammer and the Soviet Anvil: the untold story of the Red guerrillas in the Baltic Region, 1941-1945, Yaacov Falkov; Chapter 8: Indigenous resistance as irregular warfare: the role of Kachin forces in SOE and OSS covert operations during the Burma campaign, Robert A. Farnan; Chapter 9: From resistance to revolution: occupied Yugoslavia, Chris Murray; Chapter 10: Wartime collaborations in rural North China, Lu Xun; Chapter 11: "For a New European Order": total war and irregular warfare of the Italian Social Republic abroad 1943-45, Federico Ciavattone; Chapter 12: The UN search for stolen and hidden Polish children (1944-47), Katherine Rossy; Glossary; Index