I am a historian of the Second World War and the aim of this site is to enable others to access some of the research I have carried out over the past few years, and to encourage people to exchange ideas and views about a wide range of subjects relating to the conflict. On this site you will find an oral history archive with transcriptions of many of the interviews I have conducted with veterans of the war from many different countries, and there are also blogs, comment pieces, book reviews, suggested reading, and also contributions from other leading historians in this field.
I hope you find it interesting.

James Holland


Blog - Friday 11th November 2005

Diary of Writing Italy’s Sorrow

NARA, College Park, 11 November, 2005
Veteran’s Day in the US, Armistice Day at home.  All day at NARA.  I was hoping to find references in the OSS files to the Stella Rossa Partisans based on Monte Sole.  It was supposedly the OSS who made contact with the Stella Rossa in the spring of 1944 and who organised arms drops and a link to the Allies.  There must be something about it somewhere, but I have been unable to unearth anything about it at the Public Record Office in Kew, nor here at NARA – so far.  I’ve another day and I can come back in the New Year.   I also looked at divisional files for the 92nd Division.  I hadn’t realised a major enquiry took place as to why they had performed so badly.  Anyway, I photocopied the lot.

Posted by James Holland
Leave your comments » (0 Comments)