Talk:World War II/Archive 65

Commanders and leaders
I've been thinking that Hideki Tojo should be listed as the Axis leader of Japan instead of Hirohito. Winston Churchill and Benito Mussolini, both prime ministers of the other two constitutional monarchies involved, are in the commanders section so Hirohito seems like an odd one out. From what I recall Hirohito was a figurehead who spent much of his time in his laboratory studying marine biology, while Tojo handled all military and political matters, planning much of Japan's military campaigns during the war. I do know that Hirohito had some considerable influence in Japanese politics of the time, pressing for and announcing Japan's surrender, and the Imperial Japanese forces fought in his honor. However, the British fought in King George VI's honor, yet Winston Churchill is still listed as the main Allied leader of the UK. In much Allied propaganda from the war, Tojo was portrayed alongside Hitler and Mussolini as the Axis leader of Japan much more commonly than Hirohito was, and was mentioned more often in speeches, newspaper articles, etc. as the man behind Japan's aggression and military expansion. In addition Tojo was executed shortly after the war while Hirohito stayed on the throne until his death. I know this is a highly important article so I thought I would try and get consensus for this before making what would probably be considered a major edit. HawkNightingale175 (talk) 02:07, 9 November 2023 (UTC)
 * The whole idea, given the sheer size of this conflict, makes no sense. who do we define as a commander, head of state, PM CinC, theater commanders? Which nations only the big three, all? Might be best to leave it out. Slatersteven (talk) 11:06, 9 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Well, once again I'll axplain my view on this topic: There are more and more historians who consider that Hirohito was in no way a figurehead.
 * Three examples:
 * Kenneth J. Ruoff, Director of the Center for Japanese Studies at Portland State University, writes in his book The People’s Emperor: Democracy and the Japanese Monarchy, 1945-1995 (2001, p.127) that "If 'war responsibility' means participating in the policymaking process that led to the commencement and prosecution of an aggressive war (for many Japanese, the key issue was the responsibility for defeat, not complicity in an aggressive war), then there is growing evidence that Emperor Hirohito played a considerable role in this area".
 * Peter Wetzler writes in his recent book Imperial Japan and Defeat in the Second World War: The Collapse of an Empire (2020, p.175) that "During the Tokyo War Crimes Trials the testimony offered by Tôjô Hideki, and gladly accepted by US officials, succeeded in exonerating the Shôwa Emperor of war guilt. The debate, however, about Hirohito's participation in political and military affairs during the Second World War -whether or not (at first) and to what extent (later)- still continues. It will animate authors for years to come. Now most historians acknowledge that the Emperor was deeply involved, like all nation-state leaders at that time."
 * Takahisa Furukawa, expert on wartime history from Nihon University, described Hideki Tojo with this words: "Tojo is a bureaucrat who was incapable of making own decisions, so he turned to the Emperor as his supervisor. That's why he had to report everything for the Emperor to decide. If the Emperor didn't say no, then he would proceed." We can see it in this article.
 * The unsettled controversy among the historians regarding Hirohito's role in the war means that ignoring the emperor to name his prime minister between 1941 and 1944 as the sole leader would deviate from neutrality to clearly side with Hirohito's apologists. It could be discussed whether the old consensus (naming only the leader who remained throughout the war, that is, Hirohito) is sufficient, or whether Tojo should be named along with Hirohito, but never replacing him.
 * And this essentially sums up my point of view. This issue has been discussed many times before, but I have no problem explaining how I see it as many times as required.Ulises Laertíada (talk) 22:35, 9 November 2023 (UTC)
 * In terms of Wetzler's quote, if Hirohito was deeply involved "like all nation-state leaders", wouldn't that imply that George VI and Victor Emmanuel, who were both Heads of State of their respective countries, were deeply involved in the war as well?
 * Furthermore, I feel as if the counterargument that Tojo wasn't PM for the entire war kind of falls flat. Churchill, Roosevelt, Hitler and Mussolini didn't lead their country for the war's entirety either and yet they are still listed. Furthermore you say that Hirohito appointed Tojo, yet Churchill and Mussolini were also appointed by monarchs, hell even Hitler was appointed by Paul von Hindenburg.
 * Also I'm not sure if this would be relevant to the discussion but in terms of Furukawa's quote, should contemporary Japanese sources be considered reliable? Japan has a history of covering up their war crimes so I wouldn't fully trust their views on the war. HawkNightingale175 (talk) 04:44, 10 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Wetzler's quote implies nothing regarding George VI or Victor Emmanuel since he makes no explicit comparison with them. Rather, it can be deduced that it refers to effective leaders of each nation, whether they are monarchs or not. To persist in affirming that Hirohito is the same as George VI or Victor Emmanuel III without distinction, when it is a fact that there is a growing number of historians who question it, is as sterile as insisting on citing Theobald von Bethmann Holweg instead of Wilhelm II in World War I under the same argument. Wetzler mentions "The debate about Hirohito's participation in political and military affairs during the Second World War -whether or not (at first) and to what extent (later)-": Is there any debate among historians about George VI's or Victor Emmanuel III's participation in political and military affairs during the Second World War? As far as I know, no. This marks a very significant difference with respect to Hirohito's case, enough so that it cannot be dismissed as an equal to the British and Italian cases.
 * I have not based my position on how long Tojo was PM during the war (the dates are indicative only). What I have said is that there is controversy among historians about the exact extent of the emperor's involvement in wartime decisions and that it would not be neutral to ignore this fact by citing only one of his prime ministers, omitting him.
 * Your argument on Takahisa Furukawa doesn't hold up. In his quoted sentence, he is analyzing a memorandum from Vice Minister Yuzawa from 1941. In that memorandum, as we read in the data collected in the indicated link, we only find descriptions of events on the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Nothing that can be considered a "cover-up" of any war crime. It is the modern historian Furukawa who describes Tojo's role in light of the facts that the documents of the time indicate, it is not Yuzawa who verbatim gives that description of the Prime Minister. It is a conclusion of the historian, not a "cover-up" by the vice minister of the time. In short, your argument on Furukawa's description is not valid.
 * So I must reiterate my position: I'm open to discussing whether or not it would be appropriate to cite Tojo alongside Hirohito, but I must definitely say no to replacing the latter with the former.Ulises Laertíada (talk) 08:00, 10 November 2023 (UTC)
 * You might want to read up about the Kyūjō incident, in which a group of Japanese generals attempted to overthrow the Emperor. Thus proving that the not all of the Japanese military leadership blindly followed the Emperor. Furthermore Tojo was a dictator who seized power like Hitler and Mussolini did, Hirohito was a monarch who inherited the position.
 * As for your own suggestion on whether to add Tojo as well. I'm wondering if the commanders and leaders section could be expanded to include more heads of state, heads of government, military officials, etc., but there were a lot of them and it might make the section ridiculously long. I am wondering if Charles de Gaulle could be added on the allied side. HawkNightingale175 (talk) 00:59, 11 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Well, I think there are some errors in your answer.
 * First, the Kyūjō incident was not carried out by "a group of Japanese generals", since the highest-ranking person involved was a major. Rather it was "a group of Japanese officers", who were precisely repressed by the generals and the bulk of the army. In any case, this event indicates absolutely nothing regarding the Japanese leadership during the war, in the same way as the 20 July plot, no matter how much it proved that not all of the German military leadership blindly followed Hitler, doesn't mean that he did not lead Germany at that time.
 * Second, Tojo never "seized" power. After Konoe's resignation in October 1941, Hirohito refused to appoint Prince Higashikuni in his place (against the recommendation of his advisors) and decided to appoint Tojo instead. To say that he "seized power", as if he had come to his position through some movement of his own, or even more so, as if he had carried out a coup d'état, is evidently incorrect.
 * Third, to be a monarch who inherited his position is not incompatible with exercising leadership in a nation: Wilhelm II in World War I Germany or Boris III in World War II Bulgaria exercised leadership in their nations at those times.
 * Fourth, although it is very common to popularly consider Tojo as a kind of "dictator", and he is often generically described as "dictatorial", in fact that is not correct since he never had true dictatorial power. Sir Max Hastings, in his book Retribution: The Battle for Japan, 1944-45 (pp. 38-39) calls Tojo "a supposed dictator" and adds that he had much less authority in militarist Japan than Churchill had in democratic Britain. A good example of this took place in 1942, when a Japanese military court sentenced eight pilots from Doolittle's squadron to death. The head of the Army Staff, General Sugiyama, insisted on carrying out the sentences, while Prime Minister Tojo wanted to keep the prisoners alive to avoid reprisals against Japanese captives in the United States. Neither of them had the authority to prevail over the other and it was Hirohito who had to decide, choosing to commute five of the death sentences and give the green light to the execution of the other three, as was carried out. Striking situation for a "dictator". In Wikipedia, "dictator" appears in Hideki Tojo, only in a negative sense, and attributed: The American historian Herbert Bix wrote that Tojo was a "dictator" only in the narrow sense that from September 1942 on, he was generally able to impose his will on the Cabinet without seeking a consensus, but at same time noted that Tojo's power was based upon support from the Emperor, who held the ultimate powers.
 * Of course, the question of the exact extent of Emperor Hirohito's power and involvement remains an open controversy, and for the same reason so does the Japanese wartime leadership itself. Two positions on this matter can be shown: the one that attributes effective leadership to Hirohito and the one that attributes it to a "military clique", which can be represented, for example, by Tojo. But I repeat again that it would not be neutral to omit the position that attributes leadership to the emperor to show only the other.
 * On my opinion on Japanese political system during World War II, I believe that the Empire of Japan was not a "dictatorship", at least as it is understood in the West. It was certainly not a democratic regime, but it was more like an oligarchy coordinated by the emperor. Minoru Genda explained that ... "the whole organization was split into three -that is, the Navy, the Army, and what is known as the government- and the only one who could coordinate the three was the emperor." We can find this in Fighting to a Finish: The Politics of War Termination in the United States and Japan, by Leon V. Sigal, published by Cornell University Press in 1988, p. 74. My personal point of view is closer to that held by Professor Herbert P. Bix, who states that ... although the emperor was more akin to an absolute rather than a constitutional monarch, he was not by nature a combative man eager to start wars. Neither was he a dictator or a Western-style wielder of despotic power like Hitler or Mussolini. Hirohito operated within a bureaucratic monarchy protected by his Meiji Constitution, and advised by his palace entourage or "court group." Not until the late 1930s did Hirohito become a real war leader, actually exercising his constitutional prerogatives of supreme command. So I repeat: my point of view is that the Japanese Empire was an oligarchy coordinated by its emperor rather than a "dictatorship" in Hitler's or Mussolini's model.
 * Regarding thesis of Hirohito's effective leadership, you can read these two articles, as an example:
 * 5 Myths About Emperor Hirohito by historian Francis Pike.
 * Hirohito: String Puller, Not Puppet by historian Herbert P. Bix.
 * Let us remember that, as I previously pointed out, Kenneth J. Ruoff, Director of the Center for Japanese Studies at Portland State University, writes in his book The People’s Emperor: Democracy and the Japanese Monarchy, 1945-1995 (2001, p.127) that "If 'war responsibility' means participating in the policymaking process that led to the commencement and prosecution of an aggressive war (for many Japanese, the key issue was the responsibility for defeat, not complicity in an aggressive war), then there is growing evidence that Emperor Hirohito played a considerable role in this area". When someone shows me a similar statement from any historian about the role of monarchs with less real power (like George VI or Victor Emmanuel III), then I will see some similarity between them and Emperor Hirohito during the war, but in the meantime, I reaffirm that they seem like very different cases from each other.
 * Another example:
 * the supporting text here is ... the emperor was not only aware and informed of Japan's affairs, domestic and international, but took an active, if not always highly visible, part in them. The idea of a "Showa Restoration" - stripping the Diet, prime minister, and Cabinet of any effective power, reducing them to mere functionaries, in the process making the emperor an absolute monarch - reveals the presence of a more forceful personality willing to actually exercise his imperial power than would be expected of a detached, isolated monarch.
 * For all these reasons, I maintain that mention of Hirohito in the Japanese leadership is essential, regardless of whether or not it is considered necessary to add a mention of Tojo.
 * Finally, regarding the addition of Charles de Gaulle on the Allied side, I am not opposed, in fact I see it as very reasonable. Only, first we have to see what precedents there are in the discussion of the possible inclusion of him and if it is possible to reconsider it.Ulises Laertíada (talk) 03:41, 11 November 2023 (UTC)
 * There have been lots of discussions of de Gaulle here previously, and the consensus has always been to exclude him per the sources. Free France was not a major military power until the final months of the war and de Gaulle was a somewhat marginal figure in directing the Allied war effort - he wasn't even told about the Normandy invasion until a few days before it occured, for instance. Nick-D (talk) 05:59, 14 November 2023 (UTC)
 * OK. Nothing to object to what has already been discussed before. What came out of the previous discussions is what has to be applied when there is no new data to add.Ulises Laertíada (talk) 12:52, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

Add Stalin as Axis Leader
Joseph Stalin was an Axis leader and needs to be acknowledged as such. He was, with Hitler, a main initiator of the war.

Acknowledgement of his leadership of a Soviet state "Allied" with other Allied nations should also remain.

His name should be on both sides of the ledger. 148.75.168.181 (talk) 20:09, 17 November 2023 (UTC)
 * That's been proposed here a few times in the past, and the consensus has always been to not make this change, per what the sources say. Nick-D (talk) 22:29, 17 November 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 21 November 2023
Fourbigguys4545 (talk) 17:07, 21 November 2023 (UTC) Make its date 2300 to 2400
 * Unless your request is a lot more specific (with sources) it cannot be actioned. Britmax (talk) 17:15, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

You forget Bulgaria
Why you don't add Bulgaria 94.158.27.231 (talk) 00:24, 23 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Because it is already there. Slatersteven (talk) 11:21, 23 November 2023 (UTC)

Names World War I and World War II
It is known that until the outbreak of World War II, the first war was called the Great War. It would be interesting to determine the date when the name World War II was first used in the media and when the name was changed from The Great War to World War I. Who and when? Mir.Nalezinski (talk) 11:17, 1 December 2023 (UTC)


 * The First World War was called the Great War in the British Empire even before it began but in the United States and Germany it was called the "World War" (Weltkrieg). Winston Churchill used the American term in his 1927 memoir, and he popularised the name "Second World War" in his books and made it official. This retrospectively made the Great War the "First World War". Franklin Roosevelt adopted the British term. The term "World War II" was used in the United States before the war to refer to the upcoming conflict, and was in use from 1939 on. Hawkeye7   (discuss)  19:09, 1 December 2023 (UTC)

Hello
Do you think adding this image is a good idea:, if so which section of the page? CtasACT (talk) 00:35, 10 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I don't see how it's relevant. Ethiopia wasn't a significant contributor to the war, and this 1945 meeting (which seems to have been part of the series of meetings with the heads of national governments FDR had in Egypt on his way home from Yalta) isn't mentioned in the article. Nick-D (talk) 01:03, 10 December 2023 (UTC)
 * The reason why i asked is because the date seems to be before the war ended in 1945, and as you mentioned it was meetings in Yalta) But could it possibly be mentioned to be added as an aftermath? Just a question i raise. CtasACT (talk) 03:20, 10 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Since the war already ended in some parts, it could be noted this was an aftermath for a part of World War II? CtasACT (talk) 03:21, 10 December 2023 (UTC)

Remove Chiang Kai Shek from ‘main allied leaders’
He should be removed as the allied ‘Big Three’ consisted of the US, USSR and UK. China does not qualify for a ‘main participant’ alongside the big three. AjunaJ1212 (talk) 17:18, 13 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Please see the previous discussions of this, with the current structure of the infobox reflecting their result. Nick-D (talk) 08:56, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I believe that the only allied leaders shown on the infobox, for the sake of uniformity and neatness should be the big three: the US, USSR and UK, which is the most widely accepted representation of the primary allied powers. If Kai-Shek is on the infobox, what stops people from adding other leaders such as De Gaulle? If the axis leaders shown are the leaders of the tripartite pact, the allied leaders should be that of the big three. AjunaJ1212 (talk) 17:35, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * This has been discussed many times, and the infobox reflects the consensus of these discussions. When people add/change the leaders in the infobox, they are swiftly reverted per the longstanding consensus on what to include. Nick-D (talk) 05:29, 16 December 2023 (UTC)

Dot (Bullet) Points
At Manual of Style/Military history: The infobox does not have the scope to reflect nuances, and should be restricted to "X victory" or "See aftermath" (or similar) where the result was inconclusive or does not otherwise fit with these restrictions (see also template documentation for the result parameter but this is essentially the same). At Template:Infobox military conflict: this parameter may use one of two standard terms: "X victory" or "Inconclusive". The term used is for the "immediate" outcome of the "subject" conflict and should reflect what the sources say. Per MOS:INFOBOXUSE: Each infobox type should have documentation giving instruction on how each part/field may be used. The template documentation for the result parameter makes it clear that the parameter is for who won and not for ancillary information consequential on who won (or didn't). Multiple dot points are usually used to show such ancillary information. Per MOS:INFOBOXPURPOSE: the purpose of an infobox: to summarize (and not supplant) key facts that appear in the article (an article should remain complete with its summary infobox ignored, with exceptions noted below). The less information it contains, the more effectively it serves that purpose, allowing readers to identify key facts at a glance. Adding such additional ancillary information is arguably writing the article in the infobox and contrary to MOS:INFOBOXPURPOSE. The infobox is an adjunct to the lead. Such detail, if sufficiently key should be written into the lead, since such points are more prose like than single words or simple phrase. The infobox is unsuited to nuance and more complex detail usually represented by dot-point, where they do occur. Parham wiki (talk) 21:39, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I think that limiting this to "Allied victory" is a good idea, given that it's difficult to decide what of the many consequences of the war should be highlighted here. Some of the content in the infobox was not necessarily a result of the war - for instance, historians of empire often note that the war hastened the end of the European empires rather than sparked this (it had become clear to much of the British ruling class during the 1920s and 1930s that holding India was a net negative, for instance, and the independence movement there was very strong before the war). A slightly different option here would be for the text in the infobox to say "Allied victory" with a line below it saying "See Aftermath section", or similar, given that the results of the war were very complex, with modern historians emphasising this complexity. Nick-D (talk) 22:00, 16 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I agree with this approach, it is the purpose of the article body to go in depth on details, not the infobox. A link to the relevant section could be a good compromise solution as well. TylerBurden (talk) 19:16, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

Structure suggestions
I asked ChatGPT 4 to produce an outline

User: Write a detailed outline for a Wikipedia article on World War 2

Introduction

 * Brief overview of World War II
 * Key facts (duration, participating countries, outcome)
 * Global significance and impact

Background and Causes

 * Treaty of Versailles and post-World War I conditions
 * Rise of fascism and totalitarian regimes in Germany, Italy, and Japan
 * Failures of the League of Nations
 * Immediate causes: German expansion and invasion of Poland

Major Participants

 * The Allied Powers: key countries and leaders
 * The Axis Powers: key countries and leaders
 * Neutral countries and their roles

Chronology of the War
- Invasion of Poland - War spreads to Western Europe - Eastern Front: German invasion of the Soviet Union - Pacific War: Japanese expansion and the U.S. entry after Pearl Harbor - Battle of Stalingrad - D-Day and the liberation of Western Europe - German retreat and fall of Berlin - Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Japanese surrender
 * Early stages of the war (1939-1941)
 * Global expansion (1941-1943)
 * Turning points (1943-1944)
 * Final stages (1944-1945)

Major Battles and Campaigns

 * European Theater: Key battles and campaigns
 * Pacific Theater: Key battles and campaigns
 * North African and Middle Eastern Campaigns
 * Air warfare and strategic bombing

Holocaust and War Crimes

 * The Holocaust: overview and impact
 * Japanese war crimes in Asia
 * Nuremberg and Tokyo Trials

Home Fronts and Civilian Impact

 * Economic and industrial mobilization
 * Role of women and minorities in the war effort
 * Civilian suffering and displacement

Technological and Scientific Developments

 * Advancements in weaponry and military technology
 * The Manhattan Project and the development of nuclear weapons
 * Medical advancements and their impact

War Diplomacy and International Relations

 * Major conferences (e.g., Tehran, Yalta, Potsdam)
 * Formation of alliances and shifts in global power
 * Role of intelligence and espionage

Aftermath and Consequences

 * Immediate post-war situation in Europe and Asia
 * Establishment of the United Nations
 * Cold War and the division of Europe
 * Long-term geopolitical and cultural impacts

Cultural and Historical Legacy

 * War memorials and commemoration
 * Impact on literature, film, and art
 * Ongoing historical debates and research

Semi-protected edit request on 30 December 2023
i would like to change a grammer mistake. 196.50.198.189 (talk) 15:53, 30 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Tell us what it is, and we will change it. Slatersteven (talk) 15:57, 30 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: this is not the right page to request additional user rights. You may reopen this request with the specific changes to be made and someone may add them for you, or if you have an account, you can wait until you are autoconfirmed and edit the page yourself. Parham wiki (talk) 15:58, 30 December 2023 (UTC)

Nick-D casting aspersions
Nick-D faithfully standing guard over the WWII article and accusing other editors of and I quote: "revert disruptive edits made by an editor who should know a lot better". I made a couple of relevant edits, adding a map and an image + a couple minor text changes just slightly trimming an image caption, so how do you consider this "disruptive editing"? Also, I noticed that Nick-D who have been actively patrolling the WWII article for years did not object when in October of 2023 one editor removed a bunch of pictures. Care to explain why you did not react when 13 images were culled form the article (I would think this would have been disruptive), was this discussed somewhere? Consider yourself warned because making false accusations against other edits violates Wikipedia policy. E-960 (talk) 22:17, 13 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Per my message on your talk page, you changed the ordering of the leaders in the infobox under an edit summary saying that you were only changing an image. As you know, this is a much debated topic here. This is disruptive and unhelpful editing. As you also know, edits making significant changes to the article like swapping lots of images around should also be discussed first. Nick-D (talk) 22:32, 13 January 2024 (UTC)
 * I do recall there being endless arguments regarding Stalin and Roosevelt and who should be first. However, me trying the BOLD, revert, discuss cycle approach and putting Churchill first, in order to set up a more neutral list is hardly "disruptive". In really, putting Churchill first is the most neutral approach because he was the first of the Big Three leaders, and him being British does not get into the whole US/USSR dispute of who was more important. Btw, you could make the argument that I'm being disruptive if I actually started to edit war over the Leaders list, and not because one time I tried to propose a new approach. --E-960 (talk) 22:42, 13 January 2024 (UTC)
 * If you'd like to start yet another discussion of the ordering of the infobox to see if the consensus has changed, please do. Just don't make what you acknowledge is a contentious edit that reverts consensus, especially using a misleading editing summary. Nick-D (talk) 22:58, 13 January 2024 (UTC)


 * The most recent consensus discussion I can find is from November 2022 listing Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt, "in chronological order" of their entry into WW II among those three. That discussion notes that Chaing Kai-chek does NOT belong in the infobox because of "the relatively small number of losses" his forces inflicted upon Japan.
 * I don't know how Chaing Kai-chek got added without me noticing it, but I just restored that previous order.
 * If you think that's not right, please explain. Thanks, DavidMCEddy (talk) 01:54, 14 January 2024 (UTC)
 * * throws hands up in air regarding the ordering: life is too short* (though I'd like to see an edit from the time implementing this supposed consensus). Regarding Chaing Kai-chek, that seems to be only your interpretation of that discussion (where it was your view at the time - you were the person arguing he should be excluded due to "the relatively small number of losses" China inflicted, so I'm not sure why you're attributing this to a general view). Chiang has long been included in the infobox (See the article as it stood a year ago for instance. If a chronological order was applied, why wasn't Chaing listed first? Nick-D (talk) 04:29, 14 January 2024 (UTC)
 * We have wonderful WP:FAOWN here...great example for all.....have done a great job with the article for years. Dont kill yourself with the small stuff. Moxy -Maple Leaf (Pantone).svg 05:01, 14 January 2024 (UTC)
 * I've reverted to the status quo as the infobox has included Kai-shek for a lengthy period of time. These questions have been bouncing around for long enough that they would greatly benefit from a structured and well-advertised RfC. The freewheeling discussions appear to have been all over the place. Ed [talk] [OMT] 05:11, 14 January 2024 (UTC)

Agreed. How should such an RfC be structured and advertised? DavidMCEddy (talk) 05:24, 14 January 2024 (UTC)
 * DavidMCEddy, regarding the general content of the article, I'm surprised that an editor managed to cull the page of thirteen images (here:) and no on caught that. I recall there were endless discussions about many of those pictures, and in one swipe they got removed. I think at lease some of them should be restored. --E-960 (talk) 07:45, 14 January 2024 (UTC)

wp:ANI is where you discus use conduct, not here. Slatersteven (talk) 11:22, 14 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Ed, to be honest the Leaders list is not a hill I'm willing to die on. Though, I did notice again that this dispute about who should be first (Staling or Roosevelt) keeps coming up. Here is a recent edit of that. So, maybe it's time to take the neutral approach and list the names in this order, Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt; based on who was the allied leader the longest. I gave it a try, however this is not a topic that I care to go all in on.  --E-960 (talk) 14:12, 14 January 2024 (UTC)

Mannerheim Line
I think that this map of the Mannerheim Line should replace the current picture of Finnish troops during the Winter War. The Mannerheim Line is arguably the most famous historical takeaway from this campaign. As this defensive line along with the terrain allowed for the Finnish army to hold back the Soviet advance. E-960 (talk) 22:35, 13 January 2024 (UTC)
 * What caption do you propose? The one you included when this was added stating that it shows the Soviet march on the line was incorrect as it actually shows the situation at the end of the war after the main part of the line was breached. Nick-D (talk) 23:16, 13 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Indeed, the line did not hold back the Red Army indefinitely, and there was the equally famous "Mannerheim Moment" where Mannerheim conceded that Finland would need to enter into talks with the Soviets. However, the line along with the terrain prevented the Soviets from achieving larger aims and inflicted significant losses, which given the wider geopolitical situation, forced the Soviet leadership to agree to a settlement, which preserved most of Finland. I'll think about it a bit more and propose a caption. --E-960 (talk) 07:38, 14 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Nick-D, this would be my suggestion for the image caption. I just added it to the image thumb. --E-960 (talk) 14:17, 14 January 2024 (UTC)
 * That appears to be the same caption you posted in the article, and is factually incorrect as noted above (and also not in allignment with the Commons caption for the image, which notes it's the situation at the end of the war). Nick-D (talk) 07:13, 15 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Nick-D, quit being difficult, so what do you suggest in that case? Too bad you were not that attentive when someone took down 13 images with no good explanation, but here you are nitpicking every detail. If you say something is factually incorrect than explain what? In any case, now I used the exact same caption as in Wiki Commons. --E-960 (talk) 16:39, 15 January 2024 (UTC)
 * I really don't see how it's helpful to throw insults around, especially in a discussion of minor matters such as this. IMO the map isn't an improvement on the current image, not least as the caption is misleading. Nick-D (talk) 10:40, 16 January 2024 (UTC)
 * can you stop targeting nick D he isn't doing anything.
 * regardless, I think this isn't neccesary. WaRei.png WeaponizingArchitecture  &#124;  scream at me  WaRei.png 19:57, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

Caption order
The current ordering of captions in clockwise order doesn't make sense and is hard to follow. The WWI article's ordering is much more sensible. I think the captions should be arranged "left to right, top to bottom".

Note, I searched the archives and mainly found mentions from 2007. WP:CAPTION also does not seem to say anything on the matter. Opencooper (talk) 15:41, 31 January 2024 (UTC)

Chinese theater infobox Photo
The infobox should have a photo from the chinese theater. It was a major theater and it deserves to have recognition in the photo collage. Yedaman54 (talk) 08:22, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 27 February 2024
37.222.96.160 (talk) 12:58, 27 February 2024 (UTC) world war 2 was the most deadly war in history with really dangerous arms such as atomic bombs, nuclear bombs, nuclear arms and a lot more!
 * SO what do you want us to add? Slatersteven (talk) 13:00, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. ARandomName123 (talk)Ping me! 16:37, 27 February 2024 (UTC)

New photo for the Sino-Japanese War
I think this photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese_Special_Naval_Landing_Forces_in_Battle_of_Shanghai_1937.jpg would be better then the somewhat blurry image that is used at the moment (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shanghai1937IJA_ruins.jpg) Ruttoperuna (talk) 20:03, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

Order of commanders and leaders
This order of commanders and leaders has been discussed many times, e.g., Talk:World War II/Archive 61. It cannot be changed without a discussion with other editors on this Talk page.

I appreciate your efforts to improve Wikipedia, but I suggest you focus on other issues. This issue has been discussed extensively for years. Accordingly, I feel compelled to revert your edit again. DavidMCEddy (talk) 20:45, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 15 March 2024
To fix grammar. 66.206.114.194 (talk) 17:28, 15 March 2024 (UTC)
 * You need to tell us what it is. Slatersteven (talk) 17:35, 15 March 2024 (UTC)

"The Greater War" listed at Redirects for discussion
The redirect [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Greater_War&redirect=no The Greater War] has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at  until a consensus is reached. Utopes (talk / cont) 04:26, 18 March 2024 (UTC)

I think the lead sentence needs to be modified
Taking a look in World War I, we can clearly, no doubt, see that the introduction sentence does not conform the consistency as belongs to World War II, where World War I put the start and the end in full date format, and enclosed in brackets, but World War II says otherwise. Checking these for reference: World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 - 11 November 1918) was a global conflict fought between two coalitions.... But differently, World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries,.... Do you guys have any comment about this difference between two popular pages? 2405:4802:64C7:BF70:B50C:773B:1A40:16BA (talk) 01:39, 4 February 2024 (UTC)
 * It seems OK. This article is in much better shape than the World War I article. Nick-D (talk) 02:39, 4 February 2024 (UTC)
 * No problem with either, really. No reason they have to be identical.--Jack Upland (talk) 03:58, 4 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Hi @Jack Upland, @Nick-D, while both of you may find it appropriate and no changes need to be evaluated; however, identical lead statements make the two pages about two world wars looks seamless and consistent. Just small but make a huge leap! 2405:4802:64C7:BF70:20BF:895B:4915:B58A (talk) 04:13, 5 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Not a convincing reason. Slatersteven (talk) 16:51, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

Missing Axis country
If you actually think Bulgaria fought on the German side so its interesting how its not on the Axis team when Bulgaria joined the 3th Reich without having to fight so,can you please add it 84.54.153.33 (talk) 19:12, 27 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Err, where is it missing from? Slatersteven (talk) 10:42, 28 March 2024 (UTC)

Additional Reading

 * ThomasB15223 (talk) 20:54, 21 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Pictogram voting question.svg Question: where exactly should these go and why them and not the countless others that can easily be found? M.Bitton (talk) 21:48, 21 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done for now: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the template. TylerBurden (talk) 18:24, 22 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done for now: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the template. TylerBurden (talk) 18:24, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

Discussion About My Changes To The Article
@Slatersteven lets discuss here.

Sorry, I didn't see your edit reverting me since I was already working on my next one.

Please explain why you reverted my edits and we can go from there Me Da Wikipedian (talk) 15:42, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * I do not see what value your mass edit has. We do not need all that in the lede, people can read the article and know who the great powers were. Nor do we need links to words like civilian. Simply put there were too many changes that were problematic to single one to. Slatersteven (talk) 15:56, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * That note was because, in order to say that all the great powers were involved, it's not unreasonable to say who we are saying was involved. And whats wrong with linking to civilian. Understanding what a civilian is is pretty important to know what the sentence means@Slatersteven Me Da Wikipedian (talk) 16:02, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * We do, the info box, and the body and in wiki links in the lede. Slatersteven (talk) 16:04, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Info box says main leaders, not great powers. should we change it. And how about my other things@Slatersteven Me Da Wikipedian (talk) 16:10, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Participants. Slatersteven (talk) 16:18, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * There is no place in the article saying what the Great powers of the time where, and that they were great powers. And how about everything else, if that was your only issue can I reinstate the rest of my edit@Slatersteven Me Da Wikipedian (talk) 18:22, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * As as I said there were just too many issues (one other of which I have already mentioned). Also who said these are the great powers? Slatersteven (talk) 18:28, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * List of modern great powers does, and it is quite well referenced. And I can't fix things if you don't tell me what you don't like@Slatersteven Me Da Wikipedian (talk) 18:40, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * We are not an RS, and I did say at least one other, but OK. Slatersteven (talk) 18:43, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * We aren't, but what I am saying is that that articles claim of them being a great power are backed up by sources. I know that if we wanted to actually cite we would need to get the citations from the article, not cite it, but for the purposes of this discussion can you just lookat that article. And I told you my reason for the civilian thing but you never responded@Slatersteven Me Da Wikipedian (talk) 18:45, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Actually that list does not seem well sourced, which sources says Italy was a great power? Slatersteven (talk) 18:49, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Actually thats a great point, it seems a bit borderline but in it (Least of the great powers)@Slatersteven Me Da Wikipedian (talk) 18:51, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Also, when you're making "lots of changes" to a somewhat stable, essentially complete article, it's best to explain in the edit summary what kinds of changes you're making and why. If the changes are hard to explain, then I've found it's best to break down into separate edits with their own explanations. Stefen Towers among the rest!   Gab • Gruntwerk 16:00, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Okay, that's fair. Per WP:Work in Progress articles aren't done.@StefenTower Me Da Wikipedian (talk) 16:04, 26 April 2024 (UTC)

lede
We link in the section on the start of the war to the invasion Poland, and to Poland, nor do we need to say when it started as we already do, we do not need it again. Nor do we need a link to civilian, or indeed most of the other wiki links you created, they are meant only where people might not know what we mean. We also need to only link once to a page. That is just the lede. Slatersteven (talk) 18:48, 26 April 2024 (UTC)


 * "they are meant only where people might not know what we mean" - that's true of all links and useless. every link in the article someone added is because someone might not know what they mean, and everything link could be linked under the possibly that someone doesn't know what it means. didn't know about the only linking once. Me Da Wikipedian (talk) 18:50, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
 * See wp:overlinking. Slatersteven (talk) 18:52, 26 April 2024 (UTC)

Time for others to chip in, this is bludgeoning. Slatersteven (talk) 18:55, 26 April 2024 (UTC)


 * In fairness, we are the 2 people with a dispute, so it's not unreasonable that we are the 2 main people discussing. Also, didn't know about the overlinking. Means I probably shouldn't have linked civilian, but I think some of those links still make sense. And I still think we should change it from "Main Powers" to "Great Powers" in the infobox to clarify or reinsert my footnote. Me Da Wikipedian (talk) 20:23, 26 April 2024 (UTC)

I agree with the reverts here. Many of the edits were over-linking - this included repeatedly linking some articles such as Empire of Japan. The statement on who the supposed 'great powers' were adds nothing of use to the lead, and doesn't reflect modern historical writing, which includes a lot of debate over the status of France, Italy and - to a much lesser extent - the UK at the time given that their empires may have been overall burdens. The modern literature on the UK's role in the war also tends to stress the importance of the Commonwealth countries, India and key colonies to this as well. Making edits like this with hopelessly vague edit summaries is also a very poor practice. Nick-D (talk) 22:59, 26 April 2024 (UTC)

dates for photos
I'm with User:Alexeyperlov regarding the dates: Things were changing fast enough during World War II that I think the extra characters providing month and day as well as year makes it easier for readers to understand the flow of events. DavidMCEddy (talk) 03:32, 8 May 2024 (UTC)


 * In my opinion, including the month or day in captions for images in the collage is an excessive level of detail, especially for images in an infobox. Identifying the Stuka photo as taken on 22 December 1943 or the Matilda one as 18 November 1941, rather than just the year, doesn't provide much additional benefit to the reader. — Goszei (talk) 05:53, 8 May 2024 (UTC)
 * In the case of research where dates may be needed, or where the photos are used and more detailed attribution is necessary, the exact dates may be useful. Alexeyperlov 12:12, 8 May 2024 (UTC)
 * You can find out more about any picture in Wikipedia by clicking on it and then choosing the "More details" button that appears at the bottom right of the screen. If you do that with the picture of the Matilda tank, second in the montage that appears at the top of the page, you will see that it is a picture from the Imperial War Museum and you can then follow that link to to see more information about it. ThoughtIdRetired TIR 15:28, 9 May 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 19 May 2024
Jakebaboo (talk) 22:39, 19 May 2024 (UTC) Hello, I wish to edit this wikipedia page due to a misconception. Hirohito was a pacifist and He doesn't want any wars. Please change it to Hideki Tojo.
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. His involvement in the war is well documented at Hirohito. Liu1126 (talk) 22:48, 19 May 2024 (UTC)