How did tank crews know when to stop wasting ammo on the other tank back in WWII? How did they know the other crew wasn't just playing dead and waiting for an opportunity? Assuming it's a relatively uneventful penetration(no explosions or fire).

What happened to Poland? I was confused about this because Germany was so worried about Russia on it's eastern front, and I was like "I thought Poland was a land buffer?". I know Poland existed before 1914, so why isn't it on the WWI maps I look at?

What is Prussia? In Hardcore History he keeps talking about Prussia, and I have a general understanding from high school, but throwing out all these names is a bit confusing. Was Prussia a country? Where was it located? It shared rulers with Germany?

They keep referring to the Serbians in the Austria-Hungarian Empire as Slavs and Serbs. Was Yugoslavia part of Serbia, or was Serbia something that came out of the break-up of Yugoslavia?

I hear a lot about Wilhelm II and Von Moltke the Younger, but I don't know hierarchy's in Europe. Who commanded who?

Better yet, was he real, but written about falsely?

They clearly had some form of training and were not regular civilians but I doubt their experience and kit could match anything close to a soldiers, so where were Police/Security personel during a siege?

Were Stalingrad police sent to the front? were they armed the same way regulars were? would they have been seen as a fairly reliable force or militia?

Pretty much what the title says. I'm interested in knowing if there are any books that deal with the history of England or the US by linking it to each period's literary movements. Say, they link American humorism to the post-war need for a "national literature" in the US, or Arthurian literature to the mix of Saxon, Briton and Norman cultures in Medieval England.

Or would some book on the history of English and American literature do the job for me, as they already put each movement in its social and political context? If so, which titles would be good.

Thanks a lot.

Japan was pretty much defeated by the time we dropped the bombs anyway. We had been successfully bombing Japan's industrial cities/factories on the mainland as well. Wouldn't showing Japan we could obliterate an island have the same effect in delivering their surrender?

Ive heard that they carried out the revolution in october to do so before an election could take place where the SR's would gain more votes than them. But most sources I've read say they had very strong popular support.

Like the title says. Maybe some journal from a famous general that was ruined by a technique that was later found to damage old paper like lemon juice. Or maybe a piece of art that was exposed to too much humidity. Art restoration and history preservation had to go through some trial and error before we got it right. Any notable examples?

I imagine this is a recurring topic, but I couldn't find much after researching a little and searching reddit for answers. However, I did realize the history of airplanes goes deeper than many history books tell us (or told me, back in the day). I know the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale recognizes the Wright brothers for the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air flight. But in Brazil for example, where I am from, kids are told Alberto Santos Dumont invented the airplane and there's general aversion to the idea the Wright brothers did it; the main argument is that they first used a catapult system to put planes in motion while Dumont built a plane capable of taking off by itself.

The point not often discussed in Brazil is that Dumont only did it in 1909 and his plane was not as sophisticated as the ones made by Orville and Wilbur Wright; though Dumont was a great inventor in his time, the only country that seems to believe he invented the airplane is Brazil. Also, as I understand, other countries like England and New Zealand have different figures who they claim "invented" the airplane in one way or another.

What I see is that there is a great deal of national pride in all this, each country wanting to be the true origin of something as important as the airplane, while real history is forgotten. From I could read about the subject, it is clear there is not one inventor, one person or two or three who invented the airplane. There are multiple inventors throughout history who contributed to this. The Wright Brothers represented a culmination of all this in their first successful flight.

All that said, I have a few questions: Am I in the right track in assumptions above? Also, is there a book or work relatively free of nationalist sentiments that I can read on this topic?

Finally, what is currently taught in the US and other countries you guys are from?

I know Rome is seen as the first time the West really rose to prominence and it has much to do with the current culture, but I am thinking in global terms here. When compared to other great empires how do they really measure up?

Sorry if this is an inappropriate question for this sub. Tell me if it is and I'll remove it.