Welcome to the website of Diaries of Conflict. This page is dedicated to personal and unit diaries that were kept during past conflicts, mainly focusing on diaries written during the Second World War. The original copies of the diaries presented on this website are from a private collection. We strive to publish as many diaries as possible, and provide them with personal stories and historical contexts. By doing so we want to provide digital access to these historical documents for all. Furthermore, we try to visit the places that are described in the diaries personally. Both to form a clearer picture of the spatial context of the historical events that took place there and to understand some of the decisions the writer (or unit) made during those events.
By visiting and documenting the environments and landscapes that are described in the diaries the diary manifests itself in a very materialistic way. We strive not to construct an object biography, but reconstruct the material biographies of the person who wrote the diary and thus a material record related to time and space in a historical context.
This page is divided in several sub-pages organized by nationality, language or background of the diary writer. Every diary has its own dedicated link. The diaries are not categorized by geographical contexts. For instance, the diary of a Dutch corporal who was active in New Guinea is categorized as a Dutch diary, the diary of a German soldier who saw action in Normandy or Russia is categorized as a German diary, and so forth. A separate page is dedicated to explaining the way we transcribed the diaries, and to how our annotations and citations are ordered. If you want to contact us, you can use the contact form. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
If you want to use any information, images or excerpts from the diaries or stories presented on this website, please contact us beforehand and provide a proper citation when using the information for publication.
Please note that this website is still under construction, and will be complemented with more diaries, stories and information in the near future. If you have any questions about this website do not hesitate to contact us through the contact form.