Sir Michael Howard Centre for the History of War Annual Lecture 2025

Across the whole of Nazi-ruled Europe the experience of occupation was sharply varied. Some countries, such as Denmark, were allowed to run themselves within tight limits. Others, such as Poland, were crushed totally, whereas countries like France, were constrained not only by military occupation but by open collaboration. In a historical moment when Nazi victory seemed permanent and irreversible, the question was: 'why resist?' As the war went on, this question was augmented by another: 'who was the enemy?' Finally, as it seemed likely that the Allies would win, the resistance had to explore what contribution it could make to the Allied victory.

In this year’s Sir Michael Howard Annual Lecture, Dr Halik Kochanski, author of Resistance: The Underground War in Europe, 1939–1945, will explain how and why all across Nazi-occupied Europe some people decided to resist the Third Reich. This could range from open partisan warfare to the unarmed resistance. Some of these resistance movements were entirely home-grown, whereas others were supported by the Allies. The dangers were enormous and the losses high, not only among the resisters themselves but also within the communities in which they operated, yet ordinary people continued to carry out exceptional acts of defiance to secure their liberation.

Note: This event is open to the public and free to attend, both in person and online. Following the lecture, join us for a drinks reception to facilitate further discussion and networking.

Dr Halik Kochanski is a British historian. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, she taught history at several universities and is the author of Sir Garnet Wolseley: A Victorian Hero (Hambledon Press, 1999); The Eagle Unbowed: Poland and the Poles in the Second World War (Allen Lane, 2012) and Resistance: The Underground War in Europe, 1939-1945 (Allen Lane, 2022), which was awarded the 2023 Wolfson History Prize.

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