First of all I highly recommend restructure (normalize) your table for the rec_type field instead of being varchar to be Four tinyint Fields as follows: rec_y rec_m rec_w rec_d.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.