You need a PhD in the field you will teach to teach at the college or university level. You do NOT need a degree in teaching unless you want to teach people how to teach K-12. If you want to teach English, earn a PhD in English.
It's very difficult to get a full-time job as a professor. Many end up adjuncting, which pays very poorly and usually does not give benefits or any kind of job security. Have a back up plan for what you'll do with your PhD if you can't get a full time job teaching college.
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.