Dags for forges and knife making. Carbon steel is the best for a DIY project, tool steel is a good alternative. Learning to temper any tool properly takes time, heat and clear bright sunshine to catch the color just right.
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.