It's really simple what he has. Like you mention it's a transparent PNG that matches the given background ( in this case white ) and places it on top of it with z-index . The rest is just jQuery with fadeIn and fadeOut images.
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.