One possible short story could be about a modern - day historian who accidentally travels back to WW2. He finds himself on a battlefield, witnessing the chaos and heroism. He tries to use his knowledge of the war's outcome to save lives, but quickly realizes that any small change he makes could have huge consequences. For example, he might prevent a key soldier from dying, which then changes the course of a battle and potentially the entire war.
A plot could be that a time - traveler goes back to WW2 to find a lost relative. They end up getting involved in a dangerous mission. Maybe they help smuggle a group of Jews to safety. Along the way, they fall in love with someone from that era, which complicates their situation as they know they don't belong there.
One idea could be a modern-day historian who accidentally travels back to the Versailles negotiations after WW1. They could try to change the terms of the treaty, knowing the long - term consequences it had. For example, they might attempt to make the reparations more lenient on Germany, which could potentially prevent World War II.
A young WW1 infantryman would make a great main character. He could represent the 'old - school' values and combat style of WW1. When he travels to WW2, he has to adapt to the new warfare, and his journey of adaptation could be very interesting to follow.
One idea could be a soldier from WW1 suddenly finding himself in the middle of a WW2 battle. He might use his old - fashioned combat skills in a new and more advanced war setting. For example, his experience with bayonet charges could be a shock to the modern - day soldiers he meets in WW2.
One popular WW2 time travel fiction is 'The Man in the High Castle' by Philip K. Dick. It presents an alternate history where the Axis powers won WW2. Another is 'Time and Again' which has elements that touch on the era of WW2. 'Life After Life' by Kate Atkinson also plays with the concept in relation to WW2, showing different versions of a character's life during that time period.
A common character is the time traveler themselves, usually someone from the modern day. There are often soldiers, both Allied and Axis, like a brave American GI or a determined German officer. Civilians also feature prominently, such as a French Resistance fighter or a British housewife trying to survive the Blitz. And sometimes, there are historical figures like Winston Churchill or Adolf Hitler who the time traveler may interact with.
Soldiers are very common. They could be from either side, like an Allied soldier who goes back in time to give strategic advice, or a German soldier who has a change of heart and tries to alter the course of the war. Another common character is the civilian time traveler. They might be a historian who wants to experience the war first - hand or a regular person who accidentally gets sent back in time.
Back to the Past
The main character was a young historian who was accidentally transported to the future. He found that the future world was facing a disaster because the excessive use of energy by humans had caused the rapid deterioration of the earth's environment. In order to save the future, the protagonist decided to return to the past to stop mankind from using fossil fuel.
The protagonist returned to the United States in the 1960s through a space-time tunnel. He entered the university at that time and promoted environmental awareness to students, encouraging them to give up the use of fossil fuel and switch to sustainable energy. The protagonist also established an organization dedicated to the promotion of sustainable energy.
After some hard work, the protagonist finally attracted people's attention and the government began to introduce policies to restrict the use of fossil fuel. In the late 1960s, the world began to shift to clean energy, and the future world finally avoided disaster.
The protagonist eventually became a famous person in history. His efforts changed the direction of the future and saved the future of Earth.
One interesting WW2 time travel fanfiction could be about a modern-day historian who travels back to WW2. They might use their knowledge of the war to change small events and see how it affects the overall outcome. For example, they could prevent a key intelligence leak that would have otherwise given the enemy an advantage.