Why is World War II Such a Popular Topic for Historical Fiction Authors?

The historical fiction genre of books and literature is, to be frank, inundated with World War II settings. This is something I've always found a bit overwhelming. While it is a good backdrop for a story, there are too many books with WWII as its setting in one form or another.

Don't get me wrong. I have enjoyed the historical fiction books I've read that have WWII as its setting. I haven't read a lot, but I have enjoyed them. But there are so many books out there now that focus on WWII and/or its aftermath that it feels like too much.

So, why is this the case?

Firstly, World War II is fairly close to when we're living right now. It started 82 years ago and ended 75 years ago. It hasn't been even 100 years since the end of the war, let alone its start.

Secondly, there's a lot - and I mean a whole lot - of documentation surrounding World War II. War correspondence, newspapers, radio broadcasts, limited television, and others. There are leaders' speeches, negotiations, treaties, and others. While not all of this information is easily accessible by the layperson, it's very easy to do research regarding WWII.

However, I do think that there is a thin line between a well-written WWII historical fiction book and a poorly-written book on the same topic. And this line can represent different standards for different people, depending on their preferences.

Personally, I tend to steer away from war or military history, both in the nonfiction and fiction genres of literature. There isn't anything wrong with it, but it just doesn't help my own mental health. And I'm not really a war history buff.

I would like to see more variety in the historical genre fiction. And there is some of variety in the genre, even more so if you include mythology retellings (think The Song of Achilles, Circe, or Helen of Troy). There have been some World War I historical fiction books. Anne Rice wrote Ramses the Damned duology and The Feast of All Saints. There's also Margaret George's Nero duology along with some of her other fictional biographies of other historical figures (Cleopatra, Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scotland).

So there is a lot of variety if you know what you're looking for (i.e. subject of the book or even a specific author). It's just that the historical fiction genre is pretty much flooded with World War II.