James Holland FRHistS (born 27 June 1970) is an English popular historian, author and broadcaster, who specialises in the history of the Second World War.

Holland has written novels and non-fiction history books focusing on the Second World War, and presented documentaries for television and radio.

He is the co-founder and co-chair of the annual Chalke Valley History Festival, and co-hosts the We Have Ways Of Making You Talk podcast with Al Murray.

Holland has written both novels and non-fiction history books focusing on the Second World War, and has presented documentary programming about WWII for television and radio.

James Holland deftly interweaves the personal histories of pilots, soldiers, submariners, sailors, nurses, office clerks and other civilians.

Here, he exploits his skills to describe what it is like for very young people to find themselves performing tasks and sometimes assuming responsibilities greater than anything they could have known at 21 in peacetime life.

"[6] His 2008 book Italy's Sorrow: A Year of War, 1944–1945 was reviewed by Publishers Weekly, which said: "This is popular history at its very best: exhaustively researched, compellingly written and authoritative".

[8] Aviation History magazine called his 2013 history, Dam Busters: The True Story of the Inventors and Airmen Who Led the Devastating Raid to Smash the German Dams in 1943 "painstakingly researched and splendidly told" and said that it was "the definitive book on the subject, deserving a place in the library of any student of the famous raid".

[13] Holland writes entries in the Ladybird Expert Series of books for children, with each focused on a particular battle or aspect of World War II.

Battle of Britain: The Real Story (2010) received a Break-through Talent nomination from the BAFTA TV Craft Awards for its producer/director Aaron Young.

[32] In August 2014, he was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue.