Friends of the National WWII Memorial Blog

A significant event occurred during WWII – America became a nation of readers.

On 6 June 1944, Bettie Wilkes lost her husband, Master Sergeant John Wilkes, one of 20 “Bedford Boys” killed on D Day.

During WWII, the US Army surveyed 700 wounded GIs, asking the question: “What enemy weapon used against you seemed most frightening?” Here are the top ten.

Louis Graziano is the last eyewitness to the end of WWII in Europe - the German surrender in Reims eighty years ago.

WWII was the first conflict in which tanks played a critical role. Here are my favorites. I’ve given the date when each tank went into service beside each vehicle.

On 18 April 1945, a brilliant photographer recorded “a very beautiful death” in the ruins of the Third Reich.

Eighty years ago, an extraordinarily gutsy Jewish officer led one of the most controversial missions of WWII.

From daring assassinations to coded secrets and double agents, these top ten WWII spy movies deliver intrigue, suspense, and unforgettable cinematic thrills.

To mark the 80th anniversary of one of WWII's bloodiest and most heroic battles, here are my favorite ten books on the Battle of Iwo Jima.

80 years ago, two men survived the hell of Iwo Jima.

To mark the eightieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, here are ten books about the Nazis’ most notorious death camp.

Eighty years ago, a young couple survived the horrors of the Holocaust.

Eighty years ago, an unassuming American commander defied the odds during the most desperate days of the deadliest battle for the US of WWII.

To mark the 80th anniversary of the deadliest battle for Americans of WWII, here are my top ten books on the Battle of the Bulge.

Eighty years ago, with victory within grasp, many Americans observed Thanksgiving, on the home-front and battlefields, with hearts full of hope.

I’ve curated these ten films - from the epic resilience of Bridge on the River Kwai to the harrowing selflessness of Hacksaw Ridge, each a testament to courage, sacrifice, and the enduring impact of conflict.

Eighty years later, the men of the “Silent Service” should not be forgotten.

This month marks the eightieth anniversary of the Battle of the Leyte Gulf, the biggest naval battle of World War II. With that in mind, here are my favorite books about the Pacific War.

Eighty years ago, the Allies launched an audacious plan to end the war by Christmas 1944. The operation was a noble failure but has spawned many excellent accounts.

This September marks the 80th anniversary of one of WWII’s most heroic and tragic battles.

To mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Paris on 25 August, here’s my list of places to visit to mark the “happiest day” of WWII as one correspondent described it.

In the summer of 1940, an amazing Olympian gave his life to save civilization.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the renowned therapist and media personality, overcame immense tragedy in WWII.

Dive into history with our top ten WWII summer beach reads, featuring gripping tales of war, heroism, and suspense that will keep you turning pages by the pool or on the shore.

Ten remarkable women who risked everything to gather intelligence, sabotage enemy plans, and aid the Allies during WWII.

Celebrating the incredible life of medic Charles Shay.

In early May 1944, many D Day warriors enjoyed their last moments of freedom.

With the 80th anniversary fast approaching next month, here’s my list of D-Day-related films.

As the 80th anniversary of D Day fast approaches, I thought it might be useful to provide a list of my favorite D Day books.

With Lou Conter’s death this month, an epic chapter in US naval history draws to a close.

It’s that beautiful time of the year – spring. The days grow longer. Life flourishes again after a long winter. For those of us who spend much of our time thinking, talking, and writing about WWII, the better weather heralds touring season in Europe.

Paul Priest is the last survivor of the Americans who fought their way across the legendary Ludendorff Bridge on 7 March 1945.

This year will see 80th anniversary commemorations of several major battles in WWII, especially in Europe.

In time for Presidents’ Day, a look back at the Greatest Generation’s commanders in chief.

Take a journey through history with our top ten list of must-watch documentaries.

Eighty years ago, an extraordinary athlete survived some of the toughest fighting of WWII.

Just in time for Christmas, General George S. Patton’s prayer for good weather was answered in the deadliest battle fought by the US in WWII.

Eighty years ago, a remarkable warrior earned the Medal of Honor on Veterans Day in Italy.

A lone woman in a distant graveyard reminds us of women’s vital role in WWII.

Eighty years ago, a long and bloody campaign began in Italy.

American losses eighty years ago in the skies over Europe were staggering.

Eighty years ago, a remarkable officer began to set Europe free.

Returning to the bloody, hallowed sands of Omaha Beach.

V-E Day should still be celebrated as a victory over near-perfect evil.

The evil of Hitler’s regime was sickening to behold on 12 April 1945 when Dwight Eisenhower visited the first concentration camp to be liberated by American troops.

Six foot and four inches tall, rake thin, Daly had quit West Point and joined the First Infantry Division as a lowly private. He refused to wait until he graduated. There was a war on. He wanted to do his part...

February is the shortest month of the year but for Felix Sparks, subject of my book, The Liberator, it must have felt like the longest by far. In the more than five hundred days he spent in Europe in WWII, the Texas-born officer suffered more heart-break in the month of February than in any other...

Whenever it gets very cold in January, I think of the men who fought in the Battle of the Bulge in the same month in 1945. It was the coldest winter in living memory in Europe. Men huddled together in foxholes, sharing body warmth, afraid to fall asleep in case they froze to death...

Lyle Bouck looked up at the cuckoo clock on a wall in a caféin Lanzareth, a small village in Belgium. He was being held as prisoner with the platoon he had commanded that day, 16 December 1944. He was wounded, shot in the leg after being pulled from his foxhole. Two of his men were critically injured. His runner, a 19-year-old called Bill James, was beside him, terribly disfigured, his blood soaking Bouck’s field jacket.

I first came across the name, Ernie Pyle, a quarter century ago when researching a biography of the legendary Robert Capa. They were friends and colleagues – the most celebrated American reporter of WWII, whose columns were read by millions of Americans, and the dashing, extraordinarily brave Life photographer. 

We knew she would one day breathe no more, yet still it came as a profound shock to realize that the Queen, the monarch of our entire lives, was not immortal after all.

On June 6, 1944, the Allies launched Operation Overlord by invading German-occupied France along the coast of Normandy, the largest amphibious invasion in history more popularly known as D-Day.

As Allied forces advanced deeper into German territory, they encountered sites of unspeakable horror and human suffering: the Nazi concentration camps.

Happy Halloween from your Friends at the National World War II Memorial! In the spirit of all things spooky, it feels fitting to take a look at the so-called “Ghost Army” of World War II.

On December 7, 1941, when the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service attacked the U.S. Naval Station Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, at 12:53 p.m. EST, three scheduled NFL games were underway.

On June 29, 1943, the U.S. Senate passed the first, and thus far only, national childcare program, voting $20,000,000 to provide for public care of children whose mothers were employed for the duration of World War II.

LGBTQA+ Pride started as a protest with the Stonewall Riots in 1969 and many historians posit that the roots of these LGBT activists can be found in the World War II experiences of gays men and lesbians in the American military.

WWII and its ensuing effects on society – the draft, rationing, total war mentality – had a deleterious effect on most professional sports leagues in North America, including the NHL...

American music during World War II was pervasive in a way that music had never been during a war before. By 1940, 80% of American households owned a radio, making music easier to listen to for all...

Baseball during World War II is one of the most studied sports during wartime. There are hundreds of books written on the subject, blog posts, museum exhibits, newspaper and magazine articles, movies. We’re not try to reinvent the wheel here...

One of the main characters in Marvel’s franchise is Captain America, played by Chris Evans. The first film that featured him, Captain America: The First Avenger, was indeed a World War II story, featuring Steve Rogers as a super soldier sent over to Europe to fight Nazis...

Today is Earth Day! And we here at the Friends of the National World War II Memorial are lucky enough to have some thoughts from a World War II veteran on the state of our planet and what we can do to make it better...

World War II demanded large-scale national mobilization. In the United States, this meant transformations not only to the military, but also major changes in industry, culture, and expectations of women’s role in society...