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A WW2 Site
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Quarterly, we pull together some of the newest and most compelling articles, features, photos, and stories and send them to you. Get these great stories sent directly to your email or view them here!
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To the millions on the American home front during World War II, Ernie Pyle's column offered a foxhole view of the struggle as
he reported on the life, and sometimes death, of the average soldier. On April 18, 1945, Pyle died on Ie Shima, an island off
Okinawa Honto, after being hit by Japanese machine-gun fire. When he died, Pyle's readership was worldwide, with his column
appearing in 400 daily and 300 weekly newspapers. His daily war reports, written in folksy style and including the names and
hometowns of countless "G.I. Joes," made many readers feel that he was writing them personal letters. These are some of his
stories.
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The unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor is what prompted most young American men to enlist. These men were willing to risk
their lives in order to protect the world from tyranny. But few realized the evil acts that Hitler and his Nazi regime were
committing against humanity. By the end of World War II, many soldiers had witnessed the horrors of war, but nothing could
prepare them for what they would encounter upon liberating the concentration camps Hitler had created with the goal of
exterminating those "unworthy of life". This is the story of the 104th Infantry and their discovery of the Mittelbau Dora
labor camp; the camp in which prisoners were forced to work on a top secret weapon: the world's first ballistic missile.
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Utah and Omaha beaches, Cherbourg and Fort du Roule, La Haye du Puits, the Seine River, Parroy Forest, Haguenau, Hatten, Rittershoffen. Names that will
be forever etched in the minds of the veterans, widows, and families of the 79th Infantry Division. Landing on D+8, (June 14th) the 79th Infantry Division was to be involved in many critical and bloody battles, prompting Major-General
Ira T. Wyche to comment after the war that "I shall always look upon my command of the 79th Division as the most successful period of my official
career. This is so because of those fine Americans who wore the Cross of Lorraine".
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The officers and men of the US Silent Service, having had to re-write wartime tactical doctrine on the fly, were
undoubtedly modern military pioneers. History has provided a place for these valiant sailors and the incredible deeds they
performed by securing a prominent position in the expansion of any nation's naval fleet for a powerful submarine force. The
final tallies show that of the 10 million tons of military and merchant shipping lost by the Japanese during WW II, US
submarines accounted for a total of 54%. The interesting question remains as to how much earlier could the war have been
brought to a close had the US submarine fleet been initially equipped with reliable torpedoes. The overall effectiveness of
the submarine war and the tremendous contribution that the men of the silent service made towards its' final outcome is
truly historic.
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It is now over 90 years since the guns stopped firing on the morning that ended World War I, the war that was supposed
to end all wars. Today, we reflect upon the invaluable contributions of our country's veterans and reaffirm our
commitment to support them as they protect the freedoms we enjoy. We must remember not only today, but every day, that
we have a sacred trust with those that wear a uniform proudly and never forget that they deserve our deepest
appreciation and respect.
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The troops of the 2ème Division Blindée, or French 2nd Armoured Division, first saw combat in the disastrous 1940
Norwegian Campaign as a part of the independent 501ème Régiment de Chars de Combat (501st Tank Regiment). After the
fall of France, the unit retreated to the United Kingdom where it formed the core of the free French forces under
Charles De Gaulle. Operation Cobra, the Battle for Paris, Alsace & Lorraine, and finally in Germany, the French 2nd
Armored Division was pivotal in the defeat of Nazi Germany.
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In the fall of 1944 the Allies had every reason to hope that the war in Europe would be over by Christmas, but on
December 25, 1944, American troops found themselves stuck behind a new German line. On December 16, 30 German
divisions, 10 of them armored divisions, had attacked the American Army along the Belgian-German border, achieving
absolute tactical and strategic surprise. The result was the largest battle Americans have ever fought in. Some 640,000
of them took part in the Battle of the Bulge.
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Start a discussion about famous WW2 battles and many immediately come to mind: Kursk, Stalingrad, Battle of the Bulge,
and the Battle of El Alamein, to name a few. However, there are many battles that remain relatively unknown or often,
unheard of. One of these is the Battle of Arracourt. It was the largest tank engagement ever fought by the US Army,
until the Battle of the Bulge in which a German tank force equipped mostly with Panther tanks was defeated by an
American tank force equipped mostly with 75mm Sherman tanks.
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This past August, I had the rare opportunity to walk where my Grandfather, and countless others walked. From the landing beaches of D-day, following the path of the 79th Infantry and 314th Infantry Regiment across France, I caught a glimpse, perhaps, of how his 5 months on the front lines made him undergo a transformation from an apprehensive novice into a battle-tested veteran.
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The thickly wooded Parroy Forest proved to be a major obstacle in the path toward the Vosges mountain barrier and the Saverne Gap. While the 79th Infantry Division and XV Corps artillery gradually wrested the Parroy Forest from elements of the German 11th Panzer and 15th Panzer-Grenadier Divisions and later, the 553rd Volks-Grenadier Division, the intense combat in this sector caused more than two thousand casualties in the division in less than a month, more than it had seen in any other single battles to date.
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A new monument was dedicated to the 314th Regiment's courageous battle action at Fraimbois on the outskirts of Lunéville and a city square was dedicated to General Patch of the 7th Army. The afternoon enjoyed all the pageantry of the main 65th Anniversary commemorative celebrations in Lunéville's central square followed by an evening banquet in the French military garrison.
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Sometimes a battleground and a burial plot are one and the same. In a forest just outside Lunéville, France, 3 men with the 90th Division, 773rd Tank Destroyer Battalion pay the ultimate sacrifice when their tank is hit and explodes. Their location is a mystery until local Frenchman, Gérard Louis, discovers some dogtags almost 60 years later.
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On June 6, 1944, 150,000 Allied soldiers clambered aboard heaving landing craft and braved six-foot swells, waves of machine gun fire, and more than 6 million mines to claim a stretch of sand at a place called Normandy. Their mission was to carve out an Allied foothold in Europe.
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In early October 1944 Allied forces led by the First Canadian Army set out to bring the Antwerp ports under control. But the well-established German defenders made the Battle of the Scheldt an especially gruelling and costly campaign.
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A poem written by all of the men of the 313th Infantry Regiment, Co. A. It was then mailed to all of their dads. This copy is signed by Private James E. Cowart and submitted by his son. James is the 3rd from the right on the back row. Special thanks to Leonard E. Cowart.
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In understanding the meaning of music in World War II, it is important to reflect upon the use that countries would make of music, and the ends to which private individuals would use music to give meaning to their situations. Collected here are some Russian songs of the war.
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Over a hundred pages of a meticulously kept scrapbook filled with reflection, drawings, pictures and more. This is the scrapbook of Henry Glendon Hays, S Sgt, Airplane mechanic, Gunner of the 748 AAF, 360 Bomb Squadron of the 303rd Bomb Group stationed in Molesworth, England.
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Some unique photos provided by William Barber, Sr. taken while fighting with the 35th Regiment, 25th Infantry Division in the Philippines. They include a photo of Balete Pass a few days after they broke through at Luzon, a Japanese prisoner, and more!
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The history of the 51st Evacuation Hospital and its service to soldiers in the European Theater of Operations. Excerpts
from an interview with one of the surgical nurses and the Medical Supply Officer are included, who married in Vincey, France.
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World War II was a global military conflict generally starting with the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 and subsequent declarations of war on Nazi Germany by most of the countries in the British Commonwealth and France. Ending in 1945, it involved a majority of the world's nations, including all of the great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis.
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Aircrews in World War II decorated their planes with cartoons, sketches, and pictures of pinups and pretty girls, typically modelled after the "cheesecake" art of Gil Elvgren, Alberto Vargo, and George Petty. It was (and still is) an interesting practice. Here is the Private Letters Collection.
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From Pennsylvania to Normandy, from Bethlehem Steel to Stalags Stalag XIIA and VIIA, this is the story of PFC John P. Halada, an Infantryman with A Company, 314th Infantry Regiment, 79th Division. Telling stories of hedgerows and hand grenades, this is a great read with equal parts of survival and humor.
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In any army a new soldier is trained in the use of one basic form of service rifle. From the old bolt-action rifles that had been in use since long before World War I to the new self-loading or automatic rifles, World War II was a war of transition for the basic infantryman. These are the rifles they used.
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The machine gun had a dramatic effect on the conduct of warfare; a single machine could produce the same weight of fire as a squadron of rifles, and when used against an inferior enemy, the effect could be devastating.
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WW2 engaged the militaries of many countries and used a variety of uniforms, which often changed depending upon the theater of war, climatic environment, and supply exigencies.
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