The International Conference on World War II is the premier adult educational event bringing together the best and brightest scholars, authors, historians, and witnesses to history from around the globe to discuss key battles, personalities, strategies, issues, and controversies of the war that changed the world. Joining the featured speakers are hundreds of attendees who travel from all over the world to learn and connect with each other through engaging discussions, question-and-answer periods, book signings, and receptions throughout the weekend.
THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE: 80 YEARS ON
Operation Wacht am Rhein
Allied Intelligence: Failures and Successes
The 82nd Airborne on the Northern Shoulder
Peripheral Operations: Bodenplatte and Nordwind
Monty, the Americans, and Counterattack in the North
FEATURED CONFERENCE SESSIONS
"Death Before Dishonor" - Kamikaze Attacks and Fighting to the Last Man
"Fighting for the Right to Fight: African American Experiences in World War II"
Operation Varsity: American, British, and German Perspectives
Soldiers Become Governors: From Fighting Force to Occupation Force
Shattering the Peace: Civil Wars Erupt
The Battle of the Bulge Revisited: 80 Years On
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Opening Keynote: “The Battle of the Bulge”
- Peter Caddick-Adams
Intelligence in the Ardennes
- Gregory Fontenot in conversation with John McManus
Air War over the Ardennes
- Conrad Crane
- John Curatola
Counterattack in the North: Monty and Simpson
- Alexandra Richie
- Mark Calhoun
2024 Conference
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Conference Opening Reception
- Welcome Remarks
- Stephen J. Watson
- Allan Millett
- Opening Keynote: “The Agony of Victory: The Final, Costly Year of World War II”
- Rob Citino
Friday, November 22, 2024
Strangling the Home Islands
- Jonathan Parshall
- John Kuehn
- James Scott
Civilians in the Crossfire
- Steph Hinnershitz
- Peter Schrijvers
- Robert Matzen
Operation Varsity: The Jump Across the Rhine
- Rob Citino
- James Fenelon
- Saul David
Preparing for the Final Battle
- Nick Mueller
- D.M. Giangreco
Who Will Write Our History?: Rediscovering a Hidden Archive from the Warsaw Ghetto
- Samuel Kassow in conversation with Jennifer Putnam
Fighting for the Right to Fight: African American Experiences in World War II Panel Discussion on the Museum’s Newly Redeveloped Traveling Special Exhibition
- John Morrow
- Cory Graff
- Krewalsky Salter
Museum Open House and Reception
Saturday, November 23, 2024
The Divine Wind: A Roundtable Discussion
- John Curatola
- Mark Stille
- Jonathan Parshall
Return to the Philippines
- James Scott
- Marie Vallejo
Just Beneath the Soil: WWII Historic Sites
- Clint Smith in conversation with Nick Mueller
The Uncertainty of Surrender: POWs in Captivity
- Guenter Bischof
- Donald Miller
From World War to Civil War
- Jelena Batinic in conversation with Rana Mitter
The Collapse of the Reich
- Prit Buttar in conversation with Alexandra Richie
Closing Banquet and Presentation
The Shultz Forum on World Affairs: “Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from WWII to Ukraine”
- Conrad Crane
- Gen. David Petraeus
