By VE-Day, 1.6 million American soldiers stood on German soil. Their first months in the land of their former enemy were marked by a number of surprising observations and interactions.

For more than a decade, Museum trustee and WWII veteran Paul Hilliard and his wife, Madlyn, have provided transformative support for several Museum initiatives, including the capital expansion, restoration of artifacts, collection of oral histories, and many more.

The Allied invasion of Western Europe was code named Operation Overlord. It required years of planning, training, and supplying by the United States and Great Britain, and was one of the most heavily guarded secrets of the war. 

Robert O. Paxton’s work continues to educate the world about the history of Vichy France, the emergence of fascism, and the Holocaust in France.

The valiant defense of Wake Island by US Marines, sailors, soldiers, and civilians became a potent rallying point for Americans in the dark days after Pearl Harbor.