This little-known aircraft was part of the last air battle of World War II.

The loss of Johnnie David Hutchins was devastating to his family, but his moment of bravery almost certainly saved other parents and siblings from experiencing that same loss in the fall of 1943.

US code breakers deciphering Japanese naval messages provided an opportunity for vengeance in April 1943 after intercepting the travel plans of Japan’s naval commander in chief, the mastermind behind the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The 17th International Conference on World War II, a program of the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy at The National WWII Museum, was presented by the Pritzker Military Foundation on behalf of Pritzker Military Museum & Library, with additional support from the Gen. Raymond E. Mason Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series on World War II Endowment Fund and the George P. Shultz Forum on World Affairs.

Experience the best of The National WWII Museum with an official guide in just two hours in our newest small-group tour of the Museum's world-class exhibits. Starting in The Arsenal of Democracy: The Herman and George R. Brown Salute to the Home Front, you’ll learn about the rise of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, the growing tensions in the interwar period, and how the United States entered World War II.