The Power of Memory and Changing Views of History

Victory in the largest battle of the Pacific War came 82 days after it began, and the costs were high.

Often overshadowed by the Battle of Midway, the hard-fought carrier naval battle in May 1942 in the waters of the Coral Sea north of Australia marked the end of the phase of Japanese triumphs in the Pacific War and proved to be of strategic significance.

The Ruhr Pocket campaign of April 1945 ended Germany's hopes—and established the US Army.

If the American forces could break through the Hürtgen Forest, there was a chance they could reach the Rhine near Cologne, threatening the German industrial region along the Ruhr River and possibly even force a crossing.