While the RAF fought in the skies overhead, British civilians in towns of southern England endured regular visits from German bombers in what came to be known as “the Blitz."

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.

After four years of cancelled celebrations, Mardi Gras returned in 1946. For the veteran flambeaux carriers—a dangerous and physically taxing job—the need for better wages resulted in a historic strike that caused “a post-war rude awakening.”

In 1973 a devastating fire in the National Personnel Records Center destroyed about 17 million military personnel files. A loss with long-lasting repercussions, it affects our understanding and knowledge of many individual WWII stories.

A description of how the Monuments Men came into existence, and how two of its members were among the first officers sent to the front lines. A story of how one of the largest repositories of art stolen by the Nazis was found.