75th Anniversary of the End of World War II
Explore articles, web series, podcast episodes, live webinars and more from the Museum for the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Medal of Honor Recipient Vernon Baker: "Set the Example"
Vernon Baker was one of seven African Americans to receive the Medal of Honor for service in World War II, an award delayed decades by bias and discrimination. In both war and peace, Baker served as an inspirational leader for the soldiers that served under his command and for generations to come.
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Article TypeGoing For Broke Part Two: The 442nd Regimental Combat Team
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated Japanese American unit, is remembered today for its brave actions in World War II. Despite the odds, the 442nd’s actions distinguished them as the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of the US military.
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Jack Glass, USS Enterprise (CV-6)
Jack Glass describes his experiences aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons in August 1942.
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Edgar Cole—“I Still Wanted To Be the Best”
It was only in the wake of Executive Order 8802, and a presidential directive issued directly to the Corps, that the Marines began setting up a new segregated training facility for African American recruits at Montford Point, North Carolina. One of the first recruits was Edgar Cole.
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UN Relief and Rehabilitation Administration: "A New Enterprise Based on Human Brotherhood"
The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration saved the lives of millions of people in Europe and China from 1944-1947.
European Theater of Operations
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Going For Broke Part Two: The 442nd Regimental Combat Team
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated Japanese American unit, is remembered today for its brave actions in World War II. Despite the odds, the 442nd’s actions distinguished them as the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of the US military.
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UN Relief and Rehabilitation Administration: "A New Enterprise Based on Human Brotherhood"
The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration saved the lives of millions of people in Europe and China from 1944-1947.
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Forgotten Fights: Assault on Brest, August-September 1944
The American assault on Fortress Brest, led by the 2nd, 8th, and 29th Divisions under General Troy Middleton, marked one of World War II’s most ferociously contested battles.
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Chaplain Fred McDonald and the McDonald Peace Windows
International Peace Day focuses on building a peaceful and prosperous future. The exhibition Remembered Light spotlights the McDonald Peace Windows and how one chaplain’s remembrances of destruction were woven into new, imaginative works of art out of the ruins and devastation of war.
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The Little Prince's Last Flight: The Story of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince and other timeless works of literature, was also a daring French aviator who lost his life in action during World War II.
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Murdered Warriors: The Chasselay Massacre, June 1940
German troops invading France in the spring of 1940 committed widespread atrocities, especially against Black African colonial troops. One of the worst massacres took place at the town of Chasselay on June 20.
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Forgotten Fights: Assault on Fortress Cherbourg, June 1944
The US 79th Infantry Division led the way in assaulting Cherbourg’s Fort du Roule on June 25, 1944, and two Americans would receive Medals of Honor for their heroic conduct.
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Forgotten Fights: The Second Jassy-Kishinev Offensive and the Destruction of German Sixth Army
German Sixth Army, destroyed in the Battle of Stalingrad, was destroyed a second time in August 1944 by a Soviet offensive into Romania—with important help from the US Air Force.
Pacific Theater of Operations
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Combat in Twilight: Rod Serling's World War II
Rod Serling, the creative genius behind The Twilight Zone and other memorable film and television productions, was both haunted and inspired by his experiences as a US Army paratrooper during World War II.
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"To Sustain, Not Destroy": Operation Swift Mercy and POW Supply
At the end of the war, more than 12,000 American POWs were scattered in camps across the Pacific in desperate shape. From August 30-September 20, 1945, in Operation Swift Mercy, B-17s and B-29s flew 1,000 missions and dropped 4,500 tons of supplies to American troops no longer prisoner, but still trapped.
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Private First Class Jacklyn H. Lucas: Medal of Honor Series
In the bloodiest battle in Marine Corps history, 27 Marines and sailors were awarded the Medal of Honor for action on Iwo Jima. No other campaign surpassed that number.
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The Homeward Bound Pennant
To celebrate the end of the war and the journey back to the United States, US Navy ships often flew long pennants to commemorate their time overseas.
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Full Circle: The Japanese Surrender in Tokyo Bay, September 2, 1945
Every aspect of the Japanese surrender on board the USS Missouri was carefully choreographed, with one eye on the past and another on the future.
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Benevolence in Tokyo Bay: The USS Benevolence (AH-13)
The USS Benevolence was one of three hospital ships in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. The ship served as a haven and first stop in rehabilitation for thousands of Allied POWs.
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Liberating the Philippines: 75 Years After by Cecilia Gaerlan
The final liberation of the Philippines at the end of World War II released Filipinos from years of torment—but recognition of their courage and sacrifice was slow in coming.
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A Survivor at the Surrender, USS West Virginia
Severely damaged by Japanese torpedoes at Pearl Harbor, USS West Virginia returned to service in October 1944. When the Japanese surrendered on September 2, 1945, she was in Tokyo Bay, a symbol of the resilience of the United States Navy.
