Masters of the Air
Explore the stories of the American bomber boys who brought the war to Hitler’s doorstep. Discover more on the 100th Bombardment Group—the “Bloody Hundredth”—and other Masters of the Air-related content available from the Museum.
European Theater of Operations
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Lee Miller in Combat
One of America’s only female war correspondents reported on the aftermath of D-Day, the Battle of Saint-Malo, and the liberation of Paris.
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The Second Great Fire of London: 'A Dreadful Masterpiece'
In this column, journalist Ernie Pyle describes the bombing of London in late December 1940 as “the most hateful, most beautiful single scene” he had ever witnessed as the city was “stabbed with fire” by the German Luftwaffe.
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What Happened to Lieutenant Curtis R. Biddick?
Spoilers ahead for Episode 3 of Masters of the Air.
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V for Victory: A Sign of Resistance
Created by a Belgian politician and broadcaster fleeing Nazi persecution, the V for Victory symbol became one of the most enduring signs of the war.
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The Air Medal: An Effort to Bolster Morale
Authorized during the one of most difficult periods during the air war, the Air Medal was an effort to rally the US Army Air Forces crews.
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The 'Bloody 100th' Bomb Group
The Eighth Air Force’s hard luck unit was filled with colorful personalities who made the unit one of the most storied of World War II.
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The Cairo and Tehran Conferences
In a series of high-stakes strategic conferences in late 1943, the Allies made several key decisions that shaped wartime strategy, while reflecting the changing balance of power between the Allied nations and foreshadowing the postwar emergence of the bipolar world.
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Operation Clipper: The Fight for Geilenkirchen
Operation Clipper, an offensive to reduce the Geilenkirchen salient in Germany, highlighted the value of specialized tanks in a combined US-British operation.
Pacific Theater of Operations
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A Contested Legacy: The Men of Montford Point and the Good War
Despite their commendable service during World War II, the Marines of Montford Point would regularly contend with societal forces that vehemently resisted all measures taken toward racial integration.
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Unaccounted For No More: Sgt. Harold Hammett
WWII US Marine Corps Sergeant Harold Hammett, fallen on Tarawa in 1943, is finally laid to rest in the family plot after 80 years.
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The Fallen Crew of the USS Arizona and Operation 85
The Operation 85 project aims to identify unknown servicemen who perished aboard the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
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The Cairo and Tehran Conferences
In a series of high-stakes strategic conferences in late 1943, the Allies made several key decisions that shaped wartime strategy, while reflecting the changing balance of power between the Allied nations and foreshadowing the postwar emergence of the bipolar world.
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'Cuidado!' The 158th Infantry 'Bushmasters' in the Pacific
“No greater fighting combat team has ever deployed for battle,” General Douglas McArthur noted after the war of the 158th Infantry Regiment “Bushmasters,” which was made up predominantly of Mexican Americans and members of the Pima and Navajo tribes from Arizona.
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Delivering the Atomic Bombs: The Silverplate B-29
Most people are aware that Boeing's B-29 Superfortress was the plane that made the first atomic attacks. However, the B-29s delivering America’s first atomic weapons were far from ordinary.
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General William H. Simpson and the Endgame in China
Operation Rashness, a major fall offensive intended to seize a port on China’s southeast coast, would open sea lines of communication into China for the first time in several years while providing a base of operations for the invasion of southern Japan.
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Benjamin Salomon’s Medal of Honor
Benjamin Salomon, a Jewish American dental officer in the Army, made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of his patients and fellow soldiers in World War II. Almost 60 years after his death in the Pacific, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
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The Fallen Crew of the USS Arizona and Operation 85
The Operation 85 project aims to identify unknown servicemen who perished aboard the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
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'Maxwell Opened My Eyes': Rosa Parks, WWII Defense Worker
Before her historic protest in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Rosa Parks was a Home Front worker at Maxwell Airfield.
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Patchwork Plane: Building the P-47 Thunderbolt
Roughly 100 companies, coast to coast, helped Republic Aviation Corporation manufacture each P-47 Thunderbolt.
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The Chopping Block: The Fate of Warplanes after WWII
After the war, hundreds of thousands of US warplanes remained—but the military needed only a fraction of them.
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War Time: How America's Wristwatch Industry Became a War Casualty
Prior to World War II, there was a thriving American wristwatch industry, but it became a casualty of the war.
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Standing against "Universal Death": The Russell–Einstein Manifesto
Penned by philosopher Bertrand Russell and endorsed by Albert Einstein, the document warned human beings about the existential threat posed by the new hydrogen bomb.
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1936, a Year for the Worker: Factory Occupations and the Popular Front’s Victory in France
The election of the Popular Front government in France and a wave of factory occupations secured huge gains for French workers.
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The Women's Army Corps and the Manhattan Project
Wilma Betty Gray's WAC journey began when she boarded a train, destination unknown. Her assignment was Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the Manhattan Project.
Medal of Honor Recipients of World War II
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Rudolph B. Davila's Medal of Honor
Second Lieutenant Rudolph B. Davila, of Spanish-Filipino descent, received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions near Artena, Italy, during World War II.
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Manuel Pérez Jr.’s Medal of Honor
After parachuting on Tagaytay Ridge, Manuel Pérez participated in the horrendous fighting with the Japanese in the Philippines' capital city of Manila, the scene of some of the bloodiest urban combat of the war.
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A 'Gallant Stand' at Monte Battaglia: Manuel V. Mendoza’s Medal of Honor
For what he did on October 4, 1944, Staff Sergeant Manuel V. Mendoza garnered a special place in the history of Nazi Germany’s defeat.
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Johnnie David Hutchins's Medal of Honor
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.
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John Joseph Parle's Medal of Honor
Navy Ensign John Joseph Parle risked his own life to save a ship and ensure a successful Allied amphibious invasion of Sicily in 1943.
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Robert Craig’s Medal of Honor
For his heroic service as an infantry officer during the Allied invasion of Sicily, Second Lieutenant Robert Craig was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on July 11, 1943.
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George Benton Turner’s Medal of Honor
George Benton Turner joined the US Marine Corps in 1918, but World War I ended before he shipped overseas. When World War II broke out, Turner, now in his early 40s, once again volunteered to fight for his country, this time enlisting in the US Army in October 1942.
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Sacrificing Everything: Isadore S. Jachman’s Medal of Honor
Jewish Americans like Isadore S. Jachman contributed greatly to the American war effort in World War II, risking—and sacrificing—everything in the struggle against fascism.