Women of World War II
Explore profiles, oral histories, photographs, and artifacts honoring the contributions of women during World War II.
European Theater of Operations
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‘The League is Dead. Long Live the United Nations.’
On April 19, 1946, the League of Nations dissolved, ending 26 years of the existence of an organization which had proven incapable of preventing World War II.
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A Bold Strategy: The British Raid on St. Nazaire
“The new year of the Second World War 1942 opened upon us in an entirely different shape for Britain.” -Prime Minister Winston Churchill
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When Silence Is More Forceful Than Words: Geneviève Guilbaud and the Power of Remembrance
Geneviève Guilbaud has lived a life of remembrance, an existence always directed against the forgetting and trivialization of the horrors of Nazism.
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A Princess At War: Queen Elizabeth II During World War II
During the Second World War, life changed dramatically for the people of Britain, including the Royal Family.
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Curators Choice: The Luck of the Irish
The shamrock is the symbol of Ireland and a recurring theme in The National WWII Museum’s collection.
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Felice and Lilly—An Uneasy Berlin Love Story
Felice and Lilly’s story is one of contradictions. One a bohemian writer in the Jewish underground; the other wife to an ardent Nazi, a “good German” Hausfrau, and mother of four. The two women fell in love in wartime Berlin.
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Winston Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech—March 5, 1946
Churchill’s famed “Iron Curtain” speech ushered in the Cold War and made the term a household phrase.
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Curator’s Choice: Swagger Stick Trench Art
The story of a swagger stick presented to T/3 John Sweitzer by his German prisoners.
Pacific Theater of Operations
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Curators Choice: Two is the Limit
A sailor had a simple request—he just wanted to relax with a few beers after months at sea.
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The Return of Japanese Americans to the West Coast in 1945
On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, that ultimately laid the foundation for the forced removal and subsequent incarceration of over 125,000 individuals of Japanese ancestry, two thirds of whom were American citizens.
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Sergeant William G. Harrell: 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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Curator's Choice: A Sailor’s Letter Home
A look past the pages of a written letter home.
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Commander George Fleming Davis, US Navy: Medal of Honor Series
Commander Davis demonstrated steadfast leadership during a kamikaze attack off of Luzon, Philippines.
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Coming To America: The War Brides Act of 1945
By the winter of 1945, millions of American military personnel were on the move, but they were not alone. More than 60,000 women wed by American servicemen during World War II hoped to leave their old homes behind and rejoin their husbands for a new life in the United States. However, for these “War Brides” restrictive American immigrations policies posed a major challenge.
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“America Remembers Wake Island and Is Proud”: The Battle That Lifted a Nation’s Morale in 1941
The valiant defense of Wake Island by US Marines, sailors, soldiers, and civilians became a potent rallying point for Americans in the dark days after Pearl Harbor.
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The Path Through the Soviet Union and China to Pearl Harbor
Historian Richard Frank explores the influence of China and the Soviet Union in the Japanese decision to attack American territories in December 1941.