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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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.
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Mustang Pilot: Captain Mark H. Stepelton, US Army Air Forces
Mark Stepelton flew in some of the most dangerous environments of the war by escorting bombing aircraft over occupied Europe and conducting air interdiction missions, striking enemy targets deep behind the lines.
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XIX Corps Breaks through the Siegfried Line
In a lesser-known operation that presaged the horrors of the deadly Battle of Hürtgen Forest, the XIX Corps broke through the Siegfried Line north of Aachen, Germany, in October 1944.
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'Black Week': The Darkest Days for the US Army Air Forces
In the span of only a few days in October 1943, the US Army Air Forces was forced to reconsider its entire strategic bombing endeavor in the European theater.
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Hitler's Precision-Guided Bombs: Fritz X & Hs 293
German technology surpassed the Allies' with the production of radio-guided weapons that worked in a combat environment. As early as 1943, the Henschel (Hs) 293 and the Ruhrstahl X-1 (Fritz X) were the first guided bombs employed in combat. These weapons debuted around the time of the Allied assault on Salerno and were a new concern for fleet defense.
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The Battle of Britain: The (Not So) Few
Churchill’s famous quip about the Royal Air Force’s “few” was inspirational, but Fighter Command wasn’t so few and even had several advantages.
Pacific Theater of Operations
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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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Operation Vengeance: The Killing of Isoroku Yamamoto
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.
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Guadalcanal: The Joint Fight
While the campaign marked the first offensive victory for the Americans, it provided more than just a morale boost and a checking of Japanese aggression. This campaign illustrated the powerful synergy of American joint operations.
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European Theater of Operations
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Pacific Theater of Operations
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Home Front
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Home Front
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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.