The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League served as inspiration for young women across the country and opened the door further for women’s professional sports.  

Joseph R. Beyrle's experience captures the initiative demanded of airborne soldiers, the brutality endured by prisoners of war, and the unlikely battlefield cooperation between American and Soviet soldiers during the final months of the war.

In the letter, Major Richard “Dick” Winters responded to Stephen Ambrose's request for his thoughts on the strain of command, the problems he faced during the war, and the living conditions his soldiers endured. What emerged was also a concise explanation of Winters’s leadership philosophy.

At The National WWII Museum, remembering the anniversary of September 11 means remembering all those who perished that day and recognizing the many different stories they carried with them. 

Upon its release, “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition” quickly became very popular with wartime Americans.

At The National WWII Museum, visitors can discover artifacts carried, worn, and used by paratroopers of the 101st Airborne alongside items that tell the story of Band of Brothers itself.

When Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Boris Vetman and his older brother Samuel volunteered to fight to defend their homeland with the Red Army. 

During World War II, ship names often referenced earlier eras of American history. Today, the US Navy continues its efforts to memorialize the country’s origins by upholding naming traditions that hark back more than 160 years.  

Initially, hell ships moved Allied POWs to areas where their labor was needed, such as the Japanese main islands and other recently conquered regions, but later, they also moved prisoners to prevent them from being liberated by advancing Allied forces.

The National WWII Museum was proud to collaborate on The HISTORY Channel’s 20-part series World War II with Tom Hanks. See what the Museum’s leading historians had to say about working on the show.

One of Japan’s main goals during World War II was to remove the United States as a Pacific power in order to gain territory in east Asia and the southwest Pacific islands. Japan hoped to defeat the US Pacific Fleet and use Midway as a base to attack Pearl Harbor, securing dominance in the region and then forcing a negotiated peace. 
 

This unique artifact tells a one-of-a-kind story from the day that irrevocably changed the world.