In 1943, the US Army’s 7th Infantry Division captured Attu in the Western Aleutians, effectively removing the Japanese threat from America’s backyard.

Portrayed in the new film Greyhound, starring Tom Hanks, the Battle of the Atlantic raged for almost six years. Here is a reading list to learn more about the epic battle to supply Allied forces in Europe.

Malcolm Higgins discusses his experiences in the US Army Air Forces.

 By January 1945 the African American soldiers of the 761st Tank Battalion, the Black Panthers, were battle-tested veterans. But they would encounter one of their toughest fights in January 1945 during the Battle of the Bulge.

Charles Bishop describes his experiences during the first patrol of the USS Piranha (SS-389).

The 156th Infantry Band from Louisiana brought a New Orleans flair to one of the most influential postwar moments in Europe, when they were selected to provide the musical backdrop for the Potsdam Conference as the “house band” at the Little White House.

The fight for Mount Austen witnessed some of the hardest fighting on Guadalcanal. Its successful capture ensured the security of Henderson Field from Japanese artillery fire and infiltrators.

P-51 Mustang pilot Clarence “Bud” Anderson describes scoring the first of his 15 aerial victories in the skies over Europe.

A snapshot of Roland Martin's course from boyhood in California to a B-17 Pilot stationed in England, ending as a POW in Germany.

Sterling Cale discusses his experiences during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

On July 7, 1944, the US Army 27th Infantry Division bore the brunt of the largest Banzai attack of the war. When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, over 4,000 Japanese troops were dead, and American dead and wounded numbered nearly 1,000.

Richard B. Frank, author of Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War Volume 1: 1937-1942, discusses the opening moves of the war in Asia, and why it is important today.