April 17 was a fateful day for Capt. Harold Romm. On April 17, 1943 he was shot down and became a German POW. Two years later, on the same day, he became a free man, liberated from Stalag XIII-D by American troops.

Newspaper correspondent Ernie Pyle became a national folk hero by reporting on the average soldier in World War II.

Gravois tells his story of how he landed on the beaches of Tarawa to furious Japanese fire, and how survival was key.

The Ruhr Pocket campaign of April 1945 ended Germany's hopes—and established the US Army.

In 1945, The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Station Chief Allen Dulles in Switzerland negotiated the early surrender of German forces in Italy and Austria days before the final surrender of Germany, saving many lives.

In this clip, Currey describes the actions for which he would be awarded the Medal of Honor.

As Marines behind the lines ran supplies up to the grunts in the front, one survivor of the night action and a veteran of Peleliu was heard to tell his foxhole buddy about the upcoming fight, “This right here…well…this is gonna be a bitch.” He had no idea how accurate his prophecy would be.

Two members of the Institute for the Study of War and Democracy select their four "can't miss" WWII memoirs.

Garden to Glass celebrates WWII history and local New Orleans food and drink.

In this clip, Bethard gives an account of the kamikaze attack on the St Lo during Leyte Gulf.

Witmeyer describes the fighting in the bocage in Normandy, and how the casualties were so severe that the massive loss of life, especially his own troops caused him to lose his humanity and change from a civilian to a killer.

Fast, powerful, and short-lived, the Alaska-class large cruisers of the US Navy in World War II were both state of the art and obsolete at the same time. See how the US Navy tried to create the ultimate cruiser-killer ship.