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.

A product of post Great War naval treaties and launched amid rising global tensions, the USS New Orleans forged a bond with its namesake city in the years before World War II

American soldiers liberated the concentration camp at Buchenwald on April 11, 1945, and were profoundly shaken by what they discovered.

Few American generals of World War II inspired as much admiration or as much controversy as George S. Patton.

The True Glory chronicles the Allied liberation of Western Europe, from the preparations for Operation Overlord to the fall of Berlin. 

 “Climb to Glory,” the modern motto of the 10th Mountain Division, truly reflects their actions and sacrifice in the Italian mountains and beyond.

Although the attack on the USS Panay did not ignite a war between the United States and Japan, it marked a turning point in their relationship.