Controlling the Ryukyu Islands would allow the Americans to finally sever Japan from its South Asian empire. 

Each tattoo inked on the skin of those who lived through World War II tells a unique story, reflecting both personal experiences and collective history.

John “Paddy” Hemingway, along with his fellow RAF pilots who have been revered as “the Few,” played a critical role in defending the United Kingdom against Nazi Germany during the summer of 1940. 

Well before the war ended, President Franklin D. Roosevelt envisioned a plan for veterans to return home and better their lives through the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. But administering the massive welfare program required navigating social and political challenges.

Over 119 days of skirmishes, which included hand-to-hand combat and engagements with the enemy at close range in caves and thick jungles, the Red Arrow Division earned an incredible 28 Silver Stars, 20 Distinguished Service Crosses, and four Medals of Honor. 

Jessie Alton Mahaffey was aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma when Japanese air forces attacked the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

US Third and Seventh Armies' March 1945 offensive cleared the Rhineland, pushing deep into Germany and decisively weakening German defenses before the final Allied push.

Adolf Eichmann initially escaped justice by fleeing to Argentina, where he hid out for nearly a decade until he was kidnapped by Israeli intelligence operatives and taken to Israel for trial.