While military maneuvers train and test a force’s capabilities, they can also seem like an “alternate history” at times. Consider these fascinating front pages from September 1941, reprinted here courtesy of The Shreveport Times, describing the US Army’s big Louisiana Maneuvers. 

In a Q&A interview with Bloomberg.com's James Gibney, Museum Senior Historian Robert M. Citino provides some of the military background that the Christopher Nolan blockbuster leaves out. 

Senior Historian Robert M. Citino, PhD, on Christopher Nolan’s WWII epic: “Nolan is particularly good at weaving together war’s three domains: on land, at sea, and in the air. The air battles, often a weak and confusing bore in war films, are as well-presented as any I’ve ever seen, and the German Stuka attacks, especially, are terrifying. No war film is truly realistic, but Dunkirk is as good as it gets.”  
 

"By the war’s conclusion, nearly 16 million men and a half million women would provide military service for their country. Where would the opportunities to create better lives for themselves come from for these men and women who had seen, experienced, and sacrificed so much during the war years?" 

BLITZED: Drugs in the Third Reich
By Norman Ohler

Americans like to think of World War II as a “great crusade,” but if it was, the country certainly didn’t seem all that fervent about rushing into it. Think of it: by the usual reckoning, World War II lasted six years, from the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, to Japan’s surrender on board the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. US participation spanned less than four years of that total, a little over half the war. Of seven campaigning seasons, the United States missed the first three and was active only in the final four.

This program is presented by The Institute for the Study of War & Democracy with generous support from the Strake Foundation.

The Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, with the generous support of the Strake Foundation, is delighted to host best-selling author Winston Groom for a presentation about his book illuminating the “Big Three” leaders of World War II.

Join us in conversation with author Robert Edsel to discuss his latest book, Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and a Forever Promise Forged in World War II.

Learn more about how Jewish women used recipes to cope, build community, and create a legacy during the Holocaust.

Join us in conversation with author Jan Davis, whose books explore the connections between her father's time as a B-17 pilot in World War II and her experiences as an astronaut.

Join us for our premier adult educational event bringing together the best and brightest scholars, authors, historians, and witnesses to history from around the globe to discuss the war that changed the world.