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Fire: A Photo Essay for the World War II GI

For the GIs on the front lines of Europe, a simple fire was a rare luxury.

This article appears in: September 2010

By Kevin M. Hymel

Next to sleep, warmth was the most sought after commodity of the frontline soldiers who froze in their foxholes, stomping their feet or puffing on cigarettes to keep warm. Unfortunately, even small fires attracted a different kind of fire: German mortar, artillery, or sniper fire. Fires were found in safer locations—near artillery guns, regimental headquarters, or rest areas for recovering soldiers. Yet some soldiers risked death by starting small fires in their foxholes or in well-concealed places on the battlefield, just to fight off frostbite for an hour.

During the winter of 1944, men were desperate for warmth. On the night of Christmas Eve, inside the besieged town of Bastogne, a few men of the 101st Airborne Division chanced a fire. “Lo and behold,” recalled Major Dick Winters, “the Germans picked it up and fired a mortar round in our direction.” It exploded among the circle of men, injuring one lieutenant in the groin. After the fighting in Bastogne, some paratroopers washed their feet in the slush around a fire. One soldier, who had not removed his boots for a week, described his feet: “Large cracks in the skin laced deep around them, and my toes were swollen.” The fire, and a new pair of socks, did his feet good. Soldiers rigged exhaust systems over fires to prevent the smoke from giving them away. Cooks hung tarps over their fires to disperse smoke. Some soldiers hosted cooking contests around the flame. One winning meal included cheese and Spam mashed together over the fire. “The inch-high mess was squashed with a trench knife onto K-ration hardtack, and topped with another biscuit,” reported a soldier with 78th Infantry Division. “A memorable snack was born.”

Whether for warmth, healing, or food, fire made the hard living in war-torn Europe bearable. No soldier who trekked from France or Italy into the heart of Germany could have survived the journey without fire’s rejuvenating power.

A private with the 42nd Infantry Division cooks a fish over his own personal fire in the Lembach Forest area in France.

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World War Two Photo Essay: The Final Weeks

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65 years ago this week, World War Two entered its closing stages. Hitler and Mussolini lay dead and the final, blazing weeks of the Second World War began.

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World War II in Eastern Europe, 1942–1945 - Photograph

This content is available in the following languages, german soldiers in the soviet union.

German soldiers in the Soviet Union during a December 1943 Soviet offensive on the eastern front. German troops invaded Soviet territory in June 1941 but faced counteroffensives following the battle of Stalingrad. December 16, 1943.

German troops in the Soviet Union

German troops attack Soviet lines . Soviet Union, 1943–1944.

Eastern front, February 1944

Units of a German armored division on the eastern front in February 1944. Soviet forces, largely on the offensive since the battle of Stalingrad, pushed German troops to the borders of East Prussia by the end of 1944. Soviet Union, February 1944.

A German soldier on the eastern front

A German soldier stands guard on the eastern front. Soviet Union, February 28, 1944.

Soviet soldiers guard the entrance to Hitler's underground bunker

Soviet soldiers guard the entrance to Adolf Hitler's underground bunker. Upon the advance of Soviet forces through the streets of Berlin, Hitler committed suicide here on April 30, 1945, rather than face capture. Berlin, Germany, 1945.

Soviet soldiers in defeated Berlin

Soviet soldiers in a street in the Soviet occupation zone of Berlin following the defeat of Germany . Berlin, Germany, after May 7, 1945.

Soviet soldiers in a Berlin street

Soviet soldiers in a street in the Soviet occupation zone of Berlin following the defeat of Germany. Berlin, Germany, after May 9, 1945.

Soviet soldiers in the Soviet occupation zone of Berlin

Soviet soldiers in the Soviet occupation zone of Berlin following the defeat of Nazi Germany. Berlin, Germany, after May 9, 1945.

Meeting of US and Soviet forces at Torgau

An African American soldier is among those members of the Soviet and US armed forces posing here upon the historic meeting of the two armies on the Elbe River. Torgau, Germany, April 26, 1945.

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Military Records

World War II Photos

General Douglas MacArthur wades ashore during initial landings at Leyte, Philippine Islands. Local Identifier: 111-SC-407101, National Archives Identifier: 531424.

View in National Archives Catalog

The Second World War was documented on a huge scale by thousands of photographers and artists who created millions of pictures. American military photographers representing all of the armed services covered the battlefronts around the world. Every activity of the war was depicted--training, combat, support services, and much more. On the home front, the many federal war agencies produced and collected pictures, posters, and cartoons on such subjects as war production, rationing, and civilian relocation.

The pictures described in this list are from the holdings of the Still Picture Branch (RRSS) of the National Archives and Records Administration. Most are from the records of the Army Signal Corps (Record Group 111), Department of the Navy (Record Group 80), Coast Guard (Record Group 26), Marine Corps (Record Group 127), and the Office of War Information (Record Group 208). Others were selected from the records of 12 additional agencies.

Pictures are listed by subject and campaign. Original captions are in quotation marks. Photographers, artists, locations, and dates, when known, are also included. This information is followed by the local identification number and the National Archives Identifier number (NAID). The National Archives Identifier number is linked to the online catalog where a digitized file of the photograph will be available for download. The images included in this list are only available in black and white. The selected photographs are in the public domain and have no Use Restrictions.

Jonathan Heller researched, selected, and arranged the items for this list and wrote these introductory remarks in 1990. Additional updates to this introduction were made as recently as May 2021.

Photograph of President Franklin D. Roosevelt Signing the Declaration of War Against Japan. Local Identifier: 79-AR-82, National Archives Identifier: 520053.

1. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signing the Declaration of War against Japan, December 8, 1941. 79-AR-82. National Archives Identifier: 520053

2. "General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander, at his headquarters in the European theater of operations. He wears the five-star cluster of the newly-created rank of General of the Army." T4c. Messerlin, February 1, 1945. 80-G-331330. National Archives Identifier: 520686

3. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in Munich, Germany, ca. June 1940. 242-EB-7-38. National Archives Identifier: 540151

4. " General MacArthur surveys the beachhead on Leyte Island, soon after American forces swept ashore from a gigantic liberation armada into the central Philippines, at the historic moment when the General made good his promise `I shall return.'" 1944. 26-G- 3584. National Archives Identifier: 513210

Conference of the Big Three at Yalta makes final plans for the defeat of Germany. Local Identifier: 111-SC-260486, National Archives Identifier: 531340.

5. " Conference of the Big Three at Yalta makes final plans for the defeat of Germany. Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Premier Josef Stalin." February 1945. 111-SC-260486. National Archives Identifier: 531340

6. American generals: seated left to right are William H. Simpson, George S. Patton, Jr., Carl Spaatz, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Courtney H. Hodges, and Leonard T. Gerow; standing are Ralph F. Stearley, Hoyt S. Vandenberg, Walter Bedell Smith, Otto P. Weyland, and Richard E. Nugent. Ca. 1945. 208-YE-182. National Archives Identifier: 535983

The Home Front

"WE HEREBY RESOLVE - REMEMBER DECEMBER 7th." Local Identifier: 44-PA-191, National Archives Identifier: 513637.

7. " . . . we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain . . . Remember Dec. 7th!" Color poster by Allen Saalberg, 1942. 44-PA-191.* National Archives Identifier: 513637

8. " We French workers warn you . . . defeat means slavery, starvation, death." Color poster by Ben Shahn, 1942. 44-PA-246.* National Archives Identifier: 513688

9. "I Want You for the U.S. Army. Enlist Now." Color poster by James Montgomery Flagg. 44-PA-71.* National Archives Identifier: 513533

10. "Man the Guns. Join the Navy." Color poster by McClelland Barclay, 1942. 44-PA-24.* National Archives Identifier: 513519

11. "For your country's sake today--For your own sake tomorrow. Go to the nearest recruiting station of the armed service of your choice." Color poster by Steele Savage, 1944. 44-PA-820.* National Archives Identifier: 514315

12. "Buy War Bonds." Color poster, 1942. 44-PA-531.* National Archives Identifier: 514010

SCRAP. Local Identifier: 44-PA-1688, National Archives Identifier: 515359.

13. "SCRAP." Color poster by Roy Schatt, 1942. 44-PA-1688.* National Archives Identifier: 515359

14. "Harvesting bumper crop for Uncle Sam . Movie star Rita Hayworth sacrificed her bumpers for the duration. Besides setting an example by turning in unessential metal car parts, Miss Hayworth has been active in selling war bonds." 1942. 208-PU-91B-5. National Archives Identifier: 535932

15. "I'm conserving wool, this bathing suit's painted on." Cartoon drawing by Charles Shows. 208-COM-1084. National Archives Identifier: 535701

16. Sugar rationing. 208-AA-322I-2. National Archives Identifier: 535570

17. "An eager school boy gets his first experience in using War Ration Book Two. With many parents engaged in war work, children are being taught the facts of point rationing for helping out in family marketing." Alfred Palmer, February 1943. 208-AA-322H-1. National Archives Identifier: 535567

18. "We Can Do It." Color poster by J. Howard Miller. 179-WP-1563.* National Archives Identifier: 535413

"Secretaries, housewives, waitresses, women from all over central Florida are getting into vocational schools to learn war work." Local Identifier: 208-AA-352V-4, National Archives Identifier: 535579.

19. "Secretaries, housewives, waitresses, women from all over central Florida are getting into vocational schools to learn war work. Typical are these in the Daytona Beach branch of the Volusia county vocational school." Howard R. Hollem, April 1942. 208-AA-352V-4. National Archives Identifier: 535579

20. "Stars over Berlin and Tokyo will soon replace these factory lights reflected in the noses of planes at Douglas Aircraft's Long Beach, Calif., plant. Women workers groom lines of transparent noses for deadly A-20 attack bombers." Alfred Palmer, October 1942. 208-AA-352QQ-5. National Archives Identifier: 535577

21. Riveter at Lockheed Aircraft Corp., Burbank, CA. National Archives Identifier: 522880, Local Identifier: 86-WWT-3-67

"Line up of some of women welders including the women's welding champion of Ingalls [Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagoula, MS]." Local Identifier: 86-WWT-85-35, National Archives Identifier: 522890.

22. "Line up of some of women welders including the women's welding champion of Ingalls [Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagoula, MS]." Spencer Beebe, 1943. 86-WWT-85-35. National Archives Identifier: 522890

23. "Chippers." Women war workers of Marinship Corp., 1942. 86-WWT-85-16. National Archives Identifier: 522889

24. "Man working on hull of U.S. submarine at Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn." Lt. Comdr. Charles Fenno Jacobs, August 1943. 80-G-468517. National Archives Identifier: 1633443

25. "Launching of USS ROBALO 9 May 1943, at Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wis." 80-G-68535. National Archives Identifier: 520628

26. "Someone talked!" Color poster by Siebel, 1942. 44-PA-230.* National Archives Identifier: 513672

"Loose lips might sink ships. " Local Identifier: 44-PA-82, National Archives Identifier: 513543.

27. "Loose lips might sink ships." Color poster by Ess-ar-gee. 44-PA-82.* National Archives Identifier: 513543

28. "A young evacuee of Japanese ancestry waits with the family baggage before leaving by bus for an assembly center in the spring of 1942." Clem Albers, California, April 1942. 210-G-2A-6. National Archives Identifier: 539959

29. "Persons of Japanese ancestry arrive at the Santa Anita Assembly Center from San Pedro. Evacuees lived at this center at the former Santa Anita race track before being moved inland to relocation centers." Clem Albers, Arcadia, CA, April 5, 1942. 210-G-3B-414. National Archives Identifier: 537040

30. "Dust storm at this War Relocation Authority center where evacuees of Japanese ancestry are spending the duration." Dorothea Lange, Manzanar, CA, July 3, 1942. 210-G-10C-839. National Archives Identifier: 539961

Supply & Support

Mechanics check engine of SNJ at Kingsville Field, NATC, Corpus Christi, Texas. Local Identifier: 80-G-475186, National Archives Identifier: 520974.

31. "Mechanics check engine of SNJ at Kingsville Field, NATC, Corpus Christi, Texas." Lt. Comdr. Charles Fenno Jacobs, November 1942. 80-G-475186. National Archives Identifier: 520974

32. "Ordnancemen loading belted cartridges into SBD-3 at NAS Norfolk, Va." September 1942. 80-G-472528. National Archives Identifier: 520918

33. "Victory cargo ships are lined up at a U.S. west coast shipyard for final outfitting before they are loaded with supplies for Navy depots and advance bases in the Pacific." Ca. 1944. 208-YE-2B-7. National Archives Identifier: 535970

34. "Corporal Charles H. Johnson of the 783rd Military Police Battalion, waves on a `Red Ball Express' motor convoy rushing priority materiel to the forward areas, near Alenon, France." Bowen, September 5, 1944. 111-SC-195512. National Archives Identifier: 531220

Invasion of Cape Gloucester, New Britain, 24 December 1943. Local Identifier: 26-G-3056, National Archives Identifier: 513188.

35. "Invasion of Cape Gloucester, New Britain, 24 Dec. 1943. Crammed with men and material for the invasion, this Coast Guard- manned LST nears the Japanese held shore. Troops shown in the picture are Marines." PhoM1c. Don C. Hansen. 26-G-3056. National Archives Identifier: 513188

36. "U.S. Convoy which operates between Chen-Yi and Kweiyang, China, is ascending the famous twenty-one curves at Annan, China." Pfc. John F. Albert, March 26, 1945. 111-SC-208807. National Archives Identifier: 531304

37. "U.S. Marine `Raiders' and their dogs, which are used for scouting and running messages, starting off for the jungle front lines on Bougainville." T.Sgt. J. Sarno, ca. November/December 1943. 127-GR-84-68407. National Archives Identifier: 532371

38. "Sgt. Carl Weinke and Pfc. Ernest Marjoram, Signal Corps cameramen, wading through stream while following infantry troops in forward area during invasion at a beach in New Guinea." T4c. Ernani D'Emidio, April 22, 1944. 111-SC-189623. National Archives Identifier: 531186

39. "Pfc Angelo B. Reina, 391st Inf. Regt., guards a lonely Oahu beach position. Kahuku, Oahu." Rosenberg, Hawaii, March 1945. 111-SC-221867. National Archives Identifier: 531323

Rest & Relaxation

Photograph of Marines on Peleliu Islands. Local Identifier: 127-N-97628, National Archives Identifier: 532538.

40. "Marine Pfc. Douglas Lightheart (right) cradles his 30-cal. machine gun in his lap, while he and his buddy Pfc. Gerald Churchby take time out for a cigarette, while mopping up the enemy on Peleliu Is." Cpl. H. H. Clements, September 14, 1944. 127-N-97628. [The Marine on the left has been tentatively identified through information received by the National Archives as being Gerald P. Thursby, Sr. of Akron, Ohio, not Gerald Churchby] National Archives Identifier: 532538

41. "Sailor reading in his bunk aboard USS CAPELIN at submarine base New London, Conn." Lt. Comdr. Charles Fenno Jacobs, August 1943. 80-G-468523. National Archives Identifier: 520852

42. "Activities aboard USS MONTEREY. Navy pilots in the forward elevator well playing basketball." Jumper at left identified as Gerald R. Ford. Attributed to Lt. Victor Jorgensen, ca. June/July 1944. 80-G-417628. National Archives Identifier: 520764

43. "Liberty party. Liberty section personnel aboard LCM returning to USS CASABLANCA from Rara Island, off Pitylieu Island, Manus." PhoM1c. R. W. Mowday, Admiralty Islands, April 19, 1945. 80-CASA-618. National Archives Identifier: 520580

Bing Crosby, stage, screen and radio star, sings to Allied troops at the opening of the London stage door canteen in Piccadilly, London, England. Local Identifier: 111-SC-193249, National Archives Identifier: 531210.

44. "Bing Crosby, stage, screen and radio star, sings to Allied troops at the opening of the London stage door canteen in Piccadilly, London, England." Pearson, August 31, 1944. 111-SC-193249. National Archives Identifier: 531210

45. " Danny Kaye, well known stage and screen star, entertains 4,000 5th Marine Div. occupation troops at Sasebo, Japan. The crude sign across the front of the stage says: `Officers keep out! Enlisted men's country.'" Pfc. H. J. Grimm, October 25, 1945. 127-N-138204. National Archives Identifier: 532566

46. " Pfc. Mickey Rooney imitates some Hollywood actors for an audience of Infantrymen of the 44th Division. Rooney is a member of a three-man unit making a jeep tour to entertain the troops." T5c. Louis Weintraub, Kist, Germany, April 13, 1945. 111-SC-203412. National Archives Identifier: 531257

Marlene Dietrich, motion picture actress, autographs the cast on the leg of Tec 4 Earl E. McFarland. Local Identifier: 111-SC-232989, National Archives Identifier: 531330.

47. "Marlene Dietrich, motion picture actress, autographs the cast on the leg of Tec 4 Earl E. McFarland at a United States hospital in Belgium, where she has been entertaining the GIs." Tuttle, November 24, 1944. 111-SC-232989. National Archives Identifier: 531330

48. "A youngster, clutching his soldier father, gazes upward while the latter lifts his wife from the ground to wish her a 'Merry Christmas.' The serviceman is one of those fortunate enough to be able to get home for the holidays." December 1944. 208-AA-2F-20. National Archives Identifier: 535527

Aid & Comfort

49. "Crewmen lifting Kenneth Bratton out of turret of TBF on the USS SARATOGA after raid on Rabaul." Lt. Wayne Miller, November 1943. 80-G-415477. National Archives Identifier: 520757

Medics helping injured soldier in France, 1944. Local Identifier: 208-YE-22, National Archives Identifier: 535973.

50. Medics helping injured soldier, France, 1944. 208-YE-22. National Archives Identifier: 535973

51. "Private Roy Humphrey is being given blood plasma by Pfc. Harvey White, after he was wounded by shrapnel, on 9 August 1943 in Sicily." Wever. 111-SC-178198. National Archives Identifier: 531161

52. "Transfer of wounded from USS BUNKER HILL to USS WILKES BARRE, who were injured during fire aboard carrier following Jap suicide dive bombing attack off Okinawa." PhoM3c. Kenneth E. Roberts, May 11, 1945. 80-G-328610. National Archives Identifier: 520682

53. " In an underground surgery room, behind the front lines on Bougainville, an American Army doctor operates on a U.S. soldier wounded by a Japanese sniper." December 13, 1943. 111-SC-187247. National Archives Identifier: 531177

"Nurses of a field hospital who arrived in France via England and Egypt after three years service." Local Identifier: 112-SGA-44-10842, National Archives Identifier: 531498.

54. " Nurses of a field hospital who arrived in France via England and Egypt after three years service." Parker, August 12, 1944. 112-SGA-44-10842. National Archives Identifier: 531498

55. " With a canvas tarpaulin for a church and packing cases for an altar, a Navy chaplain holds mass for Marines at Saipan. The service was held in memory of brave buddies who lost their lives in the initial landings." Sgt. Steele, June 1944. 127-N-82262. National Archives Identifier: 532525

56. " The crew of the USS SOUTH DAKOTA stands with bowed heads, while Chaplain N. D. Lindner reads the benediction held in honor of fellow shipmates killed in the air action off Guam on June 19, 1944." July 1, 1944. 80-G-238322. National Archives Identifier: 520649

Navy & Naval Battles

A motor torpedo boat marksman provides a striking camera study as he draws a bead with his 50 calibur machine gun on his boat off New Guinea. Local Identifier: 80-G-53871, National Archives Identifier: 520621.

57. " A PT marksman provides a striking camera study as he draws a bead with his 50 caliber machine gun on his boat off New Guinea." July 1943. 80-G-53871. National Archives Identifier: 520621

58. " Officer at periscope in control room of submarine." Ca. 1942. 80-G-11258. National Archives Identifier: 520588

59. " PT's patrolling off coast of New Guinea." 1943. 80-G-53855. National Archives Identifier: 520620

60. "USS PENNSYLVANIA and battleship of COLORADO class followed by three cruisers move in line into Lingayen Gulf preceding the landing on Luzon." Philippines, January 1945. 80-G-59525. National Archives Identifier: 520627

61. "Coast Guardsmen on the deck of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Spencer watch the explosion of a depth charge which blasted a Nazi U-boat's hope of breaking into the center of a large convoy." Sinking of U-175. WO Jack January, April 17, 1943. 26-G-1517. National Archives Identifier: 513166

62. Torpedoed Japanese destroyer photographed through periscope of U.S.S. Wahoo or U.S.S. Nautilus, June 1942. 80-G-418331. National Archives Identifier: 520769

63. Sixteen-inch guns of the U.S.S Iowa firing during battle drill in the Pacific, ca. 1944. 80-G-59493. National Archives Identifier: 520626

64. " Jap torpedo bomber explodes in air after direct hit by 5 inch shell from U.S. aircraft carrier as it attempted an unsuccessful attack on carrier, off Kwajalein." U.S.S. Yorktown. CPhoM. Alfred N. Cooperman, December 4, 1943. 80-G-415001. National Archives Identifier: 520751

65. " Japanese plane shot down as it attempted to attack USS KITKUN BAY." Near Mariana Islands, June 1944. 80-G-238363. National Archives Identifier: 520650

66. " USS BUNKER HILL burning after Jap suicide attack." Near Okinawa, May 11, 1945. 80-G-274266. National Archives Identifier: 520657

67. " USS BUNKER HILL hit by two Kamikazes in 30 seconds on 11 May 1945 off Kyushu. Dead-372. Wounded-264." 80-G-323712. National Archives Identifier: 520678

A Chinese soldier guards a line of American P-40 fighter planes. Local Identifier: 208-AA-12X(21), National Archives Identifier: 535531.

68. " A Chinese soldier guards a line of American P-40 fighter planes, painted with the shark-face emblem of the 'Flying Tigers,' at a flying field somewhere in China." Ca. 1942. 208-AA-12X-21. National Archives Identifier: 535531

69. " Pilots aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier receive last minute instructions before taking off to attack industrial, and military installations in Tokyo." February 17, 1945. 208-N-38374. National Archives Identifier: 535789

70. " Dynamic static. The motion of its props causes an `aura' to form around this F6F on USS YORKTOWN. Rotating with blades, halo moves aft, giving depth and perspective." November 1943. 80-G-204747A. National Archives Identifier: 520641

71. " Take off from the deck of the USS HORNET of an Army B-25 on its way to take part in first U.S. air raid on Japan." Doolittle Raid, April 1942. 80-G-41196. National Archives Identifier: 520603

72. " TBF (Avengers) flying in formation over Norfolk, Va." Attributed to Lt. Comdr. Horace Bristol, September 1942. 80-G-427475. National Archives Identifier: 520789

73. " The first big raid by the 8th Air Force was on a Focke Wulf plant at Marienburg. Coming back, the Germans were up in full force and we lost at least 80 ships-800 men, many of them pals." 1943. 208-YE-7. National Archives Identifier: 535972

74. " Photograph made from B-17 Flying Fortress of the 8th AAF Bomber Command on 31 Dec. when they attacked the vital CAM ball- bearing plant and the nearby Hispano Suiza aircraft engine repair depot in Paris." France, 1943. 208-EX-249A-27. National Archives Identifier: 535712

75. " Pilots pleased over their victory during the Marshall Islands attack, grin across the tail of an F6F Hellcat on board the USS LEXINGTON, after shooting down 17 out of 20 Japanese planes heading for Tarawa." Comdr. Edward Steichen, November 1943. 80-G-470985. National Archives Identifier: 520896

German Aggression

Hitler accepts the ovation of the Reichstag after announcing the "peaceful" acquisition of Austria. Local Identifier: 208-N-39843, National Archives Identifier: 535792.

76. " Hitler accepts the ovation of the Reichstag after announcing the `peaceful' acquisition of Austria. It set the stage to annex the Czechoslovakian Sudetenland, largely inhabited by a German-speaking population." Berlin, March 1938. 208-N-39843. National Archives Identifier: 535792

77. German troops parade through Warsaw, Poland. PK Hugo J.ger, September 1939. 200-SFF-52. National Archives Identifier: 559369

78. "The tragedy of this Sudeten woman, unable to conceal her misery as she dutifully salutes the triumphant Hitler, is the tragedy of the silent millions who have been `won over' to Hitlerism by the 'everlasting use' of ruthless force." Ca. 1938. 208-PP-10A-2. National Archives Identifier: 535891

79. Soviet Foreign Commissar Vyacheslav Molotov signs the German-Soviet nonaggression pact; Joachim von Ribbentrop and Josef Stalin stand behind him. Moscow, August 23. 1939. 242-JRPE-44. National Archives Identifier: 540196

80. British prisoners at Dunkerque, France, June 1940. 242-EB-7-35. National Archives Identifier: 540150

81. " A Frenchman weeps as German soldiers march into the French capital, Paris, on June 14, 1940, after the Allied armies had been driven back across France." 208-PP-10A-3. National Archives Identifier: 535892

82. Adolf Hitler in Paris, June 23, 1940. 242-HLB-5073-20. National Archives Identifier: 540179

83. German troops in Russia, 1941. 242-GAP-286B-4. National Archives Identifier: 540155

Battle of Britain

Aircraft spotter on the roof of a building in London. St. Paul's Cathedral is in the background. Local Identifier: 306-NT-901B-3, National Archives Identifier: 541899.

84. Aircraft spotter on the roof of a building in London. St. Paul's Cathedral is in the background. 306-NT-901B-3. National Archives Identifier: 541899

85. " Standing up gloriously out of the flames and smoke of surrounding buildings, St. Paul's Cathedral is pictured during the great fire raid of Sunday December 29th." 1940. 306-NT-3173V. National Archives Identifier: 541922

86. " Over 500 firemen and members of the London Auxiliary Fire Fighting Services, including many women, combined in a war exercise over the ground covered by Greenwich (London) Fire Station." Ca. July 1939. 306-NT-901-19. National Archives Identifier: 541892

87. " Children of an eastern suburb of London, who have been made homeless by the random bombs of the Nazi night raiders, waiting outside the wreckage of what was their home." September 1940. 306-NT-3163V. National Archives Identifier: 541920

88. " Two bewildered old ladies stand amid the leveled ruins of the almshouse which was Home; until Jerry dropped his bombs. Total war knows no bounds. Almshouse bombed Feb. 10, Newbury, Berks., England." Naccarata, February 11, 1943. 111-SC-178801. National Archives Identifier: 531162

89. Life in London during the war. View of a V-1 rocket in flight, ca. 1944. 306-NT-3157V. National Archives Identifier: 541919

North Africa, Sicily, Italy

Gen. Erwin Rommel with the 15th Panzer Division between Tobruk and Sidi Omar. Local Identifier: 242-EAPC-6-M713a, National Archives Identifier: 540147.

90. Gen. Erwin Rommel with the 15th Panzer Division between Tobruk and Sidi Omar. Sdf. Zwilling, Libya, January or November 24, 1941. 242-EAPC-6-M713a. National Archives Identifier: 540147

91. " General Bernard L. Montgomery watches his tanks move up." North Africa, November 1942. 208-PU-138LL-3. National Archives Identifier: 535938

92. " Lt. Col. Lyle Bernard, CO, 30th Infantry Regiment, a prominent figure in the second daring amphibious landing behind enemy lines on Sicily's north coast, discusses military strategy with Lt. Gen. George S. Patton. Near Brolo." 1943. 111-SC-246532. National Archives Identifier: 531335

93. " Front view of 240mm howitzer of Battery `B', 697th Field Artillery Battalion, just before firing into German held territory. Mignano area, Italy." Boyle, January 30, 1944. 111-SC-187126. National Archives Identifier: 531176

94. " Moving up through Prato, Italy, men of the 370th Infantry Regiment, have yet to climb the mountain which lies ahead." Bull, April 9, 1945. 111-SC-205289. National Archives Identifier: 531277

95. " Americans of Japanese descent, Infantrymen of the 442nd Regiment, run for cover as a German artillery shell is about to land outside the building." Levine, Italy. April 4, 1945. 111-SC-337154. National Archives Identifier: 531356

96. " Pvt. Paul Oglesby, 30th Infantry, standing in reverence before an altar in a damaged Catholic Church. Note: pews at left appear undamaged, while bomb-shattered roof is strewn about the sanctuary. Acerno, Italy." Benson, September 23, 1943. 111-SC-188691. National Archives Identifier: 531181

97. " From Coast Guard-manned "sea-horse" landing craft, American troops leap forward to storm a North African beach during final amphibious maneuvers." James D. Rose, Jr., ca. 1944. 26-G-2326. National Archives Identifier: 513171

Photograph of General Dwight D. Eisenhower Giving the Order of the Day. Local Identifier: 111-SC-194399, National Archives Identifier: 531217.

98. " Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower gives the order of the Day. 'Full victory-nothing else' to paratroopers in England, just before they board their airplanes to participate in the first assault in the invasion of the continent of Europe." Moore, June 6, 1944. 111-SC-194399. National Archives Identifier: 531217

99. " Landing on the coast of France under heavy Nazi machine gun fire are these American soldiers, shown just as they left the ramp of a Coast Guard landing boat." CPhoM. Robert F. Sargent, June 6, 1944. 26-G-2343. National Archives Identifier: 513173

100. " Crossed rifles in the sand are a comrade's tribute to this American soldier who sprang ashore from a landing barge and died at the barricades of Western Europe." 1944. 26-G-2397. National Archives Identifier: 513175

101. " American howitzers shell German forces retreating near Carentan, France." Franklin, July 11, 1944. 111-SC-191933. National Archives Identifier: 531199

102. An American officer and a French partisan crouch behind an auto during a street fight in a French city, ca. 1944. 111-SC-217401. National Archives Identifier: 531322

103. " General Charles de Gaulle speaks to the people of Cherbourg from the balcony of the City Hall during his visit to the French port city on August 20." 1944. 208-MFI-5H-1. National Archives Identifier: 535758

104. American troops in tank passing the Arc de Triomphe after the liberation of Paris, August 1944. 208-YE-68. National Archives Identifier: 535975

105. "American troops of the 28th Infantry Division march down the Champs Elysees, Paris, in the `Victory' Parade." Poinsett, August 29, 1944. 111-SC-193197. National Archives Identifier: 531209

106. "This girl pays the penalty for having had personal relations with the Germans. Here, in the Montelimar area, France, French civilians shave her head as punishment." Smith, August 29, 1944. 111-SC-193785. National Archives Identifier: 531211

The Low Countries

Men of the 8th Infantry Regiment attempt to move forward and are pinned down by German small arms from within the Belgian town of Libin. Local Identifier: 111-SC-193835, National Archives Identifier: 531212.

107. "Men of the 8th Infantry Regiment attempt to move forward and are pinned down by German small arms from within the Belgian town of Libin. Men seek cover behind hedges and signs to return the fire." Gedicks, September 7, 1944. 111-SC-193835. National Archives Identifier: 531212

108. Yanks of 60th Infantry Regiment advance into a Belgian town under the protection of a heavy tank.Spangle, September 9, 1944. 111-SC-193903. National Archives Identifier: 531213

109. Parachutes open overhead as waves of paratroops land in Holland during operations by the 1st Allied Airborne Army. September 1944. 111-SC-354702. National Archives Identifier: 531392

110. "A U.S. Infantry anti-tank crew fires on Nazis who machine- gunned their vehicle, somewhere in Holland." W. F. Stickle, November 4, 1944. 111-SC-197367. National Archives Identifier: 531226

111. "A Nazi soldier, heavily armed, carries ammunition boxes forward with companion in territory taken by their counter- offensive in this scene from captured German film." Belgium, December 1944. 111-SC-197561. National Archives Identifier: 531230

112. "A lanky GI, with hands clasped behind his head, leads a file of American prisoners marching along a road somewhere on the western front. Germans captured these American soldiers during the surprise enemy drive into Allied positions." Captured German photograph, December 1944. 111-SC-198240. National Archives Identifier: 531236

113. "Chow is served to American Infantrymen on their way to La Roche, Belgium. 347th Infantry Regiment." Newhouse, January 13, 1945. 111-SC-198849. National Archives Identifier: 531241

114. Canadian Infantry of the Regiment de Maisonneuve, moving through Holten to Rijssen, Netherlands. Lt. D. Guravitch, April 9, 1945. 306-NT-1334B-11. National Archives Identifier: 541912

First U.S. Army men and equipment pour across the Remagen Bridge; two knocked out jeeps in foreground. Germany. Local Identifier: 111-SC-201973, National Archives Identifier: 531252.

115. " First U.S. Army men and equipment pour across the Remagen Bridge; two knocked out jeeps in foreground." Sgt. William Spangle, Germany, March 11, 1945. 111-SC-201973. National Archives Identifier: 531252

116. " Then came the big day when we marched into Germany--right through the Siegfried Line." 1945. 208-YE-193. National Archives Identifier: 535984

117. " I drew an assault boat to cross in--just my luck. We all tried to crawl under each other because the lead was flying around like hail." Crossing the Rhine under enemy fire at St. Goar. March 1945. 208-YE-132. National Archives Identifier: 535978

118. " Two anti-tank Infantrymen of the 101st Infantry Regiment, dash past a blazing German gasoline trailer in square of Kronach, Germany." T4c. W. J. Rothenberger, April 14, 1945. 111-SC-206235. National Archives Identifier: 531289

119. " Infantrymen of the 255th Infantry Regiment move down a street in Waldenburg to hunt out the Hun after a recent raid by 63rd Division." 2d Lt. Jacob Harris, April 16, 1945. 111-SC-205778. National Archives Identifier: 531283

120. " Soldiers of the 55th Armored Infantry Battalion and tank of the 22nd Tank Battalion, move through smoke filled street. Wernberg, Germany." Pvt. Joseph Scrippens, April 22, 1945. 111-SC-205298. National Archives Identifier: 531278

121. " Happy 2nd Lt. William Robertson and Lt. Alexander Sylvashko, Russian Army, shown in front of sign [East Meets West] symbolizing the historic meeting of the Russian and American Armies, near Torgau, Germany." Pfc. William E. Poulson, April 25, 1945. 111-SC-205228. National Archives Identifier: 531276

122. " General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander, accompanied by Gen. Omar N. Bradley, and Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., inspects art treasures stolen by Germans and hidden in salt mine in Germany." Lt. Moore, April 12, 1945. 111-SC- 204516. National Archives Identifier: 531272

123. " The 90th Division discovered this Reichsbank wealth, SS loot, and Berlin museum paintings that were removed from Berlin to a salt mine in Merkers, Germany." Cpl. Donald R. Ornitz, April 15, 1945. 239-PA-6-34-2. National Archives Identifier: 540134

Japan Attacks

Captured Japanese photograph taken aboard a Japanese carrier before the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Local Identifier: 80-G-30549, National Archives Identifier: 520599.

124. Captured Japanese photograph taken aboard a Japanese carrier before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, December 7, 1941. 80-G-30549. National Archives Identifier: 520599

125. Captured Japanese photograph taken during the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. In the distance, the smoke rises from Hickam Field. 80-G-30550. National Archives Identifier: 520600

126. " USS SHAW exploding during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor." December 7, 1941. 80-G-16871. National Archives Identifier: 520590

127. " The USS ARIZONA burning after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor." December 7, 1941. 80-G-32420. National Archives Identifier: 520601

128. " Pearl Harbor, T.H. taken by surprise, during the Japanese aerial attack. USS WEST VIRGINIA aflame." December 7, 1941. 80-G-19947. National Archives Identifier: 520594

129. Surrender of American troops at Corregidor, Philippine Islands, May 1942. 208-AA-80B-1. National Archives Identifier: 535553

130. " The March of Death. Along the March [on which] these prisoners were photographed, they have their hands tied behind their backs. The March of Death was about May 1942, from Bataan to Cabanatuan, the prison camp." 127-N-114541. National Archives Identifier: 532548

131. " This picture, captured from the Japanese, shows American prisoners using improvised litters to carry those of their comrades who, from the lack of food or water on the march from Bataan, fell along the road." Philippines, May 1942. 208-AA-288BB-2. National Archives Identifier: 535565

Island Campaigns

U.S. troops go over the side of a Coast Guard manned combat transport to enter the landing barges at Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville, as the invasion gets under way. Local Identifier: 26-G-3183, National Archives Identifier: 513194.

132. " U.S. troops go over the side of a Coast Guard manned combat transport to enter the landing barges at Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville, as the invasion gets under way." November 1943. 26-G-3183. National Archives Identifier: 513194

133. " A Water Buffalo, loaded with Marines, churns through the sea bound for beaches of Tinian Island near Guam." July 1944. 26-G-2682. National Archives Identifier: 513181

134. " 165th Infantry assault wave attacking Butaritari, Yellow Beach Two, find it slow going in the coral bottom waters. Jap machine gun fire from the right flank makes it more difficult for them." Dargis, Makin Atoll, Gilbert Islands, November 20, 1943. 111-SC-183574. National Archives Identifier: 531172

135. " Army reinforcements disembarking from LST's form a graceful curve as they proceed across coral reef toward the beach." Laudansky, Saipan, ca. June/July 1944. 111-SC-191475. National Archives Identifier: 531194

136. " Marines hit three feet of rough water as they leave their LST to take the beach at Cape Gloucester, New Britain." Sgt. Robert M. Howard, December 26, 1943. 127-G-68998. National Archives Identifier: 532361

137. " American troops of the 163rd Infantry Regiment hit the beach from Higgins boats during the invasion of Wadke Island, Dutch New Guinea." Lt. Kent Rooks, May 18, 1944. 111-SC-190968. National Archives Identifier: 531192

138. " Landing operations on Rendova Island, Solomon Islands, 30 June 1943. Attacking at the break of day in a heavy rainstorm, the first Americans ashore huddle behind tree trunks and any other cover they can find." 80-G-52573. National Archives Identifier: 520619

139. " First flag on Guam on boat hook mast. Two U.S. officers plant the American flag on Guam eight minutes after U.S. Marines and Army assault troops landed on the Central Pacific island on July 20, 1944." Batts. 127-N-88073. National Archives Identifier: 532532

140. " Marines storm Tarawa. Gilbert Islands." WO Obie Newcomb, Jr., November 1943. 127-N-63458. National Archives Identifier: 532517

141. " The Yanks mop up on Bougainville. At night the Japs would infiltrate American lines. At Dawn, the doughboys went out and killed them. This photo shows tank going forward, infantrymen following in its cover." March 1944. 111-SC-189099. National Archives Identifier: 531183

Retreating at first into the jungle of Cape Gloucester, Japanese soldiers finally gathered strength and counterattacked their Marine pursuers. Local Identifier: 127-N-71981, National Archives Identifier: 532522.

142. " Retreating at first into the jungle of Cape Gloucester, Japanese soldiers finally gathered strength and counterattacked their Marine pursuers. These machine gunners pushed them back." Brenner, January 1944. 127-N-71981. National Archives Identifier: 532522

143. " Men of the 7th Division using flame throwers to smoke out Japs from a block house on Kwajalein Island, while others wait with rifles ready in case Japs come out." Cordray, February 4, 1944. 111-SC-212770. National Archives Identifier: 531319

144. " A member of a Marine patrol on Saipan found this family of Japs hiding in a hillside cave. The mother, four children and a dog, took shelter from the fierce fighting in that area." Cpl. Angus Robertson, June 21, 1944. 127-GR-113-83266. National Archives Identifier: 532380

145. " After the Marines captured this mountain gun from the Japs at Saipan, they put it into use during the attack on Garapan, administrative center of the island." Cpl. Angus Robertson, ca. July 1944. 127-GR-114-83270. National Archives Identifier: 532383

146. " Back to a Coast Guard assault transport comes this Marine after two days and nights of Hell on the beach of Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands. His face is grimey with coral dust but the light of battle stays in his eyes." February 1944. 26-G-3394. National Archives Identifier: 513202

147. " These men have earned the bloody reputation of being skillful jungle fighters. They are U.S. Marine Raiders gathered in front of a Jap dugout on Cape Totkina on Bougainville, Solomon Islands, which they helped to take." January 1944. 80-G-205686. National Archives Identifier: 520643

Philippine Islands

The gun crews of a Navy cruiser covering American landing on the island of Mindoro, December 15, 1944, scan the skies in an effort to identify a plane overhead. Local Identifier: 80-G-47471, National Archives Identifier: 520615.

148. " The gun crews of a Navy cruiser covering American landing on the island of Mindoro, Dec. 15, 1944, scan the skies in an effort to identify a plane overhead. Two 5'' (127mm) guns are ready while inboard 20mm anti-aircraft crews are ready to act." 80-G-47471. National Archives Identifier: 520615

149. " A line of Coast Guard landing barges, sweeping through the waters of Lingayen Gulf, carries the first wave of invaders to the beaches of Luzon, after a terrific naval bombardment of Jap shore positions on Jan. 9, 1945." PhoM1c. Ted Needham. 26-G-3856. National Archives Identifier: 513215

150. " Gen. Douglas MacArthur wades ashore during initial landings at Leyte, P.I." October 1944. 111-SC-407101. National Archives Identifier: 531424

151. " Two Coast Guard-manned LST's open their great jaws in the surf that washes on Leyte Island beach, as soldiers strip down and build sandbag piers out to the ramps to speed up unloading operations." 1944. 26-G-3738. National Archives Identifier: 513213

152. " Veteran Artillery men of the `C' Battery, 90th Field Artillery, lay down a murderous barrage on troublesome Jap artillery positions in Balete Pass, Luzon, P.I." Morton, April 19, 1945. 111-SC-205918. National Archives Identifier: 531284

Iwo Jima & Okinawa

Marines of the 5th Division inch their way up a slope on Red Beach No. 1 toward Surbachi Yama as the smoke of the battle drifts about them. Local Identifier: 127-N-110249, National Archives Identifier: 532543.

153. " Marines of the 5th Division inch their way up a slope on Red Beach No. 1 toward Surbachi Yama as the smoke of the battle drifts about them." Dreyfuss, Iwo Jima, February 19, 1945. 127-N-110249. National Archives Identifier: 532543

154. " Across the litter on Iwo Jima's black sands, Marines of the 4th Division shell Jap positions cleverly concealed back from the beaches. Here, a gun pumps a stream of shells into Jap positions inland on the tiny volcanic island." Ca. February 1945. 26-G-4122. National Archives Identifier: 513219

155. " Smashed by Jap mortar and shellfire, trapped by Iwo's treacherous black-ash sands, amtracs and other vehicles of war lay knocked out on the black sands of the volcanic fortress." PhoM3c. Robert M. Warren, ca. February/March 1945. 26-G-4474. National Archives Identifier: 513222

156. " Flag raising on Iwo Jima." Joe Rosenthal, Associated Press, February 23, 1945. 80-G-413988. National Archives Identifier: 520748

157. " Corsair fighter looses its load of rocket projectiles on a run against a Jap stronghold on Okinawa. In the lower background is the smoke of battle as Marine units move in to follow up with a Sunday punch." Lt. David D. Duncan, ca. June 1945. 127-GR-97-126420. National Archives Identifier: 532375

158. " A Marine of the 1st Marine Division draws a bead on a Japanese sniper with his tommy-gun as his companion ducks for cover. The division is working to take Wana Ridge before the town of Shuri." S.Sgt. Walter F. Kleine, Okinawa, 1945. 127-N-123170. National Archives Identifier: 532559

159. " With the captured capital of Naha as a background, Marine Maj. Gen. Lemuel Shepherd, commanding general of the 6th Marine Division, relaxes on an Okinawan ridge long enough to consult a map of the terrain." Pfc. Sam Weiner, ca. June 1945. 127-GR-95-122119. National Archives Identifier: 532374

USS ESSEX based TBMs and SB2Cs dropping bombs on Hokadate, Japan. Local Identifier: 80-G-490232, National Archives Identifier: 520989.

160. " USS ESSEX based TBMs and SB2Cs dropping bombs on Hokadate (Hakodate), Japan." July 1945.80-G-490232. National Archives Identifier: 520989

161. " Task Force 58 raid on Japan. 40mm guns firing aboard USS HORNET on 16 February 1945, as the carrier's planes were raiding Tokyo." Lt. Comdr. Charles Kerlee, February 1945. 80-G-413915. National Archives Identifier: 520746

162. " Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., pilot of the ENOLA GAY, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, waves from his cockpit before the takeoff, 6 August 1945." 208-LU-13H-5. National Archives Identifier: 535737

163. " A dense column of smoke rises more than 60,000 feet into the air over the Japanese port of Nagasaki, the result of an atomic bomb, the second ever used in warfare, dropped on the industrial center August 8, 1945, from a U.S. B-29 Superfortress." 208-N-43888. National Archives Identifier: 535795

164. " The patient's skin is burned in a pattern corresponding to the dark portions of a kimono worn at the time of the explosion." Atomic bomb survivor. Ca. 1945. 77-MDH-6.55b. National Archives Identifier: 519685

165. In the background, a Roman Catholic cathedral on a hill in Nagasaki. Ca. 1945. 77-AEC-52-4459. National Archives Identifier: 519385

Prisoners in the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen, Germany. Local Identifier: 242-HLB-3609-25, National Archives Identifier: 540175.

166. Prisoners in the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen, Germany, December 19, 1938. 242-HLB-3609-25. National Archives Identifier: 540175

167. Jewish civilians: copy of a German photograph taken during the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto, Poland, 1943. 238-NT-282. National Archives Identifier: 540124

168. " We were getting our second wind now and started flattening out that bulge. We took 50,000 prisoners in December alone." American soldier with captured Germans. Ca. 1944. 208-YE-105. National Archives Identifier: 12010189

169. " The endless procession of German prisoners captured with the fall of Aachen marching through the ruined city streets to captivity." Germany, October 1944. 260-MGG-1061-1. National Archives Identifier: 541597

170. Nuremberg Trials: looking down on the defendants' dock. Ca. 1945-46. 238-NT-592. National Archives Identifier: 540127

171. " German Gen. Anton Dostler is tied to a stake before his execution by a firing squad in the Aversa stockade. The General was convicted and sentenced to death by an American military tribunal. Aversa, Italy." Blomgren, December 1, 1945. 111-SC-225295. National Archives Identifier: 531326

172. " American prisoners of war celebrate the 4th of July in the Japanese prison camp of Casisange in Malaybalay, on Mindanao, P.I. It was against Japanese regulations and discovery would have meant death, but the men celebrated the occasion anyway." July 4, 1942. 111-SC-333290. National Archives Identifier: 531352

173. " Marines unloading Japanese POW from a submarine returned from war patrol." Lt. Comdr. Horace Bristol, ca. May 1945. 80-G-468228. National Archives Identifier: 520838

174. " Correspondents interview 'Tokyo Rose.' Iva Toguri, American-born Japanese." September 1945. 80-G-490488. National Archives Identifier: 520994

175. " Japanese POW's at Guam, with bowed heads after hearing Emperor Hirohito make announcement of Japan's unconditional surrender." August 15, 1945. 80-G-490320. National Archives Identifier: 520991

176. " Gaunt allied prisoners of war at Aomori camp near Yokohama cheer rescuers from U.S. Navy. Waving flags of the United States, Great Britain and Holland." Japan, August 29, 1945. 80-G-490444. National Archives Identifier: 520992

The Holocaust

Starving inmate of Camp Gusen, Austria. Local Identifier: 111-SC-264918, National Archives Identifier: 531344.

177. " Starving inmate of Camp Gusen, Austria." T4c. Sam Gilbert, May 12, 1945. 111-SC-264918. National Archives Identifier: 531344

178. " These are slave laborers in the Buchenwald concentration camp near Jena; many had died from malnutrition when U.S. troops of the 80th Division entered the camp." Pvt. H. Miller, Germany, April 16, 1945. 208-AA-206K-31. National Archives Identifier: 535560

179. " This victim of Nazi inhumanity still rests in the position in which he died, attempting to rise and escape his horrible death. He was one of 150 prisoners savagely burned to death by Nazi SS troops." Sgt. E. R. Allen, Gardelegen, Germany, April 16, 1945. 111-SC-203572. National Archives Identifier: 531265

180. " Some of the bodies being removed by German civilians for decent burial at Gusen Concentration Camp, Muhlhausen, near Linz, Austria. Men were worked in nearby stone quarries until too weak for more, then killed." T4c. Sam Gilbert, May 12, 1945. 111-SC- 204811. National Archives Identifier: 531275

181. " A truck load of bodies of prisoners of the Nazis, in the Buchenwald concentration camp at Weimar, Germany. The bodies were about to be disposed of by burning when the camp was captured by troops of the 3rd U.S. Army." Pfc. W. Chichersky, April 14, 1945. 111-SC-203464. National Archives Identifier: 531261

182. " Bones of anti-Nazi German women still are in the crematoriums in the German concentration camp at Weimar, Germany, taken by the 3rd U.S. Army. Prisoners of all nationalities were tortured and killed." Pfc. W. Chichersky, April 14, 1945. 111-SC- 203461. National Archives Identifier: 531260

183. " A German girl is overcome as she walks past the exhumed bodies of some of the 800 slave workers murdered by SS guards near Namering, Germany, and laid here so that townspeople may view the work of their Nazi leaders." Cpl. Edward Belfer. May 17, 1945. 111-SC-264895. National Archives Identifier: 531343

Death & Destruction

Aerial view of the ruins of Rotterdam. Local Identifier: 208-PR-10L-3, National Archives Identifier: 535916.

184. " The German ultimatum ordering the Dutch commander of Rotterdam to cease fire was delivered to him at 10:30 a.m. on May 14, 1940. At 1:22 p.m., German bombers set the whole inner city of Rotterdam ablaze, killing 30,000 of its inhabitants."* Aerial view of the ruins of Rotterdam. 208-PR-10L-3. National Archives Identifier: 535916 ( * Note: This 30,000 which appears in this photos' caption is now seen as inaccurate. Historians believe the number who died was between 800-980 . See The Oxford Companion to World War II , editors I.C.B. Dear and M.R.D. Foot, Oxford University Press, 1995, p. 968.)

185. " Choked with debris, a bombed water intake of the Pegnitz River no longer supplies war factories in Nuremberg, vital Reich industrial city and festival center of the Nazi party, which was captured April 20, 1945, by troops of the U.S. Army." 208-AA- 207L-1. National Archives Identifier: 535562

186. " American soldiers, stripped of all equipment, lie dead , face down in the slush of a crossroads somewhere on the western front." Captured German photograph. Belgium, ca. December 1944. 111-SC-198245. National Archives Identifier: 531237

187. " With torn picture of his feuhrer beside his clenched fist, a dead general of the Volkssturm lies on the floor of city hall, Leipzig, Germany. He committed suicide rather than face U.S. Army troops who captured the city on April 19. 1945." T5c. J. M. Heslop. 208-YE-148. National Archives Identifier: 535982

188. " Photo taken at the instant bullets from a French firing squad hit a Frenchman who collaborated with the Germans. This execution took place in Rennes, France." Himes, November 21, 1944. 111-SC-196741. National Archives Identifier: 531224

189. " The Tapel Massacre on 1 July 1945. Picture shows Pedro Cerono, the man who discovered the group of 8 skulls. Tapel, Cagayan Province, Luzon, Philippine Islands." T5c. Lewis D. Klein, November 23, 1945. 111-SC-227909. National Archives Identifier: 531327

190. "A Coast Guard seaman died at his battle station aboard the USS MENGES, torpedoed by a nazi sub in the Mediterranean. He represents the old Coast Guard expression, `You have to go out, but you don't have to come back.'" PhoM1c. Arthur Green. 26-G-2330. National Archives Identifier: 531327

191. "Two enlisted men of the ill-fated U.S. Navy aircraft carrier LISCOME BAY, torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Gilbert Islands, are buried at sea from the deck of a Coast Guard-manned assault transport." November 1943. 26-G-3182. National Archives Identifier: 513193

192. "Standing in the grassy sod bordering row upon row of white crosses in an American cemetery, two dungaree-clad Coast Guardsmen pay silent homage to the memory of a fellow Coast Guardsman who lost his life in action in the Ryukyu Islands." Benrud, ca. 1945. 26-G-4739. National Archives Identifier: 513229

Victory & Peace

Field Marshall Wilhelm Keitel, signing the ratified surrender terms for the German Army at Russian Headquarters in Berlin. Germany, May 7, 1945. Local Identifier: 111-SC-206292, National Archives Identifier: 531290.

193. "Field Marshall Wilhelm Keitel, signing the ratified surrender terms for the German Army at Russian Headquarters in Berlin." Lt. Moore, Germany, May 7, 1945. 111-SC-206292. National Archives Identifier: 531290

194. "Jubilant American soldier hugs motherly English woman and victory smiles light the faces of happy service men and civilians at Piccadilly Circus, London, celebrating Germany's unconditional surrender." Pfc. Melvin Weiss, England, May 7, 1945. 111-SC-205398. National Archives Identifier: 531280

195. At the White House, President Truman announces Japan's surrender. Abbie Rowe, Washington, DC, August 14, 1945. 79-AR-508Q. National Archives Identifier: 520054

196. "GI's at the Rainbow Corner Red Cross Club in Paris, France, whoop it up after buying the special edition of the Paris Post, which carried the banner headline, `JAPS QUIT.'" T3c. G. Lempeotis, August 10, 1945. 111-SC-210208. National Archives Identifier: 531309

197. "New York City celebrating the surrender of Japan. They threw anything and kissed anybody in Times Square." Lt. Victor Jorgensen, August 14, 1945. 80-G-377094. National Archives Identifier: 520697

198. "Gen. Douglas MacArthur signs as Supreme Allied Commander during formal surrender ceremonies on the USS MISSOURI in Tokyo Bay. Behind Gen. MacArthur are Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright and Lt. Gen. A. E. Percival." Lt. C. F. Wheeler, September 2, 1945. 80-G-348366. National Archives Identifier: 520694

199. " Happy veterans head for harbor of Le Havre, France, the first to be sent home and discharged under the Army's new point system." Pfc. Stedman, May 25, 1945. 111-SC-207868. National Archives Identifier: 531298

These Jewish children are on their way to Palestine after having been released from the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. Local Identifier: 111-SC-207907, National Archives Identifier: 531300.

200. " These Jewish children are on their way to Palestine after having been released from the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. The girl on the left is from Poland, the boy in the center from Latvia, and the girl on right from Hungary." T4c. J. E. Myers, June 5, 1945. 111-SC-207907. National Archives Identifier: 531300

201. " The famous British liner, QUEEN MARY, arrives in New York Harbor, June 20, 1945, with thousands of U.S. troops from European battles." 80-GK-5645.* National Archives Identifier: 521011

202. " F4U's and F6F's fly in formation during surrender ceremonies; Tokyo, Japan. USS MISSOURI left foreground." September 2, 1945. 80-G-421130. National Archives Identifier: 520775

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Category: World War II

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World War Two Photo Essay: The Final Weeks

Contributor

65 years ago this week, World War Two entered its closing stages. Hitler and Mussolini lay dead and the final, blazing weeks of the Second World War began.

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World War II

By: History.com Editors

Updated: March 13, 2024 | Original: October 29, 2009

World War II, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history, involved more than 50 nations and was fought on land, sea and air in nearly every part of the world. Also known as the Second World War, it was caused in part by the economic crisis of the Great Depression and by political tensions left unresolved following the end of World War I.

The war began when Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and raged across the globe until 1945, when Japan surrendered to the United States after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By the end of World War II, an estimated 60 to 80 million people had died, including up to 55 million civilians, and numerous cities in Europe and Asia were reduced to rubble.

Among the people killed were 6 million Jews murdered in Nazi concentration camps as part of Hitler’s diabolical “Final Solution,” now known as the Holocaust. The legacy of the war included the creation of the United Nations as a peacekeeping force and geopolitical rivalries that resulted in the Cold War.

Leading up to World War II

The devastation of the Great War (as World War I was known at the time) had greatly destabilized Europe, and in many respects World War II grew out of issues left unresolved by that earlier conflict. In particular, political and economic instability in Germany, and lingering resentment over the harsh terms imposed by the Versailles Treaty, fueled the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and National Socialist German Workers’ Party, abbreviated as NSDAP in German and the Nazi Party in English..

Did you know? As early as 1923, in his memoir and propaganda tract "Mein Kampf" (My Struggle), Adolf Hitler had predicted a general European war that would result in "the extermination of the Jewish race in Germany."

After becoming Chancellor of Germany in 1933, Hitler swiftly consolidated power, anointing himself Führer (supreme leader) in 1934. Obsessed with the idea of the superiority of the “pure” German race, which he called “Aryan,” Hitler believed that war was the only way to gain the necessary “Lebensraum,” or living space, for the German race to expand. In the mid-1930s, he secretly began the rearmament of Germany, a violation of the Versailles Treaty. After signing alliances with Italy and Japan against the Soviet Union , Hitler sent troops to occupy Austria in 1938 and the following year annexed Czechoslovakia. Hitler’s open aggression went unchecked, as the United States and Soviet Union were concentrated on internal politics at the time, and neither France nor Britain (the two other nations most devastated by the Great War) were eager for confrontation.

Outbreak of World War II (1939)

In late August 1939, Hitler and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin signed the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact , which incited a frenzy of worry in London and Paris. Hitler had long planned an invasion of Poland, a nation to which Great Britain and France had guaranteed military support if it were attacked by Germany. The pact with Stalin meant that Hitler would not face a war on two fronts once he invaded Poland, and would have Soviet assistance in conquering and dividing the nation itself. On September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland from the west; two days later, France and Britain declared war on Germany, beginning World War II.

On September 17, Soviet troops invaded Poland from the east. Under attack from both sides, Poland fell quickly, and by early 1940 Germany and the Soviet Union had divided control over the nation, according to a secret protocol appended to the Nonaggression Pact. Stalin’s forces then moved to occupy the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and defeated a resistant Finland in the Russo-Finnish War. During the six months following the invasion of Poland, the lack of action on the part of Germany and the Allies in the west led to talk in the news media of a “phony war.” At sea, however, the British and German navies faced off in heated battle, and lethal German U-boat submarines struck at merchant shipping bound for Britain, sinking more than 100 vessels in the first four months of World War II.

World War II in the West (1940-41)

On April 9, 1940, Germany simultaneously invaded Norway and occupied Denmark, and the war began in earnest. On May 10, German forces swept through Belgium and the Netherlands in what became known as “blitzkrieg,” or lightning war. Three days later, Hitler’s troops crossed the Meuse River and struck French forces at Sedan, located at the northern end of the Maginot Line , an elaborate chain of fortifications constructed after World War I and considered an impenetrable defensive barrier. In fact, the Germans broke through the line with their tanks and planes and continued to the rear, rendering it useless. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was evacuated by sea from Dunkirk in late May, while in the south French forces mounted a doomed resistance. With France on the verge of collapse, Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini formed an alliance with Hitler, the Pact of Steel, and Italy declared war against France and Britain on June 10.

On June 14, German forces entered Paris; a new government formed by Marshal Philippe Petain (France’s hero of World War I) requested an armistice two nights later. France was subsequently divided into two zones, one under German military occupation and the other under Petain’s government, installed at Vichy France. Hitler now turned his attention to Britain, which had the defensive advantage of being separated from the Continent by the English Channel.

To pave the way for an amphibious invasion (dubbed Operation Sea Lion), German planes bombed Britain extensively beginning in September 1940 until May 1941, known as the Blitz , including night raids on London and other industrial centers that caused heavy civilian casualties and damage. The Royal Air Force (RAF) eventually defeated the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) in the Battle of Britain , and Hitler postponed his plans to invade. With Britain’s defensive resources pushed to the limit, Prime Minister Winston Churchill began receiving crucial aid from the U.S. under the Lend-Lease Act , passed by Congress in early 1941.

Hitler vs. Stalin: Operation Barbarossa (1941-42)

By early 1941, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria had joined the Axis, and German troops overran Yugoslavia and Greece that April. Hitler’s conquest of the Balkans was a precursor for his real objective: an invasion of the Soviet Union, whose vast territory would give the German master race the “Lebensraum” it needed. The other half of Hitler’s strategy was the extermination of the Jews from throughout German-occupied Europe. Plans for the “Final Solution” were introduced around the time of the Soviet offensive, and over the next three years more than 4 million Jews would perish in the death camps established in occupied Poland.

On June 22, 1941, Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union, codenamed Operation Barbarossa . Though Soviet tanks and aircraft greatly outnumbered the Germans’, Russian aviation technology was largely obsolete, and the impact of the surprise invasion helped Germans get within 200 miles of Moscow by mid-July. Arguments between Hitler and his commanders delayed the next German advance until October, when it was stalled by a Soviet counteroffensive and the onset of harsh winter weather.

World War II in the Pacific (1941-43)

With Britain facing Germany in Europe, the United States was the only nation capable of combating Japanese aggression, which by late 1941 included an expansion of its ongoing war with China and the seizure of European colonial holdings in the Far East. On December 7, 1941, 360 Japanese aircraft attacked the major U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii , taking the Americans completely by surprise and claiming the lives of more than 2,300 troops. The attack on Pearl Harbor served to unify American public opinion in favor of entering World War II, and on December 8 Congress declared war on Japan with only one dissenting vote. Germany and the other Axis Powers promptly declared war on the United States.

After a long string of Japanese victories, the U.S. Pacific Fleet won the Battle of Midway in June 1942, which proved to be a turning point in the war. On Guadalcanal, one of the southern Solomon Islands, the Allies also had success against Japanese forces in a series of battles from August 1942 to February 1943, helping turn the tide further in the Pacific. In mid-1943, Allied naval forces began an aggressive counterattack against Japan, involving a series of amphibious assaults on key Japanese-held islands in the Pacific. This “island-hopping” strategy proved successful, and Allied forces moved closer to their ultimate goal of invading the mainland Japan.

Toward Allied Victory in World War II (1943-45)

In North Africa , British and American forces had defeated the Italians and Germans by 1943. An Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy followed, and Mussolini’s government fell in July 1943, though Allied fighting against the Germans in Italy would continue until 1945.

On the Eastern Front, a Soviet counteroffensive launched in November 1942 ended the bloody Battle of Stalingrad , which had seen some of the fiercest combat of World War II. The approach of winter, along with dwindling food and medical supplies, spelled the end for German troops there, and the last of them surrendered on January 31, 1943.

On June 6, 1944–celebrated as “D-Day” –the Allies began a massive invasion of Europe, landing 156,000 British, Canadian and American soldiers on the beaches of Normandy, France. In response, Hitler poured all the remaining strength of his army into Western Europe, ensuring Germany’s defeat in the east. Soviet troops soon advanced into Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania, while Hitler gathered his forces to drive the Americans and British back from Germany in the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944-January 1945), the last major German offensive of the war.

An intensive aerial bombardment in February 1945 preceded the Allied land invasion of Germany, and by the time Germany formally surrendered on May 8, Soviet forces had occupied much of the country. Hitler was already dead, having died by suicide on April 30 in his Berlin bunker.

World War II Ends (1945)

At the Potsdam Conference of July-August 1945, U.S. President Harry S. Truman (who had taken office after Roosevelt’s death in April), Churchill and Stalin discussed the ongoing war with Japan as well as the peace settlement with Germany. Post-war Germany would be divided into four occupation zones, to be controlled by the Soviet Union, Britain, the United States and France. On the divisive matter of Eastern Europe’s future, Churchill and Truman acquiesced to Stalin, as they needed Soviet cooperation in the war against Japan.

Heavy casualties sustained in the campaigns at Iwo Jima (February 1945) and Okinawa (April-June 1945), and fears of the even costlier land invasion of Japan led Truman to authorize the use of a new and devastating weapon. Developed during a top secret operation code-named The Manhattan Project, the atomic bomb was unleashed on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August. On August 15, the Japanese government issued a statement declaring they would accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, and on September 2, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur accepted Japan’s formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

African American Servicemen Fight Two Wars

A tank and crew from the 761st Tank Battalion in front of the Prince Albert Memorial in Coburg, Germany, 1945. (Credit: The National Archives)

World War II exposed a glaring paradox within the United States Armed Forces. Although more than 1 million African Americans served in the war to defeat Nazism and fascism, they did so in segregated units. The same discriminatory Jim Crow policies that were rampant in American society were reinforced by the U.S. military. Black servicemen rarely saw combat and were largely relegated to labor and supply units that were commanded by white officers.

There were several African American units that proved essential in helping to win World War II, with the Tuskegee Airmen being among the most celebrated. But the Red Ball Express, the truck convoy of mostly Black drivers were responsible for delivering essential goods to General George S. Patton ’s troops on the front lines in France. The all-Black 761st Tank Battalion fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and the 92 Infantry Division, fought in fierce ground battles in Italy. Yet, despite their role in defeating fascism, the fight for equality continued for African American soldiers after the World War II ended. They remained in segregated units and lower-ranking positions, well into the Korean War , a few years after President Truman signed an executive order to desegregate the U.S. military in 1948.

World War II Casualties and Legacy

World War II proved to be the deadliest international conflict in history, taking the lives of 60 to 80 million people, including 6 million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust . Civilians made up an estimated 50-55 million deaths from the war, while military comprised 21 to 25 million of those lost during the war. Millions more were injured, and still more lost their homes and property.

The legacy of the war would include the spread of communism from the Soviet Union into eastern Europe as well as its eventual triumph in China, and the global shift in power from Europe to two rival superpowers–the United States and the Soviet Union–that would soon face off against each other in the Cold War .

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Ukrainians crowd under a destroyed bridge as they try to flee crossing the Irpin river in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, 5 March

Two weeks of war in Ukraine – photo essay

Powerful photojournalism has illustrated the brutal conflict in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began two weeks ago, forcing more than 2 million people to flee. As destruction rains down, the invaders are being met by strong resistance from the Ukrainian armed forces and volunteer fighters

Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates

A fter the deployments, the denials and the diplomacy came the invasion and, with it, a war that was thoroughly foretold and yet still shocking in its savagery. A war with no rules, no limits and no quarter.

The first two weeks of the conflict – a fortnight for observers but a cold eternity for the people of Ukraine – have already yielded countless disturbing images even as Europe, a continent with a short memory, pinches itself raw to make sure that what should not, and could not, ever happen here again really is happening here again.

Ukrainian firefighters try to extinguish a fire after an airstrike hit a block of flats in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast. Photograph: Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency

For all their dreadful novelty, the photographs from Kyiv, Kharkiv, Irpin and Mariupol stir memories of Guernica in 1937, of London in the blitz, and of Sarajevo under siege.

Fresher still are the memories of Russia’s dress rehearsal in Syria.

At dawn on 24 February, Vladimir Putin announced his long-dreaded invasion, or, as he put it in a phrase destined for the annals of martial euphemism, “a special military operation”.

A wounded woman with a bandage around her head

A wounded woman outside a block of flats damaged by airstrikes near Kharkiv on 24 February. Above right: Ukrainian security forces help a man hurt in an airstrike on a block of flats in Chuhuiv. Photographs: Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency

Military helicopters apparently Russian, fly over the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine

Military helicopters, thought to be Russian, fly over the outskirts of Kyiv on 24 February.

Less than an hour after the Russian president vowed to bring about what he described as “the demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine”, the country found itself under full-scale attack. Sirens sounded as explosions rippled through Ukraine’s cities, tanks rolled into its territories and helicopters strafed homes outside the capital.

People rest in the Kyiv subway, using it as a bomb shelter, 24 February

A mother and child try to sleep in the Kyiv subway, being used as a bomb shelter, on 24 February. Photograph: Emilio Morenatti/AP

Missiles and shells, apparently targeting infrastructure near major cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol, Dnipro and Odesa, killed hundreds of civilians and transformed blocks of flats into shattered and smoking ruins.

People grabbed blankets and sleeping bags – as well as toys and colouring books to distract their children – and hurried into shelters or underground stations.

When they emerged, many found their homes gone, damaged beyond repair, or hidden by curtains of flame and smoke.

The scale, swiftness and mercilessness of the first stage of the destruction were captured in two pictures that were used around the world.

Natali Sevriukova in distress next to her house after a rocket attack the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, 25 February

Natali Sevriukova pauses next to her home in Kyiv, damaged in a rocket attack on 25 February. Photograph: Emilio Morenatti/AP

In one, a woman stands before a block of flats and stares, dazed, into the camera. There is blood on the bandage wrapped around her bruised head and blood on her teeth.

In the other, a woman called Natali Sevriukova holds a carefully manicured hand to her face and cries. Behind her is the rocket-destroyed block that was her home 24 hours earlier.

A Ukrainian Territorial Defence fighter examines a destroyed Russian infantry mobility vehicle Gaz Tigr after an attack in Kharkiv, 27 February

A Ukrainian territorial defence fighter examines a destroyed Russian infantry mobility vehicle GAZ Tigr after fighting in Kharkiv on 27 February. Photograph: Sergey Bobok/AFP

A woman in distress as paramedics perform CPR on a girl who was injured during shelling, at city hospital of Mariupol. 27 February The girl did not survive.

A distressed woman waits while paramedics perform CPR on a girl injured during shelling, at city hospital in Mariupol, on 27 February. The child did not survive. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

People wait in a hall at Kyiv main railway station as they try to flee, February 28.

People hoping to flee gather at Kyiv main railway station on 28 February. Photograph: Roman Pilipey/EPA

The deliberate targeting of civilian areas, a tactic widely employed to sow fear and despair in Syria, soon became one of the hallmarks of the Russian offensive.

Military convoy along a highway, north of Ivankiv, Ukraine, approaching Kyiv, 28 February

A military convoy is strung along the highway, north of Ivankiv, on the approach to Kyiv, on 28 February. Satellite Image: Maxar Tech

A member of the Ukrainian emergency services looks at the City Hall building in the central square after shelling in Kharkiv

A member of the Ukrainian emergency services looks up at the Kharkiv city hall after shelling on 1 March. Photograph: Pavel Dorogoy/AP

On 1 March, videos showed the orange flashes and grey smoke puffs of Grad missiles hitting residential buildings in the centre of Ukraine’s second-biggest city, Kharkiv.

Emergency personnel carry a body out of the damaged local city hall of Kharkiv on March 1, destroyed as a result of Russian troop shelling

Emergency workers carry a body out of Kharkiv city hall after the Russian shelling on 1 March. Photograph: Sergey Bobok/AFP

The city’s mayor said nine people had been killed and 37 injured on what he described as “a very difficult day”. He added that four of those killed died when they emerged from a shelter to find water. A family of five, including three children, were burned alive in their car.

A residential building destroyed by shelling in Borodyanka, in the Kyiv region, after shelling on 3 March

A residential building in Borodyanka, in the Kyiv region, smoulders after shelling on 3 March. Photograph: Maksim Levin/Reuters

Damage after the shelling of buildings in downtown Kharkiv, Ukraine, 3 March

Damage after the shelling of buildings in downtown Kharkiv on 3 March. Photograph: Sergey Kozlov/EPA

People remove personal belongings from a burning house after being shelled in the city of Irpin

People retrieve what they can from a burning house shelled in the city of Irpin, north-west of Kyiv, on 4 March. Right: Residents evacuate Irpin during heavy shelling and bombing on 5 March. Photographs: Aris Messinis/AFP

Residents evacuate the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, during heavy shelling and bombing on 5 March

By Thursday 10 March, the port city of Mariupol had been under sustained bombardment for nine days, its buildings, parks and shops pummelled by Grad and Smerch rockets and Tochka-U missiles, and its inhabitants reduced to drinking the snow that had settled on the rubble.

Ukrainian serviceman stands next to the vertical tail fin of a Russian Su-34 bomber lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 8

A Ukrainian serviceman surveys the vertical tail fin of a Russian Su-34 bomber in a damaged building in Kharkiv on 8 March. Photograph: Andrew Marienko/AP

A day earlier, in an attack that plumbed fresh depths of depravity, a Russian warplane dropped a bomb on Mariupol’s maternity hospital number nine. Three people, among them a girl, died. Seventeen patients and members of staff were injured.

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, 9 March

A injured pregnant woman is stretchered from a children hospital in Mariupol, evacuated after a Russia army bombardment on 9 March. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

One of the pictures taken that day shows a heavily pregnant woman being stretchered through the smoke and snow past the shell of the hospital. Another shows a young and bloody expectant mother navigating a debris-strewn stairwell carrying blankets and a plastic bag.

The regional military administration estimates 1,207 people have been killed, with many more likely to lie under the debris. On Wednesday alone, 47 people were buried in a mass grave.

Mariupol’s deputy mayor, Sergei Orlov, said the words “bombardment” and “cruelty” did not come close to describing what was going on in the city, whose residents are trying to flee at the rate of 2,000 to 3,000 a day.

An injured pregnant woman walks downstairs in the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9

An injured pregnant woman picks her way downstairs in the damaged maternity hospital in Mariupol on 9 March. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

“They have used aviation, artillery, multiple rocket launchers, Grads and other types of weapons we don’t even know about,” he told foreign reporters. “This isn’t simply treacherous. It’s a war crime and pure genocide.”

Ukrainian refugees queue to file for residency permits at Prague’s foreigner police headquarters on March 2

Ukrainian refugees queue to apply for residency permits at Prague’s foreigner police headquarters on 2 March. Photograph: Michal Čížek/AFP/Getty Images

Newly arrived refugees seek assistance from Polish army soldiers after crossing the border from Ukraine into Poland at the Medyka border crossing, eastern Poland, 9 March

Newly arrived refugees file past Polish army soldiers after crossing from Ukraine into Poland at the Medyka border, eastern Poland, on 9 March. Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images

A girl fleeing the conflict in Ukraine looks on from inside of a bus heading to the Moldovan capital Chisinau, after crossing the Moldova-Ukraine border checkpoint near the town of Palanca, on March 2

A girl fleeing the conflict looks out from a bus heading to the Moldovan capital, Chișinău, after crossing the Moldova-Ukraine border. Above right: Kyryl, a nine-year-old refugee from Kyiv, and his dog, Hugo, arrive at the Hungarian border town of Zahony on 2 March. Photographs: Nikolay Doychinov/AFP, Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Although Ukraine has dismissed the “humanitarian corridors” offered by Russia as “completely immoral”, as they allow fleeing civilians escape only to Russia or its ally Belarus, the exodus so far has been gargantuan.

Thousands of Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children, arrived in Medyka the crossing border between Poland from Ukraine.

Thousands of Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children, arrive in Medyka, the crossing between Poland from Ukraine, on 7 March. Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian

Friday’s figures from the UN’s refugee agency show that 2,504,893 people have fled Ukraine since dawn broke on 24 February, bringing with it the start of Putin’s “special military operation”.

Ukraine’s neighbours have borne the brunt of the evacuation, with Poland alone taking in more than 1.5 million refugees. The UK, apparently bedevilled by consular issues, had issued 850 visas by Wednesday this week.

A destroyed tank is seen after battles between Ukrainian and Russian forces on a main road near Brovary, north of Kyiv, 10 March.

A destroyed tank lies at the roadside after fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces on a main approach near Brovary, north of Kyiv, on 10 March. Photograph: Felipe Dana/AP

The past two weeks have tested not only the resolve of the Ukrainian people and the supposed might of the Russian military, but also the determination, unity and compassion of the west and the wider world.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy , has been clear from day one about what is at stake.

“What we have heard today are not just missile blasts, fighting and the rumble of aircraft,” he said on the day of the invasion.

Blasts a few meters away during civilians’ evacuation while ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine, in Irpin, 6 March

Civilians and press run for their lives during a Russian attack while they were being evacuated from Irpin on 6 March. Photograph: Emin Sansar/Anadolu Agency

“This is the sound of a new iron curtain, which has come down and is closing Russia off from the civilised world. Our national task is to make sure this curtain does not fall across our land.”

The Guardian picture essay
Vladimir Putin
Volodymyr Zelenskiy

Photo Essay - African Americans in World War II

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This poster shows Dorie Miller, hero of Pearl Harbor. Born Doris Miller to sharecroppers in Waco, Texas, he joined the Navy in September 1939 and was assigned to the steward's branch, where he worked as a mess attendant. On the morning of 7 December 1941 Miller was collecting the officers' laundry on the battleship West Virginia when Japanese torpedoes struck the ship. In the ensuing chaos, Miller carried the mortally wounded Captain Mervyn S. Bennion to a safer place and, despite having no combat training, turned one of the ship's 50mm guns against the attacking Japanese planes. He shot down two enemy aircraft, firing until he ran out of ammunition. Despite this selfless act of courage and heroism, Miller was largely ignored for months after the attack, until protests in the black press led President Roosevelt to nominate him for the Navy Cross. Miller became the first African American to receive the Cross, the Navy's second highest honor, from Admiral Chester W. Nimitz on 27 May 1942. The story of his heroism fueled the aspirations of other black sailors and the African American community at large, and he spoke before large audiences throughout the United States. Miller ultimately returned to active duty as a petty officer and participated in the battle of Tarawa. Tragically, he was among 644 men killed on 24 November 1943, when the escort carrier Liscome sank during the battle for Makin.

Nazi Germany's racial policies targeted a number of so-called "inferior" groups, among them people of African descent, that were considered to be degenerate influences on the superior Aryan race. To prevent racial mixing, many black Germans were sterilized or sent to concentration camps. Some fled to escape this fate, while those few who remained were deprived of education or employment, sometimes surviving by working as actors or in circuses. The presence of African Americans on the front lines of the struggle to destroy the abominable Nazi regime is therefore especially gratifying. On Easter morning, 10 March 1945, Technician Fifth Grade William E. Thomas and Private First Class Joseph Jackson posed with some "Easter Eggs" specially prepared for Hitler. The photograph was taken by 1st Lt. John D. Moore.

This photograph shows First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in New York City on 12 January 1942, mingling with soldiers at a pageant paying tribute to African Americans' contributions to America. Roosevelt advocated strongly for increased rights for women and African Americans during her time in the White House and throughout her life. The First Lady was a friend of social reformer and civil rights advocate Mary Mcleod Bethune, helping Bethune to forge a close relationship with President Roosevelt and to advocate her cause at the highest levels of government. Eleanor Roosevelt also actively supported the Tuskegee Airmen, visiting the Tuskegee Air Corps Advanced Flying School in Alabama and flying with Charles "Chief" Anderson, a student pilot, for over an hour. Her advocacy brought national attention to the Airmen and helped them gain crucial support among the military establishment in Washington.

General George S. Patton, nicknamed "Old Blood and Guts," was one of the most famous American generals of WWII. Like many of his fellow Army commanders, he was ambivalent about the complete integration of black soldiers into the military and sometimes expressed doubts about the suitability of black troops. Nevertheless, in 1944 Patton requested command of the first black tank unit, the 761st "Black Panther" Tank Battalion. With characteristic flair, Patton told his men before going into combat: "I don't care what color you are as long as you go up there and kill those Kraut sons of bitches." Above all, the general respected toughness and courage. In this picture, taken on 13 October 1944, Patton pins the Silver Star on Private Ernest A. Jenkins of New York City for conspicuous gallantry during the liberation of Chateaudun, France.

The 761st "Black Panther" Tank Battalion was organized in April 1942 and saw action from October 1944 until Germany's surrender, most notably in the Battle of the Bulge. The most famous member of the battalion was Lieutenant Jack "Jackie" Robinson, who would spearhead the integration of professional baseball shortly after completing his military service. During training in the Jim Crow South, Robinson was cited for insubordination and nearly court-martialed for refusing to move to the back of a bus when the driver—a white commissioned officer—ordered him to do so. The incident serves as a reminder that many seeds of the civil rights movement were planted during World War II. Despite such racist episodes, the 761st performed with distinction in Europe. This photograph from 5 November 1944 shows Corporal Carlton Chapman, a machine-gunner in an M-4 tank, attached to a Motor Transport unit near Nancy, France.

World War II could not have been won without the power of American industry and the sustained effort of citizens on the home front. Considering the demographic and social changes that this effort entailed, it is perhaps not surprising that there was considerable wartime friction between whites and blacks at home. The summer of 1943 witnessed more than 250 racial conflicts in forty-seven American cities, including Mobile, Detroit, and New York. The Federal government did little to address the unfair policies that were at the root of these conflicts or attempt to prevent their recurrence. Yet the war effort nevertheless had some positive social effects, showing that America had more to gain by utilizing all segments of its population than by keeping one group perpetually marginalized. This color poster, titled "United We Win" and featuring a photograph by Howard Liberman of integrated aircraft factory workers, shows that by 1943 cracks in the isolating wall of Jim Crow were already beginning to appear.

The war dramatically accelerated the pace of economic change for black women. The demand for war materials and the entry of millions of men into the armed services created an unprecedented labor shortage in the United States. Millions of new jobs were created in the clerical and manufacturing fields, opening up opportunities for women and racial and ethnic minorities to secure new and better kinds of employment. Between 1940 and 1944, the proportion of black women workers employed in industrial work nearly tripled, from 6.8 percent to 18.0 percent. For many African American women, the move from domestic to industrial labor and from the rural South to the industrial North would be a permanent one, with dramatic social consequences. This photograph shows 21-year old Bertha Stallworth inspecting the end of a 40mm artillery cartridge case at Frankford Arsenal, near Philadelphia.

Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., the first African American to reach the rank of general in the United States Army, is shown here watching a Signal Corps crew erecting poles in France on 8 August 1944. Davis first enlisted in 1898, during the Spanish-American War, and graduated West Point in 1901. Despite his distinguished record and numerous promotions, he was often assigned to non-combat or teaching positions and was only granted his first high-profile assignment as a colonel, after lobbying to escort black mothers and widows of slain WWI soldiers to European cemeteries in the summers of 1930 through 1933. Promoted to brigadier general in 1940, Davis served as a military advisor on racial issues throughout WWII. His contributions included investigating reports of racial discrimination, agitating for integration of the armed services, and producing public relations and educational materials related to issues of race. The most significant of these materials was a film called The Negro Soldier (1944), produced by the U.S. Army film unit run by Frank Capra, which included references to the history of African American soldiers and prominent blacks and was shown to all incoming soldiers. Davis retired on 14 July 1948, after fifty years of service. Twelve days later, President Truman issued Executive Order 9981, establishing "equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin."

The Tuskegee Airmen are perhaps the most famous unit of African American servicemen who fought in World War II, responsible for shattering racist notions that blacks lacked the discipline and intellectual capacity to perform well in complex combat situations. This photograph shows members of the 332nd Fighter Group, called the Red Tails, attending a briefing in Ramitelli, Italy, in March 1945. The 332nd was commanded by Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., son of the first African American general in the U.S. Army and recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross for leadership and bravery. Under the command of Colonel Davis, the squadron carried out more than 15,000 missions, shot down 111 enemy aircraft, and destroyed another 150 on the ground, losing only 66 aircraft of their own. More remarkably, the 332nd unit carried out 200 successful escort missions without a single casualty. Their skill and courage made an impression on the military brass. In a highly classified report issued shortly after the war, U.S. General George Marshall declared that black soldiers were just as capable of fighting, and equally entitled to serve their country, as white soldiers. The Airmen shown here are (left to right): Robert W. Williams, (leather cap) William H. Holloman, III, (cloth cap) Ronald W. Reeves, (leather cap) Christopher W. Newman, (flight cap), and Walter M. Downs.

Pressure from civil rights activists, the NAACP, the black press, and Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Black Cabinet," combined with the military's changing needs to create opportunities for black women to serve their country. Perhaps the most important development was the creation of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) in May 1942, later incorporated into the regular U.S. Army and renamed Women's Army Corps (WAC) in 1943. The WAC performed support roles ranging from manufacturing work to delivering supplies to the front lines. Charity Adams, shown here reviewing a contingent of WACs in 1945, was the first black women in U.S. history to be commissioned as an officer. Attaining the rank of major, she was the highest-ranking black woman in the military throughout World War II. Adams eventually led the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the first black female unit to deploy overseas, which delivered mail to approximately 7 million American troops stationed throughout Europe.

Following the success of the invasion of North Africa known as Operation Torch, the Allies began a difficult campaign up the Italian peninsula which ultimately resulted in the overthrow of Mussolini and Italy's withdrawal from the Axis Powers. This photograph from 22 September 1943 shows an ancient temple of Neptune, built around 700 BCE, where a company of American soldiers had set up a temporary office. At desk, front to rear, are: Sergeants James Shellman, Gilbert A. Terry, John W. Phoenix, Curtis A. Richardson, and Leslie B. Wood. In front of desk, front to rear, are: Technical Sergeant Gordon A. Scott, Master Sergeant Walter C. Jackson, Sergeant David D. Jones, and Warrant Officer Carlyle M. Tucker.

On 14 August 1945, these enlisted men aboard the U.S.S. Ticonderoga (CV-14) celebrated after hearing the news of Japan's surrender. This photograph was taken by Lt. B. Gallagher.

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205 World War 2 Essay Topics & Examples

Looking for good World War 2 topics to explore? Look no further! In this list, we’ve collected the best topics of WW2 for middle school, high school, and college students. No matter what aspect you’re interested in, you will definitely find here something for yourself.

In addition to WWII topics, we’ve also included some helpful tips and essay examples. Check them out below!

🤫 Secrets of Powerful Essay on World War 2

🏆 Best WW2 Topic Ideas & Essay Examples

👍 Good Essay Topics on World War 2

🥇 Most Interesting WW2 Topics to Write about

🔎 Simple & Easy World War 2 Essay Topics

❓ ww2 essay questions, ✅ world war 2 research topics, ✍️ world war 2 topics for a project.

From diplomacy and espionage to battlefield events and the fate of nations, World War 2 essay topics are broad in range and require their writer to have an in-depth knowledge of various details.

Thus, writing a World War 2 essay may seem daunting due to the weight of the necessary historical analysis. However, writing an excellent paper is as easy as keeping in mind a few minor but cornerstone circumstances.

WWII Topics: Important Events

Everyone knows about the Atlantic and D-Day, but World War 2 essay prompts go further than the standardized level of knowledge. Paying due attention to the topic of the Eastern Soviet front, the French Vichy government, and the Blitz over Britain should be essential centerpieces of your essay.

All Ally members, just like all Axis partners, had their crucial moments and roles to play, and focusing on standalone countries does a disservice to a war that involved more than 30 countries.

Even if your central theme centers on a single country, you can gauge the independence of their politics and tactics per its allies. Remember that all events are interconnected and each action creates a reaction!

Creating a timeline, or finding one, will help you understand the continuity of the war’s narrative.

You should frame for yourself the time between events, the countries affected by them, and their outcome. Doing so, regardless of the problem you are tackling, will make your paper flow smoothly from one subject to another, touching upon interconnected ideas.

Topics of WW2: Prominent Personalities

When writing about World War 2, most essayists focus only on Adolf Hitler’s adverse role and outright criminal actions. However, you can and should go beyond even Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin, and Winston Churchill.

Focus on the country that you are tackling; find what connections it had, and what tactics it pursued, and note its leader.

For example, if you are writing about the Eastern front, then mentioning the characters of Zhukov for war-related events, Molotov for diplomacy, and Kalinin for internal affairs will illustrate that you have a comprehensive knowledge of various interconnected topics.

Do your research keeping in mind the essentiality of the personal factor, even in worldwide affairs.

WW2 Topics: The Positive and Negative Consequences

Even today, there are demographic implications and political repercussions of the war. Thus, World War 2 essay questions should demonstrate all consequences of such an event, if possible with vivid examples.

Use quotations, studies, and book and journal titles to support the information you are presenting.

From the accounts of the event’s contemporaries to photo materials and recordings, there are millions of sources on the circumstances of World War 2, many of which are readily available online.

Let your bibliography be representative of your academism and include relevant, credible, and varied sources in it.

Paper Structure

Creating an outline for your paper in the pre-writing stages will help you overview the planned working process and see its weak aspects. Doing so includes seeing what themes are underdeveloped and which you have overpowered with information, as well as correcting this issue promptly.

Furthermore, doing so gives you an understanding of excellent World War 2 essay titles, which are pivotal in getting your readers interested in your work.

If you feel like your paper is lacking something, structurally or informatively, then you can read sample essays on similar issues and judge for yourself what you can apperceive from them.

Does your paper still feel daunting? Let IvyPanda give you some inspiration! Get motivated, writing, and graded “excellent”!

🏆 Best World War 2 Topic Ideas & Essay Examples

The World War 2 Positive and Negative Repercussions The Effects Of The 2nd World War: The fall of world major powers: The war did not just end, but it had some positive and negative effect to the countries both involved and those that […]
Miscommunication Problems: the US and Japan in World War II At the beginning of 1945, the leaders of such countries as the United States, the United Kingdom, and China offered the document that outlined the conditions of the Japanese surrender under which Hirohito could stay […]
Propaganda During World War II The Second World War was a complicated time for both the general public and the authorities since while the former worried for their safety, family, and homeland, the latter needed to maintain the national spirit […]
Could the US Prevent the Start of World War II? Some believe that the United States of America could prevent the outbreak of the war. Therefore, it is possible to assume that the USA could not have prevented the start of the Second World War […]
World War 2 Consequences The major causes of this Great War were the unresolved issues that resulted from the World War 1. Another thing that led to the World War 2 was the failure of the League of Nations.
World War II Propaganda Posters in America The imagery of the boot stepping on the American church is not just a threat to the religious ideals of the country but a threat to freedom itself as the church often doubled as the […]
Causes of World War II Therefore the desire by the Germans under Hitler to conquer other countries and the desire by the Japanese to expand their territory was the key cause of the war in Europe and subsequently the World […]
World War II Innovations Named as the Manhattan Project during World War II, the nuclear program of the Allies led to catastrophic consequences for the Axis forces, particularly in the context of the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which […]
World War II, Causes and Outcomes: Lesson Plan It includes the key concepts, objectives, materials, and the description of the activities that teachers can use to introduce new material to the students in the 11th and 12th grades.
Shintoism and World War II in Japan The impact of religions on the world throughout history is undeniable, it can be seen how different religions include in their teachings all of the life aspects and affect them in a way or another.
Effects of the Pact of Steel Agreement on World War II He was a strong believer in the strength of the people as the backbone of the country and not the strength of the individual.
Causes of WWI and WWII: Comparing and Contrasting In the following paper, Kenneth Waltz’s levels of analysis will be used for the comparison and contrast of causes of WWI and WWII. The second similarity refers to the distribution of power and the division […]
World War 2 Leaders Comparison: Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler World War 2 remains one of the most significant and historically important events in the entire world because the United States of America, Japan, and the majority of European countries were involved in it.
How Cars Changed the United States After World War II The national rail network allowed the farmers to become part of the national economic recovery that started at the beginning of the Second World War and continued throughout 1960.
World War II Propaganda and Its Effects The purpose of this paper is to examine the confrontation between the German and the Soviet propaganda machines during the period of the Second Patriotic War, outline the goals and purposes of each, and identify […]
The Neutrality of Vatican City During World War II Despite the moves made by the Pope Pius XII for the Vatican City to remain neutral in the World War II, the actions he made were seen as a great violation of stance.
The Role Played by Texans in World War II Involvement in the war was expected because the US was against Japan’s entry into Middle East, and colonization of Africa and certain regions of Europe by Germany and Italy. The US was greatly perturbed after […]
Doing Academic World War II Research Researchers can use the information on the authors at Britannica to determine the reliability of the information provided on the website.
Nationalism in World War II Another critical “nation-statehood making” is the break of the Soviet Union and the end of cold war between Soviet Union republic and the United States.
Dwight D. Eisenhower: World War II Hero and U.S. President In addition to his leading role as a peace and desegregation crusader, prior to his election as the 34th American president and even after his rise to the top seat, Eisenhower was a well known […]
World War II in “Slaughterhouse-Five“ Novel by Kurt Vonnegut To make a detailed description of the expressed opinion and to prove it, we should consider the characteristic features of the heroes and the general perception of novels which are directed at the description of […]
The Impacts of the Second World War on Asia The period after the Second World War saw the emergence and expansion of the world economies. Countries such as Japan and China started rebuilding their economies so as to compete with the rest of the […]
The World War II Propaganda Techniques All the parties to the war, including Germany, the Soviet Union, and Britain, invested many resources in propaganda, but the present essay will focus on the United States’ effort. Furthermore, propaganda messages were created to […]
Culture and Customs of Japan After WWII It must be admitted, however, in the interests of truth, that the traditional mode of living and ways of thinking, both good and bad, are deeply rooted in the life of the Japanese people of […]
Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Role in World War II That is why historians and the public pay much attention to the discussion of the role in this war of those personalities who persistently led the Western anti-Hitler coalition to the victory over Nazi Germany […]
The Causes and Consequences of World War Two Some studies reported that the war caused around 62 to 80 million deaths, and this made it the deadliest fighting in the global history in terms of reported number of deaths compared with the world […]
V-2 Rocket and Its Impact on World War II and Today US Army The V-2 rocket was influential not only in the Second World War but also shaped the concept of the future of the US Army and is the prototype for many modern weapons.
US Holocaust Policy During World War II However, the anti-Nazi campaign was not successful, and the main reason for this was the harsh foreign policy of the USA.
Canada’s Role and Experiences in World War II The book emphasized the painful experiences the victims of the soldiers went through and the traumatizing memories they had. In the accompaniment of readers, the authors describe strategic bombing as a series of military activities, […]
The Bonds or Bondage World War II Poster Analysis The current paper explores an example of a poster created in the early years of the war. During WWII, tax increases did not cover the military spending enough, and Henry Morgenthau, Jr, Secretary of the […]
Important Questions on America Since World War II A significant part of Truman’s failures happened due to the inconsistency of his actions and his unwillingness to commit to social change.
The US Foreign Policy in the Post-World War II Era In other words, rather than concentrating on maintaining peace in the region, the government deployed military troops to alleviate the domination of any power hostile to the US and its citizens.
German Strategy During the Beginning of WWII The German’s use of the Nine Variables – Elements of Strategy aided them with great success at the beginning of the war from 1939 – 1941, and the failure to accurately access the Nine Constants […]
The Office of Strategic Services Operational Groups in World War II The study of the importance of O.S. To investigate the impact of O.S.
World War II and the US Decision to Stay Out The United States was not involved in the war until 1941 since it had a Neutrality Act which established limits to the sale of weapons to fighting parties.
The Result Japan’s Fall in World War II The Allies needed to stop the advance of the Imperial Japanese army along the Solomon Islands and prevent the occupation of New Guinea.
The Role of Propaganda During World War II The poster encourages men to enroll in the army to protect the peaceful lives of women and children. By manipulating emotions and feelings, propaganda influenced people to enroll in the army or work harder.
Researching of Turning Points in WWII The most discussed battles that possibly created or marked the momentum of the remaining part of the war are the battle of Midway, where the United States were able to gain advance, and the battles […]
The Effectiveness of WWII Bombing Campaigns The German trial with two-engine fighters was a failure; the American one, on the other hand, was notably effective in the Pacific because of the broader range.
Wartime Conferences of World War II The wartime conferences of World War II were genuinely significant in deciding the strategy undertaken by the Allies but also helped shape the world order during and in the aftermath of the world.
D-Day: The Role in World War II By the end of 1944, Paris was released after the Allies approached the Seine River. D-Day became a significant event that influenced the pace of World War II.
Promoting Production During World War II As the fighting continued, there arose the need to produce equipment to sustain the war: this came to be called wartime production.
The World War II Discussion: The Convoy Tactics The last year of the war accounted for 60% of the total volume of military supplies that passed along the path of the polar convoys.
World War Two and Its Ramifications The United States imposed economic sanctions on Japan in order to deter Japanese aggression and force the evacuation of Japanese soldiers from Manchuria and China.
South Africa During World War II Years Clark’s topic is the impact of World War II on the independence of South Africa. The main point of the author is that South Africa’s history during and immediately after World War II is underresearched.
Contribution to World War II of Chinese and Native Americans Despite the dire conditions many of them lived in and white Americans’ discrimination against them, they used the war as the opportunity to prove themselves as loyal patriots.
The Role of the United States in World War II The policy worked under the terms that the United States could sell arms provided that the buyer could pay in cash and seek their means of transportation.
The Use of Radio in German Propaganda During the World War II One of the techniques used by the Nazis to persuade German people and shape their worldview was the use of such media as radio.
Arguments Against the Use of Nuclear Weapons in World War II The firebombing campaign was against the use of atomic weapons in the form of nuclear bombs as it was aimed at urban centers and completely discriminatory.
The European Theatre of Operations in WWII The Eastern front fought against the Western front, demonstrating various air and land campaigns. Battle of the Bulge.
The Significance of the Iron Curtain at World War II and the Cold War Churchill encouraged the US and the UK to unite and ensure that they ended the actions that the Soviet Union was exercising.
Soviet and American Perspectives on World War II Through Movies The theme is the same to show the rise and fall of the German Nazi empire. The first remarkable feature of the movie is the humor with which Mikhail Romm, the director of the movie, […]
Pre-World War II South Africa: Centuries-Old Exploitation Afrikaners: from agriculture to “white-collar” work 1970s: 90 per cent of state top executive and managerial positions are taken by Afrikaners.
Wikipedia: Posts About World War II There have been arguments voiced against the reliability of internet sources such as Wikipedia as a source of scholarly information. Wikipedia commands a huge following on the internet as a source of information.
Winston Churchill, a Leader During the World War II He faced this disorder before the development of effective medication, and hence had to live with untreated Bipolar Mood Disorder throughout his life.
Battle of Kursk: Germany’s Lost Victory in World War II Although the fighting efficiency of the Nazi troops decreased due to a decrease in the number of available equipment and the transfer of auxiliary units to the front, it was still a formidable force.
The Decolonization in Asia and Africa in the Post-WW2 Period According to Tignor et al, WW2 resulted in the following – the war itself left the unresolved issues of WW1 and heightened them, such as plans of Germany and Japan to expand their political impact […]
Kurt Vonnegut. Wailing Shall Be in All Streets and Slaughterhouse-Five. Reflections on World War II The two literature pieces under consideration in the following paper can be acclaimed as a strong attack to the motives of those participating in the World War II along with the use of powerful irony.
The World War II: Impact and Consequences The Allies and the Axis were reluctant to follow any line that risked running into the antagonism of the other for fear of alienating their ally and therefore endangering one of the precepts of their […]
Comparing World War II to September 11th Both attacks were condemned on a global scale, and a huge fraction of the rest of the world rallied behind the US. Over 16 million soldiers were deployed to settle the score with the Japanese, […]
Americanization in Germany Post WWII Most of these changes have indeed played a major role in improving the status of Germany only that the Germans now have little to be proud of in terms of heritage as most of it […]
World War Two Marked the End of Modern Age All major countries in the whole world were eventually involved in the war that remarkably led to the transfer of the title of the ‘world’s superpower’ from Western Europe to USSR.
Women in Canada During World War II The analysis of the role of Canadian women in the most devastating war of the century presents special interest for us due to nontrivial results concerning the place of women in history that can be […]
World War II and Germany’s Invasion Plans The invasion of Great Britain was important to Adolf Hitler because in this way the great air force power of Great Britain would have been destroyed.
American Culture in the Post World War II Years Further still, the improvisation of Jazz music set a stage for new music culture in the American society that incorporated and appreciated the works of the black population.
Women’s Role in World War II The significance of this event is not only due to the destruction and the great number of people that were killed in the said conflict but also the numerous precedents that help changed the course […]
The Nature of the Fighting in World War I and World War II So, the results of this war were awful, but still, speaking about the losses of the World War II, it can be said, that it was the bloodiest conflict in human history. The most obvious […]
Soviet Strategy Before World War II A closer look at the soviet strategy before WWII reveals that the government has almost destroyed the ability of the people to become the army as the program of collectivism, hunger, and the increasing dissatisfaction […]
The Influence of the Second World War on the 20th and 21st Centuries’ Cinema The movie follows the lives of a German Wehrmacht infantry platoon as they are shuttled from the North African front to Italy and finally to the Russian front where they find themselves part of the […]
Anti-Japanese Propaganda During World War II The content of propaganda was much the same as that of broadcast propaganda: emphasis on the Allies’ growing war potential, ridicule of the more preposterous assertions of the National Socialists, evidence of self-contradictions in the […]
American Economic History After World War II In the beginning, it’s been the United States displacing Great Britain as the world’s largest economy and in the end it’s the globalization that made the biggest noise.
Politics and Warfare of World War II Realism in the background of international relations includes a diversity of hypotheses and advances, all of which allocate a belief that states are chiefly inspired by the desire for military and financial power or safety, […]
WWII to 1965: Administration, Policies, Preeminence The legislation that created it aimed to unify and streamline the governance between the whole army while in turn maintaining the individuality of the various army units.
Issue of World War II Regarding Comfort Women In 1991, the issues regarding comfort women exploded in the public when a woman from South Korea came out to the public and testify the issue regarding comfort women.
Impacts of the Pacific War and World War II in Japan Japan surged with the inversion trend undeterred, in 1937, it launched a large-scale inversion of China and four years later in 1941, it attacked the US, triggering the entry of America to the Second World […]
Could the World War II Have Been Avoided? First of all, arguing on the matters of the inevitability of World War II it is necessary to point out, that the causes of it take the roots at the end of World War I, […]
Nazi’s Crimes Against Jews During World War II The holocaust of the 20th century was the worst persecution of the European Jews by the Nazis in German between 1933 and 1945.
Newspaper Coverage of Japan-America Internment in WW2 and the Civil Rights Movement The media covered this because this movement persuaded whites to join them in their mass protests and they were killed in the event.

🥇 Most Interesting World War 2 Topics to Write about

Post-World War II Propaganda Art According to Arendt, the “who” is revealed in the narratives people tell of themselves and others. We humanize what is going on in the world and in ourselves only by speaking of it, and in […]
The United States From the World War II to the 1990s From the economic boom enjoyed in the 1950s, to the rise of civil rights movement in the 1960s, to the concern about the Vietnam War in 1970s, to the end of the Cold War in […]
Politics, the Israel-Palestine Conflict, and Oil: After the WWII In retrospect, the current situation regarding the confrontations between the ME and Israel, as well as the tensions in the ME’s political arena, can be seen as the inevitable side effects of the self-determination process.
Shifting Images of Chinese Americans During World War II Therefore, it is important to elaborate on the history of relationships between Japanese Americans and Chinese Americans in the period between 1920 and 1940. Thus, the tendency for the distinguishing and distancing of the Chinese […]
World War II and Its Impact on Asian Americans In general, most Asian Americans benefited from war as the Filipino, the Chinese, and Indians were wartime allies of the United States.
Atomic Bomb as a Necessary Evil to End WWII Maddox argued that by releasing the deadly power of the A-bomb on Japanese soil, the Japanese people, and their leaders could visualize the utter senselessness of the war.
Women Photojournalists During World War II Her photographs worked as evidence of indignities at the camps, and due to this, her work was greatly censored by the then government.
The Marshall Plan’ Effects on Post WW2 Design To, some extent, the impacts of the Marshall on design can be explained by the economic situation in Europe at that time, and especially the necessity to reduce the costs of production.
Deindustrialization After the World War II The battle for equality in different working environments led to the passage of the Fair Employment Practices Commission. The tightening labor market in the country also resulted in new employment patterns.
“Western Renaissance” in Europe After World War II Modernization in the economical sphere, particularly in trade and agriculture created an opportunity to improve the activities of such countries as Italy, Great Britain, Western Germany, and the USA. However, the problems remained and in […]
The Major Pivot of Post-WWII American History Nowadays, it became a commonplace assumption among many Americans that the causes, behind the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, during the course of the 20th century’s sixties, had to do with the fact that […]
World War II Facts in Wikipedia Article This article will use the information from the article written by Harris to evaluate Wikipedia’s article on World War II with the aim of establishing if the information from the site can be regarded as […]
Civilians as Victims of World War II The aim of this paper is to explore the suffering of civilians in the pursuit of victory in World War II.
Post-World War II and Modern Women in the US I would be used to the things that, according to Dubois and Dumenil, the society demanded of women at the time, and I would readily stay at home and take care of my children, husband, […]
Racism in the United States: Before and After World War II The U.S.government went from supporting racism against African Americans in the New Deal era to fight against racism by the 1960s because of World War II.
World War II: A Very Short Introduction The questions addressed in the book were not very often discussed previously, as the author states in the introduction; Weinberg examines Germany’s responsibility for World War II, the reasons behind the eventual victory of the […]
Australian Workforce Changes After WWII It should be noted, however, that the Australian male breadwinner model is of particular concern, as in the early fifties the model was totally revaluated.
Roosevelt’s New Deal and Joining World War II It led to the restructuring of the American economy and the establishment of the new model of relations between business, labor force, and the state.
American Homefront During World War II The people who remained at home also had to change their lives to suit the war. On the same note, the people left at the homefront had to work together in order to survive.
France Before World War I and After World War II To overcome the negative consequences of the Franco-Prussian War, France needed to focus on new perspectives for the state’s economic and political development, and such an approach could provide the state with the necessary resources […]
Hitler’s and British Policies in World War II Britain was among the countries that did not welcome the idea of another war due to the bloodshed that had ensued in the World War I.
Child Labor, Great Depression and World War II in Photographs The impression is of isolation and yearning for daylight, freedom, and a childhood foregone, in the midst of a machine-dominated world.
American Women in World War II: Oral Interview In fact, the participation of women in the event was prepared during the First World War. Interviewee: Yes, I will give you any information that you may want because I was part of the historical […]
Invasion of Normandy in World War II One of such legendary operations is the one that happened on D-Day, the day that shifted the balance of powers of the whole war, the put the beginning to the victorious march of the armies […]
World War II in “Our Secret” by Susan Griffin The details she provides about various events and the manner in which she chooses her words clearly points out that this is not a work of fiction.
Japanese Americans Internment During the WWII Besides, the treatise reviews the historical dynamics that allowed for the internment of Japanese Americans and the impacts of internment in the Japanese American communities during and after the end of WW II.
World War II in Eurasia and America The war ended with the defeat of the far rights; however, conflicts of interests of the winners led to the tension that persisted for long years after the war.
The Life of a Freedom Fighter in Post WWII Palestine As World War II was coming to an end, the Zionist Movement leaders were hopeful that the British government would amend the White Paper policy, allow the Jews to migrate to Eretz, Israel, and govern […]
WWII History: How Hitler Died From the onset of the war, Hitler proved to be a trustworthy leader. In the US, tests done on a part of the skull purported to be Hitler’s have given unconvincing results.
Has Security Been the Main Driver Behind European Integration Since World War Two? Backed with the spirit of its member states and the United States, the Union has continuously executed its mandate and enlarged in order to advance and augment its efficacy in its operations.
The Post World War II Nuclear Arms Race Costs The nuclear arms race led to a monumental increase in the military expenditure of the US and the Soviet Union.
Peace and Normalisation Treaties Signed After World War II The treaty that was signed by Japan and Taiwan and the one between Japan and Korea had the same specificity. Treaties signed between Japan, Korea, Taiwan and People’s Republic of China each have unique characteristics […]
The Art of Being Lonely: A Portrayal of the Lives of Chinese Women of the Post-WWII Generation. Wang Anyi’s “The Song of Everlasting Sorrow” Analysis Because of their being not ready for the shift from a WWII to the post-WWII environment and the change in values, Chinese women were highly susceptible and extremely vulnerable to the lures of the “New […]
WW II and Hitler’s Army After the massive defeat and deaths of the German army in the war that took place in the eastern side, it was evident that the traditional groups of the army were no longer working as […]
“The Second World War: A Short History (Struggle for Survival)” by Robert Alexander Clarke The author traces the cause of the war from the Europeans and the Germans who were the key participants in the crisis.
Was the American Use of the Atomic Bomb Against Japan in 1945 the Final Act of WW2 or the Signal That the Cold War Was About to Begin Therefore, to evaluate the reasons that guided the American government in their successful attempt at mass genocide of the residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, one must consider not only the political implications behind the actions […]
Japanese Soldiers in the World War II Japanese recruits were forced to torture and maim their victims by their seniors to display their commitment and loyalty. Japanese soldiers thought they were highly respected by other Japanese civilians because of their willingness to […]
United States – China Relations During World War II The war involved the greatest number of nations with all the major countries in the world playing a role in the war.
Military Fascism in Pre-WWII Japan The military fascism was a way of expressing the Japanese economic, power and policy dissatisfaction by the west, and it hence contributed in some ways to the rise of World War II.
Women in World War II The involvement of women in the war was quite significant to the women as they were able to have a strong arguing point after the war and this made it possible for the women to […]
Nazi Germany and Jewish Question The main theme of the entire speech made by SS in which we shall be analyzing in this section of the paper is about this group’s mission and strategies towards the implementation of orders handed […]
The Influences of Neutral Countries in WW2 The validity of this suggestion can be illustrated, in regards to what historians know about the influences of the mentioned countries on WW2: Sweden Up until the year 1944, Sweden used to be in the […]
Motivation in Combat: The German Soldier in World War II Omer Bartov’s Hitler’s army: Soldiers, Nazis, and war in the Third Reich represents a good example of such a literature, because in it, the author had made a point in trying to reveal the conceptual […]
“The Blitzkrieg Myth: How Hitler and the Allies Misread The Strategic Realities of World War II” by John Mosier In order to present a clear picture of German participation in the war and the reasons, which provoked these people to fight and kill, it is necessary to concentrate on various sources and perspectives and […]
Role of WWII in Shaping America’s History Boost to the Economy The entry of the United States into WWII was a major boost to the economy that was still reeling from the effects of the Great Depression of 1930.
Controversies of World War II It is believed that Roosevelt wanted to engage Japan in war and the only way to achieve this was by allowing Japan to attack the Harbor.
Western Women in World War Two The only means to win the war was to involve large population of women in employment since millions of men were at war and the rest of the male population was not enough to occupy […]
Critical Analysis of “Walking Since Daybreak: A Story of Eastern Europe, World War II, and the Heart of Our Century” by Modris Eksteins The author presents a story of a people mixed with fear, anxiety and hope as the main characters of the book are caught in the traumatic experience of the war.
Development Theories After Second World War Consequently, the rate of growth and development could be measured by the level of savings and investment in physical capital in the country. This theory has included changes in technology into the model of growth […]
World War II History The consequences of the war had an impact on the political affairs of the world and resulted in a major change of the course of the history of the world.
New Zealands Diplomatic Relations With China Since World War II The Interaction between China and New Zealand became formal in 1976, as a mechanism for curbing USSR influence.”This event was marked when Muldoon travelled to Peking in 1976 to meet Mao Zedong”.”It was plainly stated […]
Historical and Geographical Dynamics That Had Shaped China by the End of World War II The end of the World War II was made possible by the initiation of the so-called development processes in the nations that had been involved in the rapid wars, i.e, the implementation of policies that […]
The Arab States After the Second World War and the Six-Day War The paper will also discuss the events that led to the six-day war, the major events of the war, the outcome of the war and its contribution to the current political situation in the Middle […]
World War II as the Most Devastating War in World History The devastation of the war was mainly due to the advanced military weapons used, from the infantry on the front line to the ships in the sea and the planes in the sky, these weapons […]
World War II and Humanism Considering the problem of the effects of the World War II in the long term period it is also possible to find the remnants of the humanistic effect, if it was, or to come across […]
The Second World War Unrest The Second World War was the greatest world unrest in the history of humanity. The war came at the time in which the global economy was recovering from a deep depression.
European History During World War II This concept was crucial in the Second World War in Europe as there was a “large-scale mobilization of state resources for war to anticipate the modern concept of total war that was typically associated with […]
The Major Powers of the Second World War After the First World War, the victors stated that they would do everything to preserve peace in the world. The countries that resisted Hitler’s ambition were referred to as the Allies of the Second World […]
The Effects of the Second World War on US The war provided Americans with an opportunity to take control of the world and stamp authority in regions that belonged to other world powers.
Analysis of Some US Documents in the Second World War The importance of this speech is in the statement of the reasons of the war, the development of the USA before its intrusion in the war and the betrayal of Japan which attacked the USA […]
United States and the Second World War According to article 25-1, the attack on the Pearl Harbor was one of the reasons that forced the US to join the war.
America in World War II – Experiences and Impacts During the World War II, aggression of Adolf Hitler and Nazi party led to persecution of Jews who lived in Germany.
American History During World War Two The Nazi under the leadership of Hitler is ready to kill all the Jews as witnessed in the atrocities against them.
Use of Arts in the Second World War by Nazi The films featured several themes such as the virtue of the Nordic or Aryan, the strength of the military and the German industry, and the evils of those who were perceived to be enemies.
Second World War in U.S. History Studies on the Second World War have yielded varied perspectives; according to Erdelja, “there is no other experience that was more crucial to the development of the U.S.and Europe in the 20th century than the […]
Race in World War II During the war and after the incarceration of the Japanese Americans, the American public was shown video footage and pictures that justified the confinement of Japanese Americans in the concentration camps.
Pearl Harbor in the World War II Pearl Harbor is very significant in the history of the World War II because it is the place where the war started. This was another factor that contributed to the World War II, which began […]
Political Causes of WWII for America and Germany This paper is an examination of the causes of involvement of America and Germany in the WWII. He is, in fact, said to be the person responsible for the start of the war.
Thinking Government: Conservatism, Liberalism and Socialism in Post World War II Canada This leads to the second implication which was summarized by political scientists in the following statement: “nothing can be guaranteed in life and that all individuals are also free to fail, to stumble to the […]
Challenges and Suggestions That British and American Government Faced After the Second World War In order to overcome these problems, the British politician insists on the necessity to singly out clearly the purposes, to grant simplicity of the decisions made, and declare the human rights and freedoms on the […]
Foreign Policy: What Has Been the Main Emphases of America’s Foreign Policy From World War 2 to the Present Day? The main emphases of the foreign policy of the United States from World War 2 to the present day have been the containment of the Soviet Union and its allies, military domination, expansion of economy, […]
Baby Boomers After World War II The government is campaigning for extension of retirement age, as this would boost the capacity of the social security trust fund to pay retirees.
The Bombing of Dresden in World War II The first planes from the Royal Air force started the journey from 1,100 kilometers away and they were tasked with the role of identifying Dresden and releasing Magnesium flares to light up the areas that […]
Developing Economy in Russian Federation After World War II Despite the presence of the war, Russia was able to sustain production in parts that were not affected by the war and this trend continued even after the war.
Japanese Internment in the US During World War II The Japanese moved fast to occupy the territories previously in the hands of the US, and the more than 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry in the west coast raised issues for the president’s cabinet.
War Crimes During the World War II It is clear that the holocaust was a war crime by the fact that, these were innocent civilians who were targeted specifically because of the hatred that Hitler had for them.
Sexual Slavery and Prostitution During WWII and US Occupation in Japan He is the sole author of five titles, all of which are related to wars of the past and crimes against persons committed during the time.
Was the Second World War Necessary?
Why Did the British Government Decide to Evacuate Children From Britain’s Major Cities in the Early Years of the Second World War?
Was London Prepared for the Outbreak of the Second World War?
What Role Technology Played in the Second World War?
How Far Did the Aims of Nazi Propaganda Change During the Course of WW2?
Was the Second World War Inevitable and What Caused the Second World War?
How the Relationship Between Australia and Japan Changed After WW2?
Why Did the United States Fail the Second World War?
Was Hitler Primarily Responsible for the Outbreak of the Second World War?
How Did the Treaty of Versailles Help Contribute to the Start of WW2?
How the Great Depression Ended by United States Entry Into the Second World War?
How Did WW2 Affect American Society?
How Did Germany Lose WW2?
How Did WW2 Start?
Was the Holocaust Planned During the Second World War?
What Were the Cold War Fears of the American People After the Second World War?
How Responsible Was Hitler for the Outbreak of WW2?
Why Did Germany Lose WW2?
How Did the Second World War Affect America?
Why Did Germany Lose the Second World War?
Was the Second World War a Consequence of Appeasement as an Aggressive German Foreign Policy?
How Did WW2 Impact Canada?
Were Japan and Germany Treated Differently by the United States During the Second World War?
Was the Cold War in Europe the Direct and Logical Outcome of the Second World War?
Which Factor Was the Most Important in Causing the End of the Second World War?
How the United States Got Involved in WW2?
How Did the First World War Set the Global Stage for the Second World War?
How Did the Second World War Affect Family Life in Britain?
How Did the Roles of Women Change During WW2?
Women’s Contributions to World War II
Battles and Strategies in the War against Japan
The Complex Factors That Triggered World War 2
How Technology Impacted Warfare and Military Strategies in WWII
The Holocaust and Its Horrific Consequences
How the Battle of Stalingrad Became the Turning Point of WW2 on the Eastern Front
The Atomic Bomb and Its Impact on the Second World War
The Nuremberg Trials and the Post-War Pursuit of Justice for War Crimes
The Role of Propaganda in Shaping Public Opinion During WW2
The Home Front and Civilian Experience During World War II
Resistance Movements and Underground Networks during World War II
The Global Economic Consequences of World War II
The Strategies of Allied Commanders
The African-American Experience in World War 2
Espionage and Intelligence in World War 2
The Scientific Legacy of Technology Transfer During WW2
World War II and the Birth of the United Nations
How Did Civilians Survive the German Air Raids?
Post-War Reconstruction of Europe and Japan
The Impact of World War 2 on Art and Popular Culture
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World War II Research Essay Topics

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Students are often required to write a paper on a topic as broad as World War II , but you should know that the instructor will expect you to narrow your focus to a specific thesis. This is especially true if you are in high school or college. Narrow your focus by making a list of words, much like the list of words and phrases that are presented in bold type below. Then begin to explore related questions and come up with your own cool WWII topics. The answer to questions like these can become a good starting point for a thesis statement .

Culture and People

When the U.S. entered into war, everyday life across the country changed drastically. From civil rights, racism, and resistance movements to basic human needs like food, clothing, and medicine, the aspects of how life was impacted are immense.

African-Americans and civil rights. What impact did the war years have on the rights of African-Americans? What were they allowed or not allowed to do?
Animals. How were horses, dogs, birds, or other animals used? Did they play a special role?
Art. What art movements were inspired by wartime events? Is there one specific work of art that tells a story about the war?
Clothing. How was fashion impacted? How did clothing save lives or hinder movement? What materials were used or not used?
Domestic violence. Was there an increase or decrease in cases?
Families. Did new family customs develop? What was the impact on children of soldiers?
Fashion. Did fashion change significantly for civilians? What changes had to be made during wartime?
Food preservation. What new preservation and packaging methods were used during and after the war? How were these helpful?
Food rationing. How did rationing impact families? Were rations the same for different groups of people? Were soldiers affected by rations?
Love letters. What do letters tell us about relationships, families, and friendships? What about gender roles?
New words. What new vocabulary words emerged during and after WWII?
Nutrition. Were there battles that were lost or won because of the foods available? How did nutrition change at home during the war because of the availability of certain products?
Penicillin and other medicine. How was penicillin used? What medical developments occurred during and after the war?
Resistance movements. How did families deal with living in an occupied territory?
Sacrifices. How did family life change for the worse?
Women's work at home. How did women's work change at home during the war? What about after the war ended?

Economy and Workforce

For a nation that was still recovering from the Great Depression, World War II had a major impact on the economy and workforce. When the war began, the fate of the workforce changed overnight, American factories were repurposed to produce goods to support the war effort and women took jobs that were traditionally held by men, who were now off to war.

Advertising. How did food packaging change during the war? How did advertisements change in general? What were advertisements for?
Occupations. What new jobs were created? Who filled these new roles? Who filled the roles that were previously held by many of the men who went off to war?
Propaganda. How did society respond to the war? Do you know why?
Toys. How did the war impact the toys that were manufactured?
New products. What products were invented and became a part of popular culture? Were these products present only during war times, or did they exist after?

Military, Government, and War

Americans were mostly against entering the war up until the bombing of Pearl Harbor, after which support for the war grew, as did armed forces. Before the war, the US didn't have the large military forces it soon became known for, with the war resulting in over 16 million Americans in service. The role the military played in the war, and the impacts of the war itself, were vast.

America's entry into the war. How is the timing significant? What factors are not so well known?
Churchill, Winston. What role did this leader play that interests you most? How did his background prepare him for his role?
Clandestine operations. Governments went to great lengths to hide the true date, time, and place of their actions.
Destruction. Many historic cities and sites were destroyed in the U.K.—Liverpool, Manchester, London, and Coventry—and in other nations.
Hawaii. How did events impact families or society in general?
The Holocaust. Do you have access to any personal stories?
Italy. What special circumstances were in effect?
" Kilroy was here ." Why was this phrase important to soldiers?
Nationalist Socialist movement in America. What impact has this movement had on society and the government since WWII?
Political impact. How was your local town impacted politically and socially?
POW camps after the war. Where were they and what happened to them after the war? Here's a starting point: Some were turned into race tracks after the war!
Prisoners of war. How many POWs were there? How many made it home safely? What were some long-lasting effects?
Spies. Who were the spies? Were they men or women? What side were they on? What happened to spies that were caught?
Submarines. Were there enemy submarines on a coast near you? What role did submarines play in the war?
Surviving an attack. How were military units attacked? How did it feel to jump from a plane that was disabled?
Troop logistics. How were troop movements kept secret? What were some challenges of troop logistics?
Views on freedom. How was freedom curtailed or expanded?
Views on government's role. Where was the government's role expanded? What about governments elsewhere?
War crime trials. How were trials conducted? What were the political challenges or consequences? Who was or wasn't tried?
Weather. Were there battles that were lost or won because of the weather conditions? Were there places where people suffered more because of the weather?
Women in warfare. What roles did women play during the war? What surprises you about women's work in World War II?

Technology and Transportation

With the war came advancements in technology and transportation, impacting communications capabilities, the spread of news, and even entertainment.

Bridges and roads. What transportation-related developments came from wartime or postwar policies?
Communication. How did radio or other types of communication impact key events?
Motorcycles. What needs led to the development of folding motorcycles? Why was there widespread use of military motorcycles by the government?
Technology. What technology came from the war and how was it used after the war?
TV technology. When did televisions start to appear in homes and what is significant about the timing? What TV shows were inspired by the war and how realistic were they? How long did World War II affect TV programming?
Jet engine technology. What advances can be traced to WWII needs?
Radar. What role did radar play, if any?
Rockets. How important was rocket technology?
Shipbuilding achievements. The achievements were quite remarkable during the war. Why and how did they happen?

"America's Wars Fact Sheet." U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, May 2017.

'Unbroken' by Laura Hillenbrand Book Club Discussion Questions
Women and World War II
Understanding the Progressive Era
Women and World War II: Women at Work
Women and Work in World War I
Who Were the Viet Cong and How Did They Affect the War?
America and World War II
Women in World War I: Societal Impacts
Guns or Butter: The Nazi Economy
The US Economy in World War I
Mexican Involvement in World War II
Famous Americans Killed in World War II
History of Government Involvement in the American Economy
Canadian World War II Posters Gallery
Why Rosie the Riveter Is So Iconic
Rosie the Riveter and Her Sisters

Home — Essay Samples — War — Effects of War — World War II

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Published: Jul 17, 2018

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The Catalysts of American Involvement in World War II: a Detailed Examination

This essay about the reasons behind the United States’ entry into World War II outlines several key factors that led to its involvement. Initially committed to isolationism, influenced by the aftermath of World War I, the U.S. shifted its stance due to the expanding threats from the Axis powers, which jeopardized international trade and American economic interests during the Great Depression. Additionally, ideological opposition to fascism and totalitarianism played a significant role in mobilizing public and political support for the war. The direct and immediate cause, however, was Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, which resulted in a swift declaration of war by the U.S. against Japan, followed by declarations from Germany and Italy. Collectively, these factors transformed American foreign policy from isolationism to active participation in World War II, redefining its global role as a defender of democracy. This shift not only involved the U.S. in the conflict but also helped it overcome economic struggles, highlighting a complex blend of economic, ideological, and defensive motivations.

How it works

One major event that changed the direction of the war was the United States’ admission into the conflict in December 1941. America had up until then maintained its neutral stance, which was influenced by isolationist measures that were implemented in the wake of World War I. But its engagement was the result of a confluence of direct attacks, economic interests, and geopolitical upheavals. This article explores the main causes behind the US decision to join the Allied forces in the worldwide fight, abandoning its policy of isolation.

The United States was initially adamant about staying out of European conflicts. Americans generally wanted to stay out of foreign wars due to the trauma of World War I. A number of Neutrality Acts were passed in the 1930s with the intention of keeping the country out of foreign conflicts. The swift ascent of the Axis forces and the collapse of France in June 1940, however, put this determination to the test and exposed the possible danger to the stability of the world and American interests overseas.

Prior to the conflict, economic considerations were a major influence on US foreign policy. The United States experienced the Great Depression in the 1930s, and trade relations were essential to the country’s economic recovery. These global commerce channels, as well as American investments in Europe and Asia, were put in jeopardy by the aggressiveness of the Axis countries. As a result, the United States started to back the Allies more firmly through initiatives like the Lend-Lease Act of 1941, which gave it the authority to give military assistance to nations opposing the Axis powers without being directly involved in combat.

The decision to engage the war was further motivated by the ideological confrontation between the United States and the totalitarian governments of Germany, Italy, and Japan. These countries’ brutality and ambitious expansionism ran counter to American democratic ideals. Leaders such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt underlined the need of defending these principles and halting the rise of authoritarianism and fascism. Political and public support for joining the war was bolstered by this ideological position, particularly as media reports of atrocities started to appear.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, however, served as the direct impetus for America’s entry into World War II. Thousands of Americans were murdered and the Pacific Fleet was severely damaged in this surprise military attack on the US naval facility in Hawaii. The incident sparked a nationwide clamor for action and inspired the American people to move from isolationism. President Roosevelt made his well-known “Day of Infamy” speech on December 8, 1941, and Congress unanimously approved the declaration of war on Japan with just one vote against. Soon later, the United States was completely involved in the international battle when Germany and Italy declared war on it.

In conclusion, a complex interaction of economic plans, ideological resistance to fascism, defensive manoeuvres, and an actual attack on American territory led to the United States’ entry into World War II. While none of the factors by itself would have forced the United States to enter the war, taken as a whole, they made neutrality untenable. The war effort inspired the country, lifting it out of the Great Depression’s economic abyss and redefining its position as the world’s foremost protector of democracy.

Examining these components will help us comprehend not only why the United States entered World War II, but also how this choice influenced its future foreign policy and its standing as a major world power. This engagement was a pledge to uphold and propagate the principles of democracy and freedom, which still shape American foreign policy today, rather than merely a reaction to aggression.

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In Holocaust remembrance, Biden condemns antisemitism sparked by college protests and Gaza war

President Joe Biden condemned the surge of antisemitism in America and around the world during a Tuesday ceremony to remember victims of the Holocaust and warned too many are ‘forgetting’ the horrors unleashed on Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

President Joe Biden speaks at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Annual Days of Remembrance ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, May 7, 2024 in Washington. Statue of Freedom stands behind the President. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden condemns a “ferocious surge of antisemitism,” during a ceremony to remember victims of the Holocaust at a time when the Hamas attack on Israel and the war in Gaza spark new waves of violence and hateful rhetoric toward Jews.

President Joe Biden speaks at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Annual Days of Remembrance ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, May 7, 2024 in Washington. Statue of Freedom stands behind.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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President Joe Biden is welcomed by Stuart Eizenstat, chairman of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, at the Museum’s Annual Days of Remembrance ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, May 7, 2024 in Washington. Statue of Freedom stands behind. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden speaks at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Annual Days of Remembrance ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, May 7, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden walks to sit beside Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., after speaking at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Annual Days of Remembrance ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, May 7, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden, left, greets Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., joined by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., as they honor the memory of the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust during the annual Days of Remembrance ceremony at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday decried a “ferocious surge” in antisemitism on college campuses and around the globe in the months since Hamas attacked Israel and triggered a war in Gaza, using a ceremony to remember victims of the Holocaust to also denounce new waves of violence and hateful rhetoric toward Jews.

Biden said that on Oct. 7, Hamas “brought to life” that hatred with the killing of more than 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and warned that, already, people are beginning to forget who was responsible.

The president used his address to renew his declarations of unwavering support for Israel in its war against Hamas even as his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has grown increasingly strained over Israel’s push to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah , which would surely worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis for Palestinians.

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks before signing a $95 billion Ukraine aid package that also includes support for Israel, Taiwan, and other allies, in the State Dining Room of the White House, April 24, 2024, in Washington. The Biden administration is due to deliver a first-of-its-kind formal verdict on whether Israel's conduct of its war in Gaza complies with international and U.S. laws. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns about Israel’s decision on Rafah.

Biden has struggled to balance his support for Israel since the attack by Hamas — the deadliest day for Jews worldwide since the Holocaust — with his efforts to protect civilian life in Gaza.

While acknowledging the ceremony was taking place during “difficult times,” Biden made no explicit reference to the deaths of more than 34,700 Palestinians since the attack by Hamas led Israel to declare war in Gaza. The tally from the Hamas-run health ministry includes militants, but also many civilians caught up in the fighting.

“My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad, even when we disagree,” Biden said.

“We’re at risk of people not knowing the truth,” Biden said of the horrors of the Holocaust, when 6 million Jews were systematically killed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. “This hatred continues to lie deep in the hearts of too many people in the world.”

Biden steered clear of the upcoming presidential election in his speech. But it played out in counterpoint to former President Donald Trump’s criticism of the incumbent for not doing more to combat antisemitism. Trump has a long personal history of rhetoric that invokes the language of Nazi Germany and plays on stereotypes of Jews in politics.

Biden’s remarks at the Capitol played out as pro-Palestinian protests — some of which have involved antisemitic chants and threats toward Jewish students and supporters of Israel — rock college campuses across the country.

“As Jews around the world still cope with the atrocity and trauma of that day and its aftermath, we’ve seen a ferocious surge of antisemitism in America and around the world,” Biden said.

“Not 75 years later, but just seven and a half months later, and people are already forgetting, they’re already forgetting, that Hamas unleashed this terror that it was Hamas that brutalized Israelis, that it was Hamas that took and continues to hold hostages,” Biden said. “I have not forgotten, nor have you. And we will not forget.”

President Joe Biden, left, greets Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., joined by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., as they honor the memory of the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust during the annual Days of Remembrance ceremony at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The Capitol event, hosted by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, also featured remarks from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Holocaust survivors, local youth and elected officials took part in the remembrance ceremony, which included a recitation of the Jewish prayers for the dead.

The campus protests have posed a political challenge for Biden, whose coalition has historically relied on younger voters , many of whom are critical of his public support for Israel.

Biden said “There’s no place on any campus in America” or any place in America for antisemitism or threats of violence. He added, “We’re not a lawless country — we are a civil society”

In conjunction with Biden’s speech, his administration was announcing new steps to combat antisemitism on colleges campuses and beyond. The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights was sending every school district and college in the nation a letter outlining examples of antisemitism and other hate that could lead to federal civil rights investigations.

The Department of Homeland Security was moving to educate schools and community groups about resources and funding available to promote campus safety and address threats. And the State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism was meeting with technology companies on how to combat the rise in hateful conflict online.

On Monday, Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris and the first Jewish spouse of a nationally elected American leader, met with Jewish college students at the White House about the administration’s efforts to combat antisemitism. He heard students describe their own experiences with hatred, including threats of violence and hate speech, his office said.

Trump’s campaign on Monday released a video on Yom Hashoah, Israel’s Holocaust remembrance day, that aimed to contrast the 2024 presidential candidates’ responses on antisemitism.

The video shows images of Trump visiting Israel and speeches he has given pledging to stand with Jewish people and confront antisemitism, while showing footage of the protests on campuses and clips of Biden responding to protesters upset with his administration’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas.

One of the clips shows Biden saying, “They have a point,” but it does not include the next sentence in which Biden said, “We need to get a lot more care into Gaza.”

Biden campaign spokesman James Singer said in response that “President Biden stands against antisemitism and is committed to the safety of the Jewish community, and security of Israel — Donald Trump does not.”

Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in New York and Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.

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