Attack on Pearl Harbor (1:49)
On December 7, 1941, Japan launches a surprise attack on American soil at Pearl Harbor.
Videos (37)
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Attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl HarborVideo Clip (1:49)
Video Clip (1:49)
On December 7, 1941, Japan launches a surprise attack on American soil at Pearl Harbor.
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D-Day Invasion
D-Day InvasionVideo Clip (3:07)
Video Clip (3:07)
On June 6, 1944, Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy and turned the tides of World War II.
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D-Day Invasion of Normandy
D-Day Invasion of NormandyVideo Clip (3:19)
Video Clip (3:19)
On June 6, 1944, Allied troops invade German-occupied France and face near certain death on the beaches of Normandy.
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Hitler's Military Blunders
Hitler's Military BlundersVideo Clip (3:27)
Video Clip (3:27)
During WWII, Hitler's decentralized and paranoid military command structure spells disaster on the battlefield.
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WWII Spy Strategy
WWII Spy StrategyVideo Clip (2:37)
Video Clip (2:37)
The Allies use double agents, code breakers and spies to undermine the German military throughout WWII, but cracking the Enigma code proves to be their greatest breakthrough.
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D-Day Deception
D-Day DeceptionVideo Clip (3:24)
Video Clip (3:24)
During WWII, a shrewd deception dubbed "Operation Fortitude" convinces the German military command that Allied forces will land at Pas de Calais rather than Normandy.
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Allied Advance Stalls at Normandy
Allied Advance Stalls at NormandyVideo Clip (3:33)
Video Clip (3:33)
After the D-Day invasion of France on June 6, 1944, the Allied advance is mired in the thick hedgerows of Normandy's bocage country.
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Motorcycle MP
Motorcycle MPVideo Clip (3:18)
Video Clip (3:18)
Rick Conte was surprised to find out that his father--an Army MP during World War II-- appeared briefly in a television documentary some 60 years after the war.
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War Photographer
War PhotographerVideo Clip (3:00)
Video Clip (3:00)
Albert Fagler's grandfather was an Army Air Corps photographer during WWII and left behind film reels featuring dogfights and his own wedding.
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FDR: A Voice of Hope
FDR: A Voice of HopeVideo Clip (4:06)
Video Clip (4:06)
Elected in 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt was a reassuring presence for many Americans through the trials of the Great Depression.
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Charles Scheffel
Charles ScheffelVideo Clip (2:44)
Video Clip (2:44)
Born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma, Captain Jack Scheffel enlisted in the army in order to continue his family's strong tradition of military service. He soon learned that, in war, every decision you make can literally mean the difference between life and death.
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Submarine Shooter
Submarine ShooterVideo Clip (3:20)
Video Clip (3:20)
Tom Southwick's father caught amazing moments of life on a submarine on film as a naval photographer during World War II.
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Women in the Cockpit
Women in the CockpitVideo Clip (3:52)
Video Clip (3:52)
Dawn Letson befriended a World War II veteran who was a member of the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program, and shares her films from WASP training camp.
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Flying in the South Pacific
Flying in the South PacificVideo Clip (3:31)
Video Clip (3:31)
Fred Linden's father was a PBY naval aviator during World War II and left behind two reels of film documenting his service in the South Pacific.
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Jack Yusen
Jack YusenVideo Clip (2:20)
Video Clip (2:20)
Raised in Queens, Navy Seaman 1st Class Jack Yusen enlisted in the navy in 1943. In 1944, his ship was sunk off the coast of the Philippines, but he managed to survive the harrowing ordeal.
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Battle of Okinawa
Battle of OkinawaVideo Clip (2:30)
Video Clip (2:30)
On April 1, 1945, Allied forces invade the island of Okinawa and engage the Japanese in the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War.
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Coroner's Report: Atomic Bomb
Coroner's Report: Atomic BombVideo Clip (2:17)
Video Clip (2:17)
In August 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What happened to people on the fringes of the blasts?
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Japanese Internment in America
Japanese Internment in AmericaVideo Clip (2:47)
Video Clip (2:47)
In 1942, thousands of Japanese Americans living in the United States are forced into war relocation camps.
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Battle of Peleliu
Battle of PeleliuVideo Clip (2:09)
Video Clip (2:09)
In a costly battle, U.S. forces assault Peleliu in the Palau Islands to diminish its potential threat to their future invasions in the Pacific.
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MacArthur and Me
MacArthur and MeVideo Clip (3:44)
Video Clip (3:44)
Judy Kent's neighbor, George Dibbs, was a combat photographer follwing General MacArthur during WWII and shared his films with her.
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Manhattan Project
Manhattan ProjectVideo Clip (3:09)
Video Clip (3:09)
Explore the top-secret American project to build the world's first atomic bomb.
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Concentration Camp Liberation
Concentration Camp LiberationVideo Clip (2:15)
Video Clip (2:15)
As Allied troops move across Europe, they encounter the horror of thousands of prisoners in Nazi camps.
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Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of StalingradVideo Clip (2:21)
Video Clip (2:21)
In July 1942, the Nazi Army bombs the Soviet city of Stalingrad, launching one of the bloodiest battles in history.
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North Africa Campaign
North Africa CampaignVideo Clip (1:41)
Video Clip (1:41)
After Italy declares war, the Allies fight the Axis powers in North Africa for control of the Mediterranean.
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Battle of Guam
Battle of GuamVideo Clip (2:35)
Video Clip (2:35)
On July 21, 1944, U.S. forces advance in the Mariana Islands to capture the former American territory of Guam from the Japanese.
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At the Battle of the Bulge
At the Battle of the BulgeVideo Clip (3:34)
Video Clip (3:34)
Jim Banks' neighbor, Herm Graebner, shared with him the films of his journey through Germany and France during WWII.
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Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the BulgeVideo Clip (2:50)
Video Clip (2:50)
In December 1944, a major German offensive is launched against the Allies in the Ardennes Mountains region on the Western Front.
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Chaplain G.I.
Chaplain G.I.Video Clip (3:57)
Video Clip (3:57)
The experiences of Bob Marken's father as a chaplain during WWII are preserved on films he left behind for his family.
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French Resistance
French ResistanceVideo Clip (3:15)
Video Clip (3:15)
David Keran's grandfather was an OSS agent working with the French Resistance during WWII and left behind films of his experiences.
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From Farm to Flyer
From Farm to FlyerVideo Clip (3:36)
Video Clip (3:36)
Kay Nehring's father was a pilot in the Pacific during WWII and Kay has found a home for his films shot during the war.
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Battle of Saipan
Battle of SaipanVideo Clip (2:17)
Video Clip (2:17)
On June 15, 1944, the U.S. launches a critical attack on Saipan in the Mariana Islands.
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Battle of Kwajalein
Battle of KwajaleinVideo Clip (2:04)
Video Clip (2:04)
The U.S. invades Kwajalein on January 31, 1944, breaking the outer ring of the Japanese Pacific territory.
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Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo JimaVideo Clip (2:31)
Video Clip (2:31)
On February 19, 1945, American soldiers make their first strike on the Japanese Home Islands at Iwo Jima.
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Shelby Westbrook
Shelby WestbrookVideo Clip (2:20)
Video Clip (2:20)
First Lieutenant Shelby Westbrook enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and joined the nation's first all-black air corps shortly after Pearl Harbor. There he not only fought the enemy abroad, but worked hard to set an example for other African Americans struggling for equal rights.
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Rockie Blunt
Rockie BluntVideo Clip (2:05)
Video Clip (2:05)
Born in 1925 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Army Infantryman Rockie Blunt battled his way across Europe and into the heart of Hitler's Third Reich. What he saw and experienced during the war continues to impact his life today, over 60 years later.
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Jimmie Kayana
Jimmie KayanaVideo Clip (2:39)
Video Clip (2:39)
The son of Japanese immigrants, Army Medic Jimmie Kanaya joined the U.S. Army in 1941. Although his family was relocated to an internment camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor and he himself was treated as an enemy for some time, he eventually volunteered for America's first all-Japanese Regiment.
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Jack Werner
Jack WernerVideo Clip (2:41)
Video Clip (2:41)
U.S. Army Sergeant Jack Werner was born in Austria in 1920 to a middle class Jewish family. in 1939 he fled Austria to escape Nazi persecution and soon joined the U.S. Army so he could help fight Hitler.
Photo Galleries (12)
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World War II Pilots and Planes
World War II Pilots and Planes(12 Photos)
12 Photos
View photos of World War II pilots and planes.
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Women Factory Workers of World War II
Women Factory Workers of World War II(10 Photos)
10 Photos
During World War II, American women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers. The munitions industry heavily recruited women workers, as represented by the U.S. government's "Rosie the Riveter" propaganda campaign.
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World War II Damage and Destruction
World War II Damage and Destruction(7 Photos)
7 Photos
View photos of the damage and destruction from World War II.
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World War II Posters
World War II Posters(16 Photos)
16 Photos
View photos of famous posters from the World War II era.
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World War II: Rest and Relaxation
World War II: Rest and Relaxation(10 Photos)
10 Photos
View photos of soliders from World War II
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Remembering the Holocaust
Remembering the Holocaust(14 Photos)
14 Photos
View photos from the Holocaust.
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Holocaust Concentration Camps
Holocaust Concentration Camps(12 Photos)
12 Photos
View photos of the concentration camps operated by the Nazi regime.
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World War II Political Leaders
World War II Political Leaders(9 Photos)
9 Photos
View photos of World War II political leaders.
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Axis Military Leaders
Axis Military Leaders(12 Photos)
12 Photos
View images of Axis military leaders from World War II.
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End of World War II
End of World War II(8 Photos)
8 Photos
View pictures from VE day and VJ day as Americans celebrate the end of World War II.
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Allied Military Leaders
Allied Military Leaders(11 Photos)
11 Photos
View photos of Allied military leaders
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Presidents: World War II to Today's Presidents
Presidents: World War II to Today's Presidents(13 Photos)
13 Photos
View an image slideshow on Presidents from World War II to Today.
Speeches & Audio (5)
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FDR Asks Congress to Declare War on Japan
FDR Asks Congress to Declare War on JapanAudio Clip (7:45)
Audio Clip (7:45)
On the day after the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt tells a joint session of Congress that the United States must take up arms in response.
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WAC Recruits Take Oath of Enlistment
WAC Recruits Take Oath of EnlistmentAudio Clip (2:53)
Audio Clip (2:53)
An October 28, 1943, oath ceremony grants to women who had served in the military the official membership of the Armed Forces. Though women had established a long record of military service dating to the early 1900s, it wasn't until the Women's Army Corps bill was signed into law on July 1, 1943, that they received full status.
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German V-2 Attacks on Britain
German V-2 Attacks on BritainAudio Clip (0:35)
Audio Clip (0:35)
On September 8, 1944, Germany launched an aerial attack on London with V-2 ballistic missiles. A U.S. broadcast describes the varying reports coming from Germany and England of the damage. The V-2, developed by German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, was more technologically advanced than any other rocket of the era.
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English Princesses Address British Children During World War II
English Princesses Address British Children During World War IIAudio Clip (0:44)
Audio Clip (0:44)
In a radio address on October 13, 1940, the young Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret offer words of courage to British children who had been evacuated from Great Britain while their country was at war.
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Germany Advances in the Battle of the Bulge
Germany Advances in the Battle of the BulgeAudio Clip (3:56)
Audio Clip (3:56)
On December 16, 1944, the Germans launched a counteroffensive attack intended to cut through the Allied forces. A dispatch describes the situation along the front as the Allies face great adversity in the ensuing battle.
Interactives (2)
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Inside WWII
Inside WWIIInteractive
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WWII Experience
WWII ExperienceInteractive
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An international military conflict, World War II involved most countries around the world and lasted from 1939 to 1945.
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