WWIIVHP BLOG
Discover the latest from the WWII Veterans History Project.
Follow our journey of capturing the stories of WWII veterans, educating the next generation, and giving the past a future, one story at a time.
LONGSTANDING MONARCH AND WWII VETERAN QUEEN ELIZABETH II DIES AT 96
Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96. Her death marks the end of an era, coinciding with the rapid passing of the World War II generation. She was the last surviving head of state to have served during World War II…
WORLD WAR II BEGINS | 83 YEARS AGO TODAY
83 years ago today, on September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, triggering the outbreak of World War II. For the first time, the German blitzkrieg was put into action. Although the Polish army fought hard to defend their country, they were unprepared and quickly overwhelmed by numbers and superior tactics. In less than a month, the entire nation had been overrun and occupied…
MOLOTOV-RIBBENTROP PACT | 83RD ANNIVERSARY
On August 23, 1939, Germany shocked the world when Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop flew to Moscow and signed a non-aggression pact with Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov. The secret terms called for a partition of Poland, with Germany invading the Western half, while Soviet forces occupied the East…
DIEPPE RAID | 80TH ANNIVERSARY
On August 19, 1942, the Allies launched Operation Jubilee, an amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France. It tested the possibility of a large scale beach landing in Western Europe and was designed to infiltrate and destroy critical military targets, including German coastal defenses and port facilities…
VICTORY OVER JAPAN | 77TH ANNIVERSARY
Today marks the 77th Anniversary of VJ Day, marking the official end of WWII. On August 15, 1945, in a radio broadcast to his Empire, Hirohito announced Japan's unconditional surrender to the Allies. In his somber speech, he noted that the use of "a new and most cruel bomb", led to the surrender and that further fighting would only cause "the ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation"…
NAGASAKI BOMBING | 77TH ANNIVERSARY
Three days after the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the Japanese surrender still not forthcoming. As a result, the Americans chose a second target. On August 9, a B-29 took off from Tinian airbase and dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, a large coastal city on the Japanese island of Kyushu. This bomb was nicknamed "Fat Man" and produced similar results as the Hiroshima bomb…
WWII US NAVY WAVES VETERAN TURNS 101
101-year-old Priscilla Getchell was born in Massachusetts in 1921 and attended Boston University before she answered the nation's call to serve in the US Navy's Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor…
HIROSHIMA BOMBING | 77TH ANNIVERSARY
It was a calm and sunny morning on August 6, 1945, when the B-29 bomber Enola Gay departed the American air base on the island of Tinian. Its destination: the city of Hiroshima. At approximately 8:15 a.m. local time, the world's first atomic bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy,” was dropped on the city. The explosion was equal to 15 kilotons of TNT, and it sent a radioactive blast wave across the densely populated metropolis…
JFK PT BOAT SUNK BY JAPANESE
On this day in 1943, PT-109 was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer in the South Pacific. With future President John F. Kennedy in command, PT-109 and the remarkable story of the crew’s survival has become legendary…
DECORATED WWII FIGHTER PILOT DIES AT 101
Today the WWII Veterans History Project honors the life and service of decorated WWII fighter pilot Jack Hallett, who recently passed away at the age of 101. We had the privilege to interview him in 2018, capturing his wartime memories in a compelling video interview…
HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR AND WWII VETERAN DIES AT 99
Today the WWII Veterans History Project honors the life and service of Holocaust survivor and WWII veteran Harry Stern. Harry recently passed away at the age of 99. We had the privilege to interview him in 2019, preserving his wartime memories for generations to come…
LAST WWII MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT DIES AT 98
Today the WWII Veterans History Project honors the life and service of Hershel "Woody" Williams, America's last living Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. Woody passed away early this morning at the age of 98, after a lifetime dedicated to honoring and serving his fellow veterans…
WWII AS THEY SAW IT: BILL CUMBAA / DOCUMENTARY
Today we’re excited to release the third episode of World War II As They Saw It, featuring the story of Bill Cumbaa, a highly decorated Marine Corps veteran…
ARTIFACT SPOTLIGHT: WWII GERMAN CANTEEN
German canteen from WWII engraved in an artsy form of 'trench art' for a soldier of K Company, 331st Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division. It was created while the 83rd was on occupation duty in Salzburg, Austria, after the war's end. The 83rd was influential in the Normandy breakout and saw combat across the European Theater during WWII…
US 2ND RANGER BATTALION RELIEVED AT POINTE DU HOC
On this day in 1944, the US 2nd Ranger Battalion at Pointe du Hoc was relieved by the 29th Infantry Division. Halfway between Omaha Beach and Utah Beach, Pointe du Hoc's 100-foot cliffs were scaled by the rangers in the early hours of D-Day, capturing and holding the vital position for two days…
REMEMBERING D-DAY | 78TH ANNIVERSARY
With flak bursting around him and bullets whizzing through the dark sky, 18-year-old Michael Camasso opened his parachute and glided down into the unknown. The date was June 6, 1944, D-Day. As a Private First Class in HQ Company, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Camasso was one of 13,000 American paratroopers to jump into France during the Allied invasion of occupied Europe…
78TH ANNIVERSARY OF OPERATION OVERLORD / D-DAY
"The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you." – General Dwight D. Eisenhower - Today marks the 78th Anniversary of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944…
D-DAY ANNIVERSARY
In the early hours of D-Day, June 6, 1944, John Raaen was among the first to land on Omaha Beach, serving as Headquarters Company Commander of the 5th Ranger Battalion…
320th BARRAGE BALLOON BATALION ON D-DAY
On June 6, 1944, soldiers from the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion were scattered in landing craft up and down Utah and Omaha Beaches. Among them was 22-year-old Thomas E. McKinley Jr…
WWII VHP DOCUMENTARY WINS TELLY AWARDS
We are proud to announce that the WWII Veterans History Project received two #TellyAwards (one Silver, one Gold) at the 43nd Annual Telly Awards for episode 1 of our documentary series World War II As They Saw It…