Millard Gillars was born in Maine, but in 1934 she was living in Germany. In 1940, she got a job as an announcer for German State Radio. When the U.S. declared war on Germany, she declined to return because she was engaged to marry a German soldier. When he Read more
In American History classes, teachers tend to talk about Eisenhower and Montgomery as simply the generals that helped win WWII. We don’t have time to talk about personalities or personal dynamics. Personalities and personal dynamics can influence history. Here’s the story behind the relationship of the most famous American general Read more
Netflix has a new movie called “The Bombardment”. It is a Danish film (with dubbed dialogue) that tells a fictional tale based on one of the greatest tragedies of collateral damage in WWII. I don’t recommend showing it in the classroom unless you want a class full of crying kids, Read more
Jan. 21, 1918 is the birthday of a hero of WWII who would have remained unknown if not for a spectacular mini-series. In 1990, historian Stephen Ambrose sat down with Dick Winters to interview him about his WWII experiences for a book about the war. It was Winters who suggested Read more
If you have seen “Saving Private Ryan”, here is the true story that inspired the film. The Niland brothers grew up in Tonawanda, New York. Preston and Robert enlisted in the Army before Pearl Harbor. Edward and Frederick enlisted in November, 1942. Because of the deaths of the Sullivan Read more
It was the first battle in American History where all branches of the current military participated: Navy, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Signalman First Class Douglas Munro became the only member of the Coast Guard to ever earn the Medal of Honor. He led a rescue mission of a Read more