World War II On Topic

Click HERE to follow the new podcast by The National WWII Museum: Making Masters of the Air. Masters of the Air is an Apple Original series from executive producers of Band of Brothers and The Pacific, streaming January 26 on Apple TV+. The series follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the “Bloody Hundredth”) as they conduct perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygen and sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air. Masters of the Air is based on the best-selling book by Donald Miller, and features a stellar cast led by Academy Award nominee Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Nate Mann, Rafferty Law, Academy Award nominee Barry Keoghan, Josiah Cross, Branden Cook and Ncuti Gatwa. The Making Masters of the Air podcast by The National WWII Museum is co-hosted by Playtone’s Kirk Saduski and Donald Miller, author of the book, Masters of the Air. Listen to the premiere episode featuring an interview with Executive Producer Tom Hanks on Friday, January 26. Masters of the Air is an Apple Original series from executive producers of Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Streaming on January 26 on Apple TV+

In this special season of World War II On Topic, The National WWII Museum will explore J. Robert Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Project, and the history and ramifications of the atomic bomb. In this episode, Jason Dawsey, PhD, and John Curatola, PhD, historians with the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, discuss the legacy of the Manhattan Project. To read more visit our Manhattan Project topics page: www.nationalww2museum.org/war/topics/manhattan-project

In this special season of World War II On Topic, The National WWII Museum will explore J. Robert Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Project, and the history and ramifications of the atomic bomb. The anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima was August 6. In this episode, we hear from two extraordinary people who experienced the bombing, albeit from vastly different perspectives. While much has been written and said on the subject, these are firsthand recollections, excerpted from the oral histories given by Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk and Ittsei Nakagawa. Van Kirk was the navigator on the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress bomber that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. He was the last surviving member of the Enola Gay crew before his death in 2014. Nakagawa was a Japanese American from California who got stuck in Japan due to the war. He was there, in Hiroshima, on that fateful day and survived to tell his experience. These oral histories were recorded by the Museum and provide a first-person look into the lives of those who experienced these amazing and terrifying events. To read more visit our Manhattan Project topics page: www.nationalww2museum.org/war/topics/manhattan-project

In this special season of World War II On Topic, The National WWII Museum will explore J. Robert Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Project, and the history and ramifications of the atomic bomb. In this episode, Jason Dawsey, PhD & John Curatola, PhD, historians with the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, discuss the film Oppenheimer, released July 21, 2023. Directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer was adapted from the biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Jason and John explore the history behind the movie, its accuracy, and its influence. To read more visit our Manhattan Project topics page: www.nationalww2museum.org/war/topics/manhattan-project

In this special season of World War II On Topic, The National WWII Museum will explore J. Robert Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Project, and the history and ramifications of the atomic bomb. In this episode, we take a closer look at Lieutenant General Leslie Groves, director of the Manhattan Project. While a lot of interest is rightfully set on Oppenheimer, Groves proves to be an interesting character and pivotal player in the development of the bomb. During the Museum’s 2015 International Conference, Dr. Robert Norris, author of Racing for the Bomb: General Leslie R. Groves, the Manhattan Project’s Indispensable Man, spoke about Groves and his role in the Manhattan Project. The lecture featured in this episode was edited for length, but the entire session, also featuring author Richard Frank and host Dr. Conrad Crane. To read more visit our Manhattan Project topics page: www.nationalww2museum.org/war/topics/manhattan-project

This episode is brought to you by the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. At the 2012 International Conference on World War II, we were privileged to listen to a conversation between renowned author, Rick Atkinson and World War II Veterans Walt Ehlers & Gerhard Hennes. Walt served in the 3rd Infantry Division of the US Army in North Africa. He then served with the 1st Infantry Division in Normandy where he performed actions that were later awarded the Medal of Honor. Gerhard was in the German Afrika Korps and was captured in North Africa, becoming a Prisoner of War for the remainder of the War. If you would like to view the original conversation, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/ikH0nKNA4W8

This is World War II on Topic: Veteran Voices. This episode is a collaboration between the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy and the Curatorial Services Department. Back in May 2021, when Senior Curator, Kim Guise, had a conversation with WWII Veteran and Concentration Camp Liberator Alan Moskin. Moskin was a member of the 66th Regiment of the 71st Infantry Division and participated in the Liberation of the Gunskirchen concentration camp in May 1945. He discusses his pre-war life, wartime experiences, and being a part of an innovative exhibit installation, Dimensions in Testimony: Liberator Alan Moskin, an interactive biography from USC Shoah Foundation. If you would like to view the original conversation, you can see it here:

This is World War II On Topic: Veteran Voices. This episode is brought to you by the Museum’s Media Center and Education Department. Back in 2020, Seth Paridon had a special conversation with Medal of Honor Recipient and Museum champion, Hershel “Woody” Williams to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima. Woody shares his experiences and memories of the brutal 36-day fight, as well as his postwar efforts to establish a Memorial to Gold Star Families in all 50 states. If you would like to view the original conversation, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/GkVAcUkxUpk

This episode is brought to you by the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. At our 15th International Conference in 2022, we had the privilege to hear from Nicole Spangenberg in conversation with the Institute’s Senior Historian, Dr. Steph Hinnershitz. Nicole, as a teenager working with the French Resistance, assisted with daring missions to aid her country in the struggle against Nazi occupation. From delivering supplies and messages for her local resistance network to providing aid to wounded partisans, Nicole’s work is an important reminder of the crucial role women played in the fight against fascism. If you would like to view the original conversation, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/xJuiavDlVEQ

This is World War II on Topic: Veteran Voices. This episode is brought to you by the Museum’s Education Department and The Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War & Democracy. In April 2020, Dr. Tyler Bamford, who was serving as the Institute’s Leventhal Research Fellow, had a conversation with Museum Volunteer and World War II Veteran, Steve Ellis. Steve served in the US Navy from 1944 to 1946 aboard LST-751. He took part in the campaigns to liberate the Philippines and survived Japanese Kamikaze attacks. Here he recounts those harrowing experiences. If you would like to view the original conversation, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/K3tQii64-W0

Welcome to a special season of World War II on Topic: Veteran Voices. Where we listen to firsthand accounts from those who lived through the war. This episode is brought to you by the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War & Democracy. At our 2022 International Conference, we were “lucky” to hear from Veteran John “Lucky” Luckadoo, who was interviewed by Dr. Donald Miller, the author of “Master’s of the Air.” Lucky served as a pilot and copilot with the 100th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force, also known as the “Bloody Hundredth.” He flew a total of 25 missions over targets in France and Germany. Lucky shared some of his experiences with the Mighty Eighth and memories of flying these daring missions. If you would like to view the original conversation, you can see it here: Masters of the Air, the Bloody 100th and John “Lucky” Luckadoo

In April of 2021, Research Historian, Kali Martin, discussed the three services, that were all under the Department of the Navy, with each branch incorporating women reservists in a unique way. In 1942, the US Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard opened their ranks to most women. Despite more stringent enlistment requirements put on women, compared to their male counterparts, by the end of the war, more than one hundred 15 thousand women had joined the WAVES, SPARS, and Women Reservists. If you would like to view the original lecture, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/7OU_tIv276k

This episode is brought to you by the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. Today we are traveling back to August 20th, 2021, to a conversation with Dr. Jeffrey H. Jackson, Professor of History at Rhodes College, about his book, “Paper Bullets: Two Artists Who Risked Their Lives to Defy the Nazis.” The book and the program focused on the story of an audacious anti-Nazi resistance campaign conducted by a pair of unlikely women—Lucy Schwob and Suzanne Malherbe—whose love story and artistic sensibility made their daring actions possible even while living under Nazi occupation. If you would like to view the original conversation, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/6X-4FTmwz_Y

This episode is brought to you by the Museum’s Education Department. Back on November 3rd, 2021, Dr. Zachary Isenhower gave a lecture entitled: “Defining Patriotism: Native Military Figures & the Long Fight for Equality.” Dr. Isenhower is an Instructor at Louisiana State University teaching Native American History. The lecture explored how the history of Native military service illustrated Native struggles for equality, as well as the contradictions and ironies of how white Americans viewed Native military service and citizenship. If you would like to view the original lecture, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/ESA7ve1OOLM

This episode is brought to you by the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War & Democracy. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, join us for a conversation from July 2020 with Dave Gutierrez, author of Patriots From The Barrio. Patriots From The Barrio is a true World War II story of the men that served in the US Army's all Mexican American Combat unit, Company E, 141st Infantry Regiment of the 36th Infantry Division. The 141st Regiment is the oldest fighting unit in the state of Texas and traces its roots back to the Texas Revolution. Deployed to North Africa in April 1943, Company E took part in the Allied landing at Salerno, Italy, in September 1943 and fought at San Pietro, the Rapido River, Cassino, Anzio, and Rome. If you would like to view the original conversation, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/tjiks86J41A

This episode is brought to you by the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War & Democracy and The Media & Education Center. Today we are taking a listen to a discussion we hosted during our Memory Wars: World War II at 75 and Beyond virtual conference, held in March of 2022. It was chaired by our own Research Historian, Dr. Jason Dawsey and featured guests Dr. Omer Bartov, the John P. Birkelund Distinguished Professor of European History at Brown University, and Dr. Alexandra Richie, Professor at Collegium Civitas. This discussion goes into how the War ravaged the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The latter then suffered Soviet occupation for the next 50 years. The panel compares and contrasts the complex, often irreconcilable ways in which Eastern Europe and Russia remember the war. This conversation has extra weight because it took place about one month after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. If you would like to view the original conversation, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/_h83NljG8eY

Today’s episode is brought to you by the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. In February 2022, Dr. Jason Dawsey, Research Historian for the museum, talked with Dr. Yoshikuni Igarashi, one of the country's leading authorities on postwar Japan. On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced to the Japanese people that the Japanese Government had agreed to the Allies’ terms laid out in the Potsdam Declaration, This left many questions about the future of Japan and America’s role in it. Jason and Yoshi covered: How did the deep animus between Imperial Japan and the United States during the War transform into a lasting postwar alliance? How did the authoritarian Japanese state transition into a democracy? How did the Japanese respond to the experience of defeat, occupation, and then restoration of independence in the decade after World War II? And much more. If you would like to view the original conversation, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/238F64SQGvU

Today’s episode is brought to you by the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy and The Media & Education Center. We are going back to 2020, when Dr. Ed Lengel, then the Museum’s Senior Director of Programs, hosted a webinar with President Harry Truman’s grandson - Clifton Truman Daniel - and Paul Sparrow, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum Director. They presented Roosevelt’s and Truman’s roles in the Manhattan Project and the dramatic race for atomic power. The Manhattan Project’s success would have been impossible without President Roosevelt’s committed leadership, and President Truman’s decision to employ the weapons. This culminated in the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th, 1945. If you would like to view the original conversation, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/9f67sx2moBE

Today’s episode is brought to you by the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. Richard B. Frank, renowned Military historian, author, and Presidential Counselor at the Museum delivered the keynote address at the Museum's 2011 International Conference on World War II. Richard’s first book, Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle, won the US Marine Corps’ General Wallace M. Greene Award, and his most recent book, Tower of Skulls, is the first in a trilogy on the war in the Asia-Pacific Theater. On August 7, 1942, the US mounted its first major amphibious landing at Guadalcanal. This campaign proved a strategic turning point for the United States in the war with Imperial Japan. If you would like to view the original presentation, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/iFKQQYulHgA

This episode is brought to you by the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. Today we are traveling back to a 2020 Meet-the-Author webinar between our own Research Historian, Dr. Jason Dawsey, and Dr. Victoria de Grazia, the Moore Collegiate Professor of History at Columbia University and author of The Perfect Fascist: A Story of Love, Power, and Morality in Mussolini’s Italy. Dr. de Grazia discussed her book, which tells the story of fascist, Attilio Teruzzi, a war hero turned commander of Mussolini’s Black Shirts, and how the personal became political in the fascist quest for manhood and power. If you would like to view the original conversation, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/c1u-3KrQfx8