World War II On Topic

While in hiding during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Anne Frank wrote what has become the world's most famous diary. After her words were published in 1947 as The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne soon emerged as an international phenomenon and symbol of the Holocaust. More than 30 million copies of her diary have been printed in more than 70 languages, and it has been adapted into a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play and an Academy Award-winning film. 

Jeremy Collins, Senior Director of Programs at The National WWII Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, interviews renowned Dutch scholar David Barnouw, author of The Phenomenon of Anne Frank, which follows Anne’s emergence as a global icon, the ways in which her life and fate have been represented, interpreted, and exploited, and what it means for her legacy as a symbol of the Holocaust.

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The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, a predominantly Black battalion in the Women’s Army Corps, is now memorialized in a new film, The Six Triple Eight, now available to stream on Netflix. Listen as Kimberly Guise, National WWII Museum Senior Curator & Director for Curatorial Affairs, and retired US Air Force Colonel Eries L.G. Mentzer discuss the history of these pioneering women of the 6888th.

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Rob Citino, PhD and Mike Bell, PhD discuss Battle of the Bulge, 80 years later. 

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Bradley W. Hart, PhD, Military Historian, talks with Rona Simmons, author of No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944, which chronicles the US Armed Forces’ single deadliest day of World War II. More than 2,600 Americans perished around the world on October 24, 1944—more than on any other single day of the conflict—yet the day remains overshadowed by more widely remembered dates in WWII history.

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Dr. Jennifer Putnam interviews Antony Penrose, son of Lee Miller and author of “The Lives of Lee Miller.” The new film “Lee” stars Academy-Award winning actress Kate Winselt, portraying the trail-blazing World War II war correspondent.  

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Coming soon from The National WWII Museum, Antisemitism: The Fight in WWII America is a five-part podcast series exploring the battle against antisemitism in prewar America and during World War II as well as the legacy of these efforts, which continue today. 

We begin in 1938, examining voices who were sympathetic to Nazism, while also highlighting voices who raised public awareness of the ongoing mass murder of Europe’s Jewish populations. The first two episodes examine American groups sympathetic to the Nazi; the next two focus on organizations that countered antisemitism during the war. The fifth and final episode looks at the legacy of liberation today.

This is D-Day, as told through the real voices of those who were in Normandy on June 6, 1944. The National WWII Museum’s archival collection features over 12,000 personal narratives, including voices of those who fought on D-Day.

In this special episode of World War II On Topic, Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy Senior Historian Mark Calhoun, PhD, and Distinguished Fellow Rob Citino, PhD, discuss the legacy of D-Day, 80 years after the consequential invasion of Normandy began.

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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