Bold Defiance 1936

The lone person in this large crowd who refused to give the Nazi salute.

Battle of Midway

The crew of the sinking carrier USS Yorktown abandon ship after being hit by Japanese aerial torpedoes on June 4, 1942. The USS Balch remains nearby to render assistance. From June 4 - 7, 1942,  the battle of Midway proved to be the turning point of World War II in the Pacific.   

USCGC Taney

Launched June 3, 1936 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, the US Coast Guard Cutter Taney is the last of the 101 US fighting ships present at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Today , the decommissioned Taney makes its' home at the Baltimore Maritime Museum.

This US Coast Guard picture shows the cutter Taney as she appeared in 1944.

A Spy Story With Legs

In this rare undated picture, Marina Lee appears as no more than the ballerina star she was during the World War II years. However, recently declassified papers from British Intelligence present her otherwise. As a German secret agent with striking beauty, Lee was somehow able to infiltrate Allied Defense offices, stealing battle plans of attack and turning them over to the Nazis.

Her accomplishments are credited with contributing to the fall of Norway to the Nazis early in the war. Intelligence from the French included the entry: Very nice legs.

Doing Her Part

This picture, titled "Bombs and Butter:1942",  shows a housewife bringing in her fats and grease to her local butcher shop. The waste, in turn, is sold to the appropriate manufacturers where it is processed into ammunition for the troops in combat.  

London's Air Raid Shelters

In London, many underground subway stations were used as mass air raid shelters during the second world war. In the above picture, people seek shelter in London's Bounds Green station in 1940.

After The War

At the end of the war, in an internment camp in the Marianas, a US Marine offers a Japanese child a candy bar.

Having just learned that the war was over, Japanese holdouts are pictured surrendering in June, 1951. After the war, they were stranded on Anatahan, a small island on the northern part of the Marianas.

Penicillin

A poster attached to a curbside mailbox in 1944 reminds US servicemen of the benefits of penicillin.

In 1928, Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, which became a successful treatment for previously dangerous diseases. During World War II, the use of penicillin on the battlefield resulted in major differences in the number of deaths and amputations caused by infected wounds, saving an estimated 12 to 15% of lives.

Prisoner #7

          Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg (circa 1937)

Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is credited for having saved more than 20,000 Jews from extermination during World War II. He was arrested by the Russians in 1945, and never seen or heard from again. The reasons for his arrest remain unclear.

In a recently released story, Wallenberg is said to have been seen several times in prison by eyewitnesses who referred to him only as 'Prisoner #7', long after his reported execution in 1947. His disappearance remains one of the great mysteries of World War II.

The Mayflower II

The Mayflower II, a replica of the original 17th century sailing vessel that carried the pilgrims to our shores in 1620, is pictured in 1957. Built in Devon, England between 1955 and 1956, the project was financed by private donations from England and the Plimoth Plantation Museum. The Mayflower II is a symbol of friendship between the United Kingdom and the United States for collaboration in World War II.

Into The Wild Blue Yonder!

During World War II, the WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots) was established to enable male pilots to be available for deployment to the combat zones. This corp of brave women were responsible for many tasks during the war, including delivering aircraft to various locations and testing aircraft for combat worthiness.

Violet Cowden was one of the over a thousand WASPs on duty during that period who would never have the proper recognition for their contributions until 1977, when their veteran's status was finally acknowledged, complete with benefits.

Today, Violet Cowden and her sister surviving WASP members were honored in Congress and presented with the Congressional Gold Medal. Violet is pictured above both during the war, and today at 93 when she took to the air in a light combat aircraft before the medal ceremony.

Of the 1102 WASPs who served, about 300 are still alive, with about 200 attending today's ceremony.

PT 109

(PT 105 at full speed)

PT boats were a staple for the United States Navy during World War II. They were designed for speed when attacking larger conventional vessels. With a full compliment of arms, including torpedoes and anti aircraft guns, they proved to be workhorses in the Pacific theatre.

(PT 109 & crew)

Lt. John F. Kennedy, commander of PT 109, is pictured on the far right with his crew in 1943. On August 2nd of that year, his vessel would eventually be sunk in battle by the Japanese.

Anne Frank

Anne Frank (May 1942)

Annelies Marie Frank was born on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt am Main in Weimar Germany. During her life, she would become one of the most recognized Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Known for her creative writing, her diary became one of the world's most read books. Anne Frank died of typhus at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in late March 1945 at the age of 15.

Two Time Survivor

Pictured is Tsutomu Yanaguchi, who was in Hiroshima on business on the day the Atomic Bomb was dropped by the Allies. He managed to survive and return home to Nagasaki, where days later he survived another bomb drop, which resulted in the ending of World War II. He is the only known person to have survived both Atomic Bombs. He recently passed away at the age of 93.

Southwick House

From Southwick House, pictured above on D-Day June 5, 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower gave the order to launch the D-Day invasion. Located near Portsmouth, England, the mansion served as the Allied Expeditionary Force advance headquarters.

Unknown Soldiers

In a ceremony pictured aboard the USS Canberra on May 20, 1958, the selection of the World War II Unknown Serviceman and the Korean War Unknown Serviceman is taking place. The Korean War Unknown is in the center casket, while the two World War II candidates are on either side. The Korean War Unknown and the World War II Unknown on the far right were selected and taken to Arlington National Cemetery for internment. The other World War II Unknown Serviceman was buried at sea.

Audie Murphy

Photo to the right shows Audie Murphy, a much decorated American soldier who served in the European theatre during World War II. Murphy went on to become one of the most highly decorated United States soldiers during World War II, with his awards including the Medal of Honor, and the Distinguished Service Cross. After the war, he successfully pursued an acting career. On May 28, 1971 Audie Murphy died in a plane crash just outside of Roanoke, Virginia at the young age of 47.

Bootleg Lady

This picture taken in 1922 shows a woman removing a flask from her Russian boot.

Note the swastikas embedded in the floor design. The swastika was once considered a good luck symbol in many cultures including Native Americans. The Nazis adopted it as their symbol in WWII, forever reminding the world of the evil it had unjustly come to represent.