WWII Airplane Nose Art - Pinups
Painting on Planes
I first became intrigued by airplane "nose art" when I saw an old photo of my uncle, Ralph Martin, that was taken back in World War II. He was standing jauntily by his plane somewhere in China. The year was 1944. Painted on the nose of the plane was the figure of a Kansas Jayhawk (a mythical bird). Since then, I've seen many pictures of planes with nose art like this. Some is fancier than others and I think much of it was done by amateur artists either local or in the military. There is so ...

Saving World War Two Letters
Soldier's Letters, Love Letters and Other Memorabilia from the Second World War
It horrifies me to think of someone tossing out their grandfather's World War II letters or burning an old diary .My family treasures letters, journals and other memorabilia from the generations that preceded us. Unfortunately not all families feel that these are worth saving. Who cares about that old stuff, some might say. More and more, people realize these creased and yellowed letters from World War II really are a precious record of a very historic time. Each letter provides a piece of t...

The Concentration Camp Auschwitz
Auschwitz
Yakov Gelfandbein every 27th January drinks vodka, bakes toasts and recalls. On the broken gates of which were going out on the light the skeletons and how they were thrown around his neck to hug him. 27th January 1945 Yakov was 23 years old. He was a soldier and a Soviet Jew. He knew that he could be one of those who kissed someone's hand for two tablespoons of broth. The people in concentration camp Auschwitz couldn't eat more. photo:sk.wikipedia.org He came with the soldiers, who libera...

Heroes? They Didn't Think So.
When the Ordinary became Extraordinary
The date was 9th April, 1940, when a quite ordinary couple - Harry and Wanda, woke up to find themselves in the middle of a war-zone. The place was Copenhagen, Denmark. Overnight a powerful section of the German Army had parachuted in and stealthily taken over the Danish homeland, in its entirety. Harry and Wanda were brand new parents to their first-born son, Kanute, just 3 weeks old. They were full of hopes and dreams for his future, as all proud new parents are. Imagine Wanda's terror and...

Children Remembering World War II
Childhood Memories of a Long Ago War
Children can remember events and feelings quite vividly, especially if it was a time of great drama. World War Two was certainly dramatic and for most, traumatic. Read these accounts of that momentous time to get the feeling of what it was like to be a child during the war.

General Phillips: A Quiet Hero
WWII Veteran Who Beat Monty To Messina
This is my favorite picture of a wonderful man I met in Lavonia, Georgia. He stands a good 6 feet 3 inches tall, and could still fit into his army uniform from 65 years ago. After sitting with him in his home in Sandy Cross, Georgia, completely in awe of his life and achievements, he then showed me some of the things he still has. He sported his helmet, and it was a perfect photo op. You can see the twinkle in his eye, and it isn't hard to imagine how taken I was with his life and stories. An...

Environmental Disasters of World War II
When humans fight, nature suffers too
Millions of people visit the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, every year, and one of the enduring images many of them take away is the oil still leaking from the wreck of the stricken battleship, 70 years after she was sunk during the Japanese attack that brought the United States into World War II. The Arizona lies in shallow water in a secluded harbour well protected from storms, and so the leakage is likely to remain slow and manageable and have a minimal impact on the nat...

World War II (Second World War)
World War II
World War II (1939-45) was a war between Germany, Italy and Japan (the Axis powers) on the one hand and Great Britain, the British Commonwealth countries, France, the United States, the Soviet Union and China (the Allied Powers) on the other hand. It is estimated that 55 million lives were lost in World War II (the Second World War), of which approximately 20 million were from the Soviet Union. The war was a world war and was fought in two main areas (or theaters): the Atlantic theater (Eur...

World War II, the Korean Conflict, & the Vietnam War in Popular Culture
How we see the past...
History. What we think happened and what did happen are often two different things. Here are links to fact, fiction, fact as seen thru fiction. and kool kollectibles for veterans or collectors of wartime pop culture Great gifts for Meomorial Day, Flag Day, veterans' birthdays, or the 4th of July!