World War II
German POWs on the American Homefront
Thousands of World War II prisoners ended up in mills, farm fields and even dining rooms across the United States
September 16, 2009 |
By J. Malcolm Garcia
A Compass Saves the Crew
A WWII sailor's memento recalls the harrowing ordeal when his ship, the SS Alcoa Guide, was struck by a German U-Boat
September 2009 |
By Owen Edwards
For General Patton's Family, Recovered Ground
Famed World War II Gen. George S. Patton's grandson finds his calling in the ashes of his fathers journals
June 2009 |
By Benjamin W. Patton
Saving the Jews of Nazi France
As Jews in France tried to flee the Nazi occupation, Harry Bingham, an American diplomat, sped them to safety
March 2009 |
By Peter Eisner
Five Rescuers of Those Threatened by the Holocaust
Righteous good Samaritans came from across the world to save Jews and others from concentration camps
February 24, 2009 |
By Marian Holmes
Rewriting History in Great Britain
Recently uncovered documents in the British archives reveal dark secrets from World War II. One problem: they are forgeries
November 18, 2008 |
By Gregory Katz
Munich at 850
The livable, culture-crazy, beer-loving capital of Bavaria is coming to terms with its history
November 2008 |
By Charles Michener
Clan-Do Spirit
A genealogical surprise led the author to ask: What does it take to be one of the family?
September 2008 |
By Jake Halpern
Monumental Mission
Assigned to find art looted by the Nazis, Western Allied forces faced an incredible challenge
February 2008 |
By Robert M. Poole
Memory Blocks
Artist Gunter Demnig builds a Holocaust memorial one stone at a time
October 11, 2007 |
By Lois Gilman
Swamp Ghosts
In Papua New Guinea, a journalist investigates the controversy over a World War II bomber
October 2007 |
By John Darnton
In the Event of War
How the Smithsonian protected its "strange animals, curious creatures" and more
May 01, 2007 |
By Rebecca Maksel
WANTED: The Limping Lady
The intriguing and unexpected true story of America's most heroic—and most dangerous—female spy
February 01, 2007 |
By Cate Lineberry
A Night at the Opera
Weegee's wartime snapshot was widely seen as social criticism, but it was, in fact, a farce
November 2005 |
By Matthew Gurewitsch
It's Over
We asked readers to tell us where they were and how they reacted to the news that World War II had ended. And what a response we got!
August 2005 |
By Smithsonian magazine
Contemplating Churchill
On the 40th anniversary of the wartime leader's death, historians are reassessing the complex figure who carried Britain through its darkest hour
March 2005 |
By Edward Rothstein
Vilnius Remembers
In Vilnius, Lithuania, preservationists are creating a living memorial to the nation's 225,000 Holocaust victims
December 2004 |
By Vijai Maheshawri
On Clipped Wings
As America's first black military pilots, Tuskegee airmen faced a battle against racism
May 2004 |
By Keith Weldon Medley
In Their Footsteps
Retracing the route of captured American and Filipino soldiers on the Bataan Peninsula in World War II, the author grapples with their sacrifice
March 2004 |
By Donovan Webster
Dividing the Spoils
In a new book, historian Michael Beschloss re-creates the 1945 Potsdam Conference at which Harry Truman found his presidential voice and determined the shape of postwar Europe
December 2002 |
By Michael Beschloss
